Hi, I'm Isaac, the owner of Ready 2 Mow. When people ask me what makes a yard look "done," my answer is almost always the same: the edges. You can mow a lawn perfectly, but if the grass is creeping over the sidewalk and spilling into the flower beds, the whole yard still looks a little shaggy. Clean edges are what make it look finished.
Here's what I've learned about edging yards around Seminole, Largo and the beaches, and how you can keep your edges sharp between visits.
Why St. Augustine grass needs regular edging
Most of the lawns I take care of here are St. Augustine grass. It doesn't grow by sending up a lot of new blades from seed. It spreads sideways with thick runners (they're called stolons) that crawl across the top of the ground. That's great for filling in bare spots, but it also means St. Augustine is always trying to grow over your driveway, your sidewalk and into your beds.
If you skip edging for a while, those runners can get pretty long and tough. Then they're harder to cut back cleanly, and they can root into the cracks and sand along the concrete. A little edging on a regular schedule is a lot easier than one big fight later.
Edging vs. trimming: what's the difference?
People sometimes mix these up, so here's how I think about it:
- Edging is cutting a clean vertical line where the lawn meets a hard surface, like a driveway, sidewalk, curb or patio. It's the line you see from the street.
- Trimming (some people call it string trimming or weed eating) is cutting the grass the mower can't reach, like around mailboxes, fence posts, trees, the A/C unit and along the house.
Both matter. Edging gives you the sharp lines, and trimming takes care of the little tufts that make a yard look like it was mowed in a hurry.
The edges that matter most
If you only have time to do a few spots, focus on the ones people actually see:
- The driveway. It's usually the first thing someone notices when they pull up.
- The front sidewalk and the walkway to your door. A clean walkway makes the whole front of the house look cared for.
- The curb. Grass hanging over the curb is easy to miss, but cleaning it up makes a big difference from the street.
- Flower and shrub beds. A clear line between the lawn and the mulch keeps grass from moving into your plants.
Tips for edging your own yard
If you like to do some of the work yourself, here are a few things that help:
- Edge before you blow. Edging throws grass clippings and sand onto the concrete. Do it first, then blow everything off the driveway and sidewalk at the end so the hard surfaces are clean.
- Go slow and keep it straight. Use the edge of the concrete as your guide. Rushing is how you end up with wavy lines or a scalped spot.
- Don't dig too deep. You just want to cut the grass back, not carve a trench next to the sidewalk. A shallow, clean cut looks better and is easier to keep up.
- Wear safety glasses and closed shoes. Edgers and trimmers throw little rocks and bits of shell, especially in our sandy soil.
- Watch for sprinkler heads. Lots of yards here have sprinkler heads right along the driveway or sidewalk. Hitting one with an edger is an easy way to end up with a broken head and a wet mess.
Keeping bed edges clean
Beds are a little different from concrete. There's no hard line to follow, so the grass slowly moves in. A few ideas:
- Cut a clean line around the bed every so often and pull the runners that have crept into the mulch.
- Hand pull any weeds that pop up in the bed while you're there. It's much easier when they're small.
- Top off the mulch after cleaning the edge so the line looks crisp.
Doing this regularly keeps the beds looking sharp and keeps the grass from crowding your shrubs and flowers.
Don't forget the cleanup
The last step is the one that makes people smile when they get home: cleaning up. Every time I mow and edge, I blow off the driveway, sidewalk, porch and street side so there are no clippings left behind. If there's a pile of yard debris, like palm fronds, branches or leaves, I can haul it away so it's not sitting at the curb.
Let Ready 2 Mow handle the edges
If you'd rather not deal with edging, trimming and cleanup yourself, I'd be happy to help. I'm the owner and I do the work myself, and quotes are always free. I'm insured, I take any form of payment, and I serve Seminole, Bay Pines, the Redingtons, Madeira Beach, Indian Shores, Indian Rocks Beach, Kenneth City, Largo and west St. Pete.
Call or text me at (727) 304-7803, or request a free quote and I'll get back to you. Thanks for supporting a local kid's business!