Re-trenching flower beds

Jeff_MI84 · Apr 9, 2023

Last year I removed the pavers around the flower bed. Then I used a shovel to level the trench and put down beach pebbles. Lesson learned, dirt eventually covered up the rocks.

Today I removed all of the rocks. The existing trench has a 10" gap from lawn to bed. My goal is to trench as deep as 4-6".

Going off the current look, is this sustainable with potential erosion and just periodically cleaning and re-edging with a half moon edger, PRS and shovel, and also using a shovel to straighten up the edge of the bed?

Even with backfilling with soil and using a bed redefiner won't really work, as the new soil would take forever to tamp down and stay in place. Looking at CW's flower beds, I got the idea to mimic his. Although his bed has less of a gap between soil and lawn. Any thoughts?

Lawn Noob · Apr 9, 2023

I’d probably drop a metal edging in behind that cut.

Jeff_MI84 · Apr 9, 2023

Along the flowerbed?

Lawn Noob · Apr 10, 2023

Along the shear edge with the lawn

bernstem · Apr 10, 2023

I cut a live edge like that for my beds and mulch them. I re-define with a bed redefiner a couple times per year. I edge the grass every couple weeks.

I would mulch the garden bed all the way to the cut edge keeping the mulch 1-2 inches below the soil level. Personally, I like less step off from the lawn to the garden mulch than what you have. Running a redefiner will help reset the grass edge and loosen up the mulch/soil if it gets higher than you want. Running a backpack blower along the edge after redefining will clean it out and make it look nice again.

PANICiii · Apr 11, 2023

How do you mow the grass around those type of beds? Maybe with a reel mower it works but with a regular push mower I imagine the borders will be very easily destroyed by the wheels if even stepping close to the border, no?

I agree it looks clean though

bernstem · Apr 11, 2023

If you have a drum drive mower (reel mower), it is easy. If you have a standard rotary mower, it is a pain and you usually end up using a string trimmer or rotary scissor.

Re-trenching flower beds

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