Crisp edges…

Our old house.

I’ve always wanted crisp, clean live edges on my flower beds in front of our house. I tried to do them a few times whenever I mulched each year.

I didn’t know how to do it, but I attempted it anyway. The grass and weeds crept back into the flower beds before the Fourth of July—every year. Ugh!

The flower beds had no definitive edges since the grass crept in.

I’ve always admired properties with beautiful flower beds and precisely edged-lawns. This is so common everywhere, especially in fancy homes and developments.

Finally, this winter, I was hell-bent on having properly edged flower beds with organic shapes. Why does it matter, and what’s the big deal about edges? I like them, that’s why.

I started watching YouTube videos last week and found a guy who wasn’t a professional; he was a kook like me. I started my edging project on Friday; I worked all day on Saturday and Sunday.

The shaping and edging of the bed. I am a perfectionist and drove myself crazy during this phase.

Toward the end of the edging, I started using the proper half-moon edger tool that the guy from YouTube was using. Marty picked it up for me when he was getting mulch. This was a major game-changer!

My super duper half-moon edger.

Take a look at that edge and deep trench, baby!

The job went faster and easier than with the shovel I had previously used. I felt like the kooky guy who was as obsessed as I was.

On Monday, I did the actual mulching, which was done before noon, and so was the little bit of sunshine we had that morning.

Most of the days I worked, it was cool, cloudy, or lightly raining, which was the best time for me to work on this kind of project.

As a side note…When I start a project, I become consumed with it until it’s done. Marty is the same way. This is how we get shit done so fast.

I wore the same sweatpants, t-shirt, and hoodie throughout the project. It’s sort of gross, but whatever.

I figured that since my clothes were already filthy from sitting and kneeling in the dirt, why dirty more clothes? Work smarter, not harder.

Ta-da! It may not be a big deal to most people, but the kooky people know it is!

I am super proud of how crisp and clean my edges are. It was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it.

From now on, I can keep the edge crisp after the lawn is mowed with a weed whacker. I watched the guy do that in his video, too!

Next spring, I will have to clean up the edges, which will take no longer than one afternoon using my half-moon tool.

I also added some perennials to fill the beds with lots of color. They will also cover under the porch railing, which is unsightly to me.

The perennials were a small investment that will spread and return fuller each spring. Why the hell didn’t I do this before? I wasn’t inspired, I guess.

Was my project worth the time spent? You bet your ass it was, and not only that, but it looks fabulous too!

For my next project, I am creating a wildflower garden from scratch with a live edge in our backyard near the pool.

This is another project that I decided was worth the effort this past winter. The wildflower garden will get better every year when it starts reseeding itself. I am giddy just thinking about it.

I’m starting that project tomorrow afternoon, and I am confident that it won’t be that hard now that I know what I’m doing.