Autumn is here, and while many people are packing away their garden tools for the year, now is actually the perfect time to get ahead for spring. Temperatures are dropping and the weather is turning wetter, but one simple job could make a big difference to how your garden looks in a few months.
Plenty of gardeners focus on mowing the lawn or clearing fallen leaves, but there’s another task that’s easy to do and often overlooked. It’s quick, low-effort, and can make your whole outdoor space look smarter, while also saving you time later on.
The trick is edging your lawn, and experts say autumn is the best time to start.
Gardening specialists at Thompson & Morgan recommend edging now while beds are clear.
They say it helps give your lawn “a neat and tidy appearance” and makes it easier to maintain during spring and summer.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) also says edging provides “the finishing touch to a freshly mown lawn” and helps stop grass from creeping into flower beds.
Even if you don’t have a perfectly cut lawn, keeping the edges neat still makes a big difference.
To start, use a half-moon edging tool to define the border, slicing away thin strips of grass.
The RHS says creating a small drop of around three inches between the lawn and border helps keep grass in place and stops soil or mulch from spilling over.
Other useful tools include edging shears, a hoe, a narrow rake, and a spade if the edges haven’t been touched in a while.
Once the edges are tidy, trimming them regularly in spring and summer will take less time, and doing the work now means you won’t be playing catch-up next year.
The RHS also advises that if the soil is very wet, it’s best to wait until it dries out slightly.
But if conditions are mild, working off a wooden board can help stop the ground from becoming compacted.
Even in winter, grass can continue to grow during mild spells, so edges might still need the occasional tidy-up.
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