LAWN EDGING

When it comes to cutting the edge of your lawn, you will find a few different tools that can be used and they all deliver good results, so this is a difficult choice to get wrong. However, they go about it in different ways and do require different levels of skill. 

If you are looking for quick wins with your lawn, this is the place to start. Getting a green and healthy lawn can take time, but these tools will give you a neat and tidy lawn straight away. For general advice on edging your lawn, check out the guidance here

Edging Shears - 9/10

These will be the most common option that you find when looking to trim an open edge of your lawn. They are normally pretty easy to use, but do require a little maintenance to keep them sharp. Simply work your way around the edge of the lawn and trim off any overhanging grass. They are a simple tool, but they make a big difference to the appearance of your lawn. 

They can be picked up from £10, but branded options will be above this. These are used frequently throughout the year and budget versions can have a tendency to bend and blunt pretty quickly. So, you may want to consider going for more of a mid-range or branded option if you invest in these. 

For a good quality pair, try the Wilkinson Sword edging shears.

Edging Iron (Half Moon) - 9/10

This will go by a number of names - edging iron, half-moon edger, edging knife, edging spade - so, they are not always the easiest to find online. However, these are a brilliant little tool and make such a difference to achieving a neat and tidy lawn. 

They differ from edging shears in that they not only cut the grass, but also the soil along with it, so these will neaten the entire lawn rather than just the grass. They are essentially a mini spade. Because of this, they are also very useful when it comes to re-shaping your lawn. 

Finally, they work a treat when your lawn borders with slabs or paving, which is known as a closed edge. Edging shears work very well where the grass sits above the height of the bordering area (known as an open edge), such as with a flower bed, but they are not so useful when the lawn and the bordering area is at the same height; but this is where the edging iron comes in. The edging iron can be used to cut along the edge of the paving and re-create the neat border.

These can be picked up rather cheap - from £5. However, these can encounter quite a lot of force so it is worth getting one that is sturdy, which you will be able to get for £10. 

For a study option, try this Draper edging iron.

Strimmer - 8/10

Your final option is to use a strimmer for edging your lawn, but these are a little over the top for the simple job of edging your lawn and it does need a steady hand. 

If you are comfortable using a strimmer, then this is a really good way to edge your lawn as it will get the job done quickly. We would not normally recommend purchasing one just for this job, however, it is a viable option if you already own one (N.B. you will need one that allows the strimmer head to rotate). 

You do need to be careful when using one though. If you slip or go wrong, then you could quite easily cause damage to your lawn, so it is worth weighing up this risk.