Wide gutters and border artistry

New gutter by annuals in front of home

The lines of the garden are drawn by shovel, not by using a pencil, but there does appear to be an artful edge involved. That thought occurred after reading about an artist who drew border lines freehand.

These garden lines are cut from sod and adjacent to large cobblestones used in several areas of the yard. As written in previous blogs, there are thousands of "cobbies" in the Baker's yard, in large, medium and small sizes. They are used as borders to gardens, or in rock gardens.

Husband Steve, who mows the grass, tries to mow as close as possible to the stones but says the wider the gutter, the easier it is.

Well! Since one aim is to make the garden easier to maintain, the plan is to cut wide gutters around the yard. This will take a season or two, to accomplish.

The time to do this most easily is in September. This season the side and front of the house were cut and the results gained rave reviews. The newest ones are in back of the house.

The subject of garden borders has come up at various times. While cobblestones are one choice, there are also concrete borders usually done by a landscape contractor, and other choices as well. A quick online search has many ideas: glass bottles, formed rubber, steel edges and crushed rock.

High-end homes occasionally have the concrete borders, perhaps because of the cost. But these cobblestones are attractive, reminiscent of an English countryside.

Here's the process:
1. Establish the type of border you want.
2. By using a tool like a sod-cutter, measure about six inches from the border and dig in.
3. Do this a few times parallel to the border.
4. Make perpendicular cuts every 4-6 inches.
5. Remove each clod of sod, and shake off the soil, being careful to keep the worms if you spot them.
6. Review the area and remove any weeds or excess grass, by the roots.

Cutting sod is arguably the most physically difficult job in gardening. This job included occasional attacks from ant colonies (under the stones), and one long grass root that stretch the length of an arm. Pair that with health benefits of the exercise, the look of weed-free gutters and how it's easier to mow. The project is a no-brainer.

Flat spade used to cut sod

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