How to straighten lawn edges for a perfectly manicured lawn – 4 simple steps that any gardener can master

Learning how to straighten lawn edges can make a surprising amount of difference to the way your garden looks.

In fact, I’d go as far as saying that trimming lawn edges is one of the most underrated lawn care tips. Most lawn mowers struggle to cover the outer perimeter of a lawn, and even if your grass is otherwise manicured, overgrown edges can make a garden look untidy.

Luckily, the task is quite simple. Here’s how to straighten lawn edges as we race towards summer.

What you'll need

1. Mow your lawn

Before you get started on the edges of your lawn, it’s wise to give its main body a trim.

‘This makes it easier to see the natural line of the edge before you begin trimming,’ says Cheryl Harper, managing director at Greensleeves Lawn Care.

Having one of the current best lawn mowers in the shed makes life easier – especially those with adjustable cutting heights, so you don’t scalp your lawn so early in the season.

Personally, I love the Gtech CLM50 Cordless Lawnmower (it's currently on sale at Amazon), which doesn’t carry the faff of a lead and has a cutting height range of 30mm all the way to 80mm (you can read my review here).

2. Mark it out

This step is optional, but Cheryl says it’s a useful one if you’re shaping a new lawn edge or want to adjust the edges that are already there.

‘For straight edges, a simple string line works well, while a rope or hose can be useful for creating smoother curves,’ she advises.

If your turf is creating an uneven frame around the perimeter of your lawn, it’s also a good idea to use a knife like this Esschert Design Hori Hori Knife with Sheath from Amazon to tidy things up.

‘When edging along paths or hard surfaces, carefully cutting back any overgrown turf with a sharp knife first can help you get a much more precise finish before trimming the grass neatly back to the edge,’ Cheryl explains.

3. Trim the edges

After those quick preparatory steps, you can learn how to straighten lawn edges in full.

‘Trimming edges and refining borders makes a big visual difference while promoting growth, says Peter Chaloner, managing director of Cobra Garden Machinery. ‘For tools, a cordless trimmer can make these tasks faster and easier.’

There are some brilliant cordless strimmers out there with edging functions that can make light work of edging a lawn, like the WORX WG163E 18V (20V MAX) Cordless Grass Trimmer from Amazon, but you can also use manual tools.

‘Using long-handled edging shears will help you create a clean, established line,’ says Cheryl. These Spear & Jackson Razorsharp Edging Shears from Argos are ideal.

You’ll just need to carefully follow the outline of your lawn, and keep on top of the edges throughout the season – especially during the summer months, when growth speeds up.

4. Edge your lawn

It’s another optional step, but you can even put some garden edging ideas into practice and frame your lawn for a neater finish.

‘If you’re looking for a lower-maintenance option, adding a physical border such as metal, plastic or wood edging can help hold the shape and reduce how often trimming is needed,' says Cheryl.

This Panacea Bronze Steel Straight Edge Lawn Edging is £18 per 2.64 metres.

And that's it! With a few preparatory steps and careful trimming, you'll have a polished lawn in no time.