Quick checklist
- Walk the area and remove stones, wire and debris
- Wear eye protection before starting the strimmer
- Strim around obstacles and along the perimeter
- Cut the edge with edging shears or a half-moon edger
- Rake up trimmings from the lawn surface
- Stand at one end and look along the line to check for gaps
Strimmer vs edging shears: which one do you need?
These two tools do different jobs and are often confused with one another.
A strimmer (also called a line trimmer or grass trimmer) uses a rotating nylon line to cut grass in places the mower cannot reach: around tree bases, fence posts, steps, garden ornaments and along the base of fences. It cuts horizontally, at the same level as the lawn.
A pair of edging shears has downward-facing blades designed specifically to trim the vertical edge where the lawn meets a path, border or driveway. Some strimmers can be rotated to a vertical position and used as a basic edger, but dedicated shears or a half-moon edger give a much neater result along a long run.
Most tidy lawns need both: the strimmer for awkward spots, the shears or edger for the border.
Before you start
- Wear eye protection: a strimmer line propels small stones and debris with considerable force.
- Sturdy footwear only. Never operate a strimmer in sandals or bare feet.
- Walk the area first and remove any stones, wire, hose connectors or other hard objects from the path of the line.
- Switch the machine off completely before clearing any blockage or wrapping from around the head.
- Keep children and pets well back from the work area while the strimmer is running.
- For petrol strimmers, check the oil level and fuel before starting.
Step 1 · Strim around obstacles and the perimeter
Work around anything the mower cannot get close to: tree trunks, fence posts, raised borders and garden features. Keep the strimmer head roughly level with the lawn surface and move steadily in one direction.
Angle the head very slightly so clippings are thrown away from you, not back towards your legs. Avoid hovering over the same patch: a strimmer line removes grass quickly and can scalp a bald patch into the lawn if held too long in one spot.
Along the perimeter where the lawn runs close to a fence or wall, a strimmer is usually quicker than shears for clearing the initial long growth. Follow up with edging shears if you want a very precise finish.
Step 2 · Cut the edge
Once the grass is strimmed, deal with the edge. There are three main approaches depending on what you have and what the edge looks like:
- Edging shears for regular maintenance of an already-defined edge. Long-handled shears let you work standing upright, cutting along the boundary at a consistent depth. Work in one direction along the run for the straightest result.
- Half-moon edger for redefining a lost or overgrown edge from scratch. Push the flat, semicircular blade vertically into the soil along a taut garden string or a straight plank. This creates a crisp new line in one pass. Remove the soil strip afterwards by hand or with a trowel.
- Strimmer on vertical for a quick maintenance pass on a mild edge. Most strimmers can be rotated 90 degrees. It works, but it is harder to hold the line truly vertical, so the result is less precise than shears over a long run.
Step 3 · Rake up and check
Long or wet strimmer clippings left on the lawn surface can form a dense mat that smothers the grass underneath, similar to a heavy thatch layer. Rake them off and compost them, or gather into bags for green-waste collection.
Soil crumbles from a fresh edge cut should be swept off the path back onto the border rather than left on paving, where they wash into drains or get tracked indoors.
Finally, stand at one end of the lawn and look along the edge line from a low angle. Gaps, dips and uneven cuts are much easier to spot from this position than from above. Touch up with shears before calling the job done.
How often, and what to expect in Kent
During the main growing season (April to October), edging every two to four weeks keeps things tidy without much effort each time. Neglecting it for a full season can mean the edge disappears entirely under encroaching grass, which then needs a half-moon edger and proper re-cutting rather than a quick maintenance pass.
Along the Kent coast, particularly in Deal, Walmer and Sandwich Bay, the garden edge often catches the eye from the pavement more than anywhere inland. The flat terrain and open aspect mean the lawn and its border are visible from a distance, so a clean edge makes a noticeably bigger difference there than in a sheltered inland garden.
On clay soils common in parts of Ash, Woodnesborough and Eastry, the edge of a lawn can crumble after heavy rain if it is cut too deep. Keep edge cuts no deeper than 5–8 cm and avoid cutting immediately after prolonged wet weather if the soil is very soft.
Useful video: LAWN EDGING guide | Alan shows how to edge lawns like a pro by The Lawn Man (Kris Lord, UK professional lawn care).
Stop and call us if...
- The edge has completely disappeared under several seasons of growth and the lawn has merged with a border or path, a half-moon recut is a two-person job on larger gardens.
- You have a bank or sloped edge that is difficult to work on safely with a strimmer.
- The strimmer is petrol-powered and you are not comfortable servicing or starting it safely.
- The garden is large and the whole job is taking longer than you have time for.
We cover Sandwich, Deal, Worth, Ash, Woodnesborough, Eastry and Sandwich Bay. Get in touch and we will sort the edging alongside the mow.