GREEN GARAGE® four, eight, and 12 inches; each set covers c 20 feet of space. Good grass shears help keep grass from growing over an edge and into your bed or walkway. Fiskars Long-Handled Grass Giving Your Garden an Edge Shears with Swivel Head from Gardener’s by Rita Pelczar Edge (www.gardenersedge.com) allow you to accomplish the task while standing. The sharp, precision-ground steel blades can be positioned to cut vertically or horizontally. MAnICuREd EdGE goes a long Spades Spade (model KS-S 13-inch), is the long-handled Square Edger way to making a landscape look manufactured by W. W. Manufacturing (also sold as Straight Edger) that has a Awell tended. In my garden, Company of Bridgeton, new Jersey, is a flat, square blade. It easily cuts a sharp, shallow trenches that I’ve cut between solid choice with landscape professionals shallow trench, which makes maintaining the garden beds and the adjacent lawn and home gardeners alike, especially an existing edge a breeze. Both tools are help keep grass from creeping into the for establishing an edge for a new bed. available from the American Garden Tool beds and also create a small moat to pre- Constructed of durable, rust-resistant, Company (www.AmericanGardenTools. vent mulch in the beds from escaping aircraft-quality tubing, it measures 40 com) and JnS Tools (www.jnstools.com). into the lawn. A variety of tools can be inches long, has a large, tubular “d” The Hand-Forged Step Edger from Root Slayer Edger features a notched blade. used for both creating and maintaining handle and a heavy-duty rubber footpad White Flower Farm (www.whiteflowerfarm. the contours of edges. Here are some that provides a lot of stability (dual com) features a sharp, half-moon, stainless minimal profile. Installed along the bor- products I found especially helpful in footpads are available). The flat blade’s 13- steel blade that is fitted to a solid ash, der of a pebbled path or mulched bed, it my north Carolina garden. inch cutting edge is tapered and sharp— 32-inch-long handle with a “T” grip to keep provides a tidy barrier that keeps pebbles While any straight-edged spade useful for many jobs in addition to edging. the blade positioned exactly where you want and mulch from mingling with the lawn. can be used as an edger, the King of Another tool from the same manufacturer it. The top of the Individual edging pieces lock together as blade is equipped you pound them into the ground with a with stepping rubber mallet, and they can be positioned plates for your foot. to accommodate curved or straight lines. Handcrafted by This edging is available in three heights: Hand-Forged Step Edger has a half-moon blade. the Sneeboer Company of Holland, this beautiful, heavy-duty tool is built to last. Trying to cut an edge through an area filled with roots? The Root Slayer Edger from Radius Garden (www. radiusgarden.com) makes the job easier. Featuring a saw-toothed, carbon steel blade and shaft, this edger weighs about four-and-a-half pounds—a little heavier than some, but that weight comes Fiskars Long-Handled Grass Shears with swivel in handy when you hit a tough root. Head is controlled by a hand lever. The V-notch in the blade guides and facilitates cutting while a flange at the top They are attached to a 36-inch-long, of the blade accommodates comfortable lightweight aluminum shaft topped with stepping. The handle is designed with a an ergonomically-designed hand lever that patented “O”-handle grip that reduces controls the blades’ cutting action. stress on your hands and wrists. Well-defined edges of beds and walk- If you prefer a solid edge to your garden ways make a big difference to your land- beds or walkway instead of a trench, one scape’s overall appearance. The above product that has a lot of merit is Pound-In products minimize the hassle of creating Above: King of Spades Edging from Gardener’s Supply Com- and maintaining those edges while max- Spade (model KS-S pany (www.gardeners.com). Made of re- imizing the results. m 13-inch). Right: Square cycled polyethylene, it is an easy-to-install or Straight Edger. and relatively inexpensive option that Rita Pelczar is a contributing editor for all photos on this page by rita pelczar except for pound-in edging, courtesy of gardener’s supply company LEFT: AHS ARCHIVES. RIGHT (2): COURTESY OF AMERICAN GARDEN TOOL COMPANY provides a continuous solid edge with a Pound-In Edging can be installed with a mallet. The American Gardener. 46 the American Gardener July / August 2018 47.