A Redditor and their neighbor recently had some lawn edging installed and sought advice from r/Landscaping.
"We lost our front yard due to erosion. With a larger garden, edging and resodding we have saved our yard," wrote the original poster in the comments. "The neighbor hasn't done anything for years and continues to erode. Which comes down hill to us and is continuing to wash away part of our lawn. We have a corner we resod yearly."
They described how they couldn't add stones to a public side, as it creates a muddy mess on the sidewalk. The neighbor's extra-high edging hasn't helped, and they've pulled out their bushes, too.
Redditors were quick to dissuade the use of any kind of edging, as the sidewalk should offer all the barrier the grass needs. For one, these barriers are a tripping hazard. One community member described how a friend's mother fell and "split her face open from chin to forehead and damaged her eye." At the very least, the edging isn't plastic, which is prone to breakage and polluting soil with microparticles.
Switching to a natural lawn can help prevent overgrowth and prevent the soil erosion that the original poster and their neighbor are suffering from. The deep root systems they create can hold soil in place and retain water in heavy rainfall. Natural lawns also need less watering, saving on monthly utility bills and time spent on maintenance.
Luckily, it seems like the original poster followed this approach by supporting native plants in their garden. They redesigned theirs to a native pollinator garden, redirected downspouts, and created dry creek beds for better drainage. The Reddit community was vocal about how to manage the lawn edging in the original poster's scenario.
"The concrete is your edging. Pull that other thing out," said one member. They went on to describe that grading by hand was viable and would only take about an hour. This would prevent erosion issues and eliminate the need for the lining.
"You should not need edging along existing hardscapes, like concrete," said another.
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If you were to switch from a grass lawn to a more natural option, which of these factors would be your primary motivation?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
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