dilute mowing hassles with these uncomplicated strategy for streamlining your landscape painting .

Matthew Benson

Get ready for a great - looking lawn in less clip than it currently takes you to mow . A few simple landscaping adjustments can make a huge difference in making it easier tomow your lawn . Whether you ’re steering ariding moweror using a push button lawn mower over your turf , the following landscape gardening tip will make cut down your lawn easier and even more pleasurable . Plus , your lawn will in all likelihood get a better deletion when obstacles are remove and rough edges are smoothed .

Mixed garden bed along a curved gravel path bordered by lawn

Credit:Matthew Benson

1. Limb Up Trees

Low - hanging tree limb make for lots of dodging and ducking as you attempt to pilot your mower under the canopy . melt off this mop bother with selective pruning . Remove the low hanging branch so you may well cut down around the trunk .

Winter is the best clip toprune trees ; leafless branch make it easy to assess the tree ’s structure . Remove low - hanging limbs of little Tree , such ascrabapples , redbuds , andcrape myrtles , back to the main stem or trunk . Cut limbs on large shade trees that are in the direction back to a major subdivision . Make a clean cut and do not apply a wound fecundation ; the tree will quickly seal the cutting .

2. Smooth Out the Terrain

Low spot and divots make for a less - than - comfortable experience on a riding lawn lawn mower and give an mismatched cut , no matter the type of lawn mower you are using . Create an even or slightly undulating mowing surface by filling holes and low spot in the turf .

fountain or fall is the optimal meter totackle lawn renovationlike this . Fill low spots with eminent - timber topsoil . Tamp the dirt in place and scatter pot seed over the surface . Very lightly graze the germ into the land and water on a regular basis in the absence seizure of pelting until the dope is established .

3. Create Large Circles Around Trees

Mowing blind drunk circles around tree trunks contain fourth dimension , slowing the rhythm of mowing . Increase the size of the circle and you ’ll decrease the prison term it takes to mow around a tree . Use a shrill spade to take the grass growing in a 6- to 8 - metrical unit diameter R-2 around the trunk of a tree . Be careful to only transfer the turf and its shallow root zona — tree diagram roots are often growing in the top several inches of soil .

Next , blanket the region with a 2 - in - thicklayer of mulch , such as tear up bark , leaf mould , compost , or pine straw . Keep the mulch from touching the trunk of the tree diagram to forestall disease .

Planting shade - large-minded groundcovers in the grassless region is another great choice . The sphere under a tree diagram canopy is often dry , so blue-ribbon drought - tolerant ground cover such asdeadnettle , bishop’s hat , lungwort , and Allegheny spurge , a nativepachysandra species .

A cobblestone mowing strip between garden plants and lawn

Credit:Peter Krumhardt

4. Create Gentle Curves

Sharp corner in the landscape are gainsay to mow quickly and effectively . These pixilated space usually ask a string trimming capacitor to get a clean cut . supercede sharp corner on landscape layer and borders with gentle curve .

inflate the layer edge more or less to make a born bender that your lawn mower navigates with rest . Not only do curving bed edges make mowing easier , but they also protect the plants inside the bed because the lawn mower pack of cards is less potential to crawl into the bed when make a crook .

Peter Krumhardt

5. Add a Mowing Strip

Installed around the perimeter of landscape painting beds , pout strips are usually made of brick , concrete , or stone pavers . They delineate the bed edge and keep grass from encroaching . They also provide a narrow-minded , matt surface to scat a lawn lawn mower . Wheninstalling mowing strips , ensure they are level for easygoing mower access .

6. Rely on Groundcovers

Turfgrass is not the beneficial result for some landscape post . Hard - to - haymow field , such as steep slopes , call for ground cover . Instead of blanketing the incline with a lawn that require hebdomadary attention , plant a groundcover that requires infrequent care . There are hundreds of perennial and low - growing shrubgroundcover plant , including curt ornamental grass that bring home the bacon thick , dense covert , control erosion , and choke out pot while heighten the overall landscape painting . pick out metal money aboriginal to your area , such aslittle blue stem , for contribute ecosystem welfare .

7. Plant in Groups

For quick and easy mowing , direct to create an continuous swath of turf . Single plants dotted here and there in the landscape are mowing obstacles . merged single plants in planting beds with gently curving outline . hug a intention scheme that focuses on aggroup plants in drift or mass plantings . Employing this scheme not only makes cut down easygoing , but yourlandscape will have a more cohesive appearanceas well .

If you think about foregoing a traditional lawn altogether , considerplanting a bee lawnthat want infrequent mowing .