There are several soft plants that are perfect for paths, including thyme, chamomile, Corsican mint, creeping thyme, baby's tears, and woolly thyme.
Soil Amendments: Adding organic matter like compost, peat moss, or well-rotted manure can improve soil structure and help break up hard soil over time. Mix these amendments into the soil. Watering: If the soil is dry, watering it thoroughly can help soften it, making it easier to break up with tools.
I use a Redmax gas powered stick edger or my older Kawasaki stick edger to cut a line along the edge of the lawn. Then I use a halfmoon edger to kick out the cut turf. The trick to a clean smooth edge is to pre-cut the edge with the halfmoon edger before kicking it out. The stick edger is used to make a crisp line.
Steel edging
Metal garden edging is supplied in rolls that can be easily cut to size. It's also flexible, making it easily adaptable to both curved and straight edges. Metal edging is highly durable and will require less maintenance than some of the other options here.
Use an aerator, probably less than 20 dollars, the kind with four holes that you step on, and then spread compost or leaf mold or anything water absorbing will get the soil to compact less.
Medium length way to fix compacted soil – about 1 month
First, till the surface or break it up with a shovel or broadfork. Next, spread 2-6″ of high quality worm castings or compost on the surface. Finally, cover the castings/compost with 3-6″ of mulch. Make sure the area gets 1″ or more of water per week.
Compost is the most commonly used organic amendment, but other products are available. Over time, organic matter improves soil aeration, water infiltration, and both water- and nutrient-holding capacity. Many organic amendments contain plant nutrients and act as organic slow release fertilizers.
One inexpensive gardening edge idea is to use wood chip mulch to separate the lawn from the garden. Wood chips look great, function to stop weeds from growing, and retain moisture for your plants.
A self-propelled walk-behind lawn edger is a great investment for landscapers who are edging on a large scale, while a hand-held stick edger provides the same trim lines, takes up less space, and offers greater portability.
The Best Materials for Creating a Border in Your Garden
Possibilities include: simple blocks or bricks. stone. small boxwoods or other hedge-like plants.
If you want to be precise with the height of your edging trenches, you can always add a string line. For straight trenches, tie a string tightly between two stakes positioned at each end, ensuring it's straight and level.
The idea here is that when you mow first, you're tackling the majority of the grass, so when it comes time to edge, you're dealing with a lot less cleanup. Plus, mowing first gives you a clearer sense of how your lawn looks overall, making it easier to go back and edge with precision.
Adding compost will soften your soil and improve soil structure, compost also adds nutrients to your soil that your plants need. Compost does a good job of binding clay particles together (better than gypsum). This results in improved drainage and aeration as well as softer and lighter soil.
Lime is highly effective at increasing soil pH in acidic soils. Even small applications can increase pH by 0.5 to 1 unit. The degree of change depends on the soil's buffering capacity. Soils with low cation exchange capacity (CEC) will see greater pH increases from liming.
Aluminum or steel edging is great for straight-line areas; it won't rust, rot or become brittle. It's installed with stakes and can be molded into shapes and curves.
Edging gives your grass a crisp line against your walkways and garden beds. It sounds simple, but trust me, it makes a HUGE difference! A nicely edged lawn can take your whole outdoor space from boring to "wow!" Plus, it helps keep your grass healthy, keeps weeds at bay, and even saves water.
Using a Lawn Edger
Lawn edgers cut a trench between the grass and hedges or other areas using a very sharp blade. A lawn edger is a tool that you can use to trim the grass on the very edge of a lawn or flowerbed that the lawnmower may not be able to reach.
Another option is to taper the edge of the garden bed, so it is lower than the surrounding area. Once the mulch is applied, it too needs to be lower than the surrounding grass or walk to stay in place. Digging a V-shaped trench around your garden beds and filling it with mulch provides some additional benefits.
Once your garden area has been cleared of vegetation, add compost to improve the overall soil structure. Compost helps sandy soils hold more moisture and nutrients, and it makes clay soils lighter and better drained. Compost also adds trace nutrients needed by plants.
Greensand fertilizer is a rich source of glauconite, which is high in iron, potassium, and magnesium. These components are all important to good plant health. It also helps loosen soil, improve moisture retention, soften hard water, and increase root growth.