A clean edge is the quickest way to make any garden look cared for.
Keeps grass out of beds, so you spend less time pulling runners.
The simplest, cheapest and often most effective edge needs only a sharp, flat spade.
Mark the line with a garden hose or rope for curves, or string and stakes for straight lines.
Focus instead on the paths between them: wood chips, gravel or grass with a hard edge.
A spade and a few hours: the spade-cut edge is free.
Recut spade edges in spring, early summer and fall.
Step-by-step advice, charts and free garden calculators at Garden Voila.