Tip of the Week: Get Clever with a Clothesline
Wayne Winterrrowd dishes his white clothesline tip for creating beds with an edge.
As a gardener with more than 60 years of experience, of course I have tricks and tips. Of them all, the one I would pass on to you is the white clothesline tip.
Over and over I’ve had to cut a bed line, even an existing one, and I have made a mess of it, with ins and outs and silly bends and bows. When that happens, I know that I should have gotten out the white clothesline, for with it you can mark a clear edge, and make it graceful, and then cut along it with a half-moon edger.
It can be tweaked so much easier than a hose, the usual device, which can be stiff and cold and stubborn. And almost more than anything, a good sharp edge matters to the appearance of a border. As Sir David Scott once famously said in his advice to novice gardeners, “When company is coming, edge, don’t weed.”
Wayne Winterrowd's column, North Hill Notes, debuts in the December/January issue of Horticulture.
Do you have a tip or trick to share with Horticulture? Yours could be featured in the next newsletter. E-mail edit@hortmag.com or post your idea to the Gardener’s Forum.
