Over the past few weeks I’ve taken lots of walks around town with my daughter. I have to admit that I look at yards I pass and do a quick “edit” in my head. I evaluate what is working well and what I would adjust (if given the opportunity). There is one issue I see over and over, it is easy to fix, and you can do it yourself!
It is the overly curved, or squiggly, plant bed/lawn edge. Any professional designer will strive to create a lawn with a strong form, and clear shape. If your lawn edge is squiggly and curves all over, the form looks random, and unintentional.
The image above shows a plant bed with too many curves that are too close together. There is no place for your eye to rest. This would be much more successful as a single sweeping curve.
Contrast that with the following images from our project in Watertown where the lawn sweeps in long graceful curves. This is still a very soft, curvaceous design, but it has intention and form. No squiggles.
This sweeping curve lets your eye gently follow the scene. It is restful and intentional.
To correct this issue in your own yard, take a garden hose and lay it out in a straight line or sweeping curve along your lawn edge. Then, either cut away turf to create a larger plant bed or fill in lawn gaps with loam and seed. It is a quick project that will get you professional looking results!
