This is my second year in a house with a lawn so please bear with me:

My lawn zig zags in between various flower beds and when I cut the grass, especially when I edge with a string trimmer, grass clippings invariably end up in my flower beds, where some germinate. How do you mow the lawn and trim the edges without getting grass clippings all over your flower beds?

Also, another related question. Parts of my lawn run next to stone walls. When using the string trimmer to cut the grass up against the wall, the string breaks. Is there a better tool or special technique recommended to get this grass trimmed?

Thank you!

How can grass clippings germinate; only seeds can and if that's the case, you've left the mowing for too long me thinks. Are you sure they're not just seedlings grown from seed blown in from somewhere else? Because I dump grass clippings over my flower beds as a mulch all the time and never have this problem except the weeds poking through that were already there...

Just mow it and other than clipping the edges manually there's no other option to not send clippings flying away.

And a strimmer usually (well most of them) has one half protected with a narrow (an inch or two) vertical edge to run next to boundaries for this purpose

Than you so much! I have grass growing all over my flowerbed and in-between my ground cover. The lady that designed the garden told me it was from grass clippings germinating. Maybe I misunderstood she meant clippings with seed heads... So I will make sure to cut the grass every week so there won't be any seeds.

I use a spade and a weed wacker for edging. Do you have a favourite edging tool? My edges are not looking very "professional".

Lawn mowers often come with a clippings catcher, or there is a mulch setting on lawn tractors. Since you're in NY State I wonder if you have annual bluegrass, which can flower at very, very low mowing heights. But grass clippings per se will be good for the flower beds (unless you use lawn herbicides) other than for any stray seed heads.

For edging by hand you can use an edging tool, a handle with a half-moon at the working end. There are edging attachments for weed whackers but they don't do as neat a job (a lot less work though!).

thanks!

sooby said:Lawn mowers often come with a clippings catcher, or there is a mulch setting on lawn tractors. Since you're in NY State I wonder if you have annual bluegrass, which can flower at very, very low mowing heights. But grass clippings per se will be good for the flower beds (unless you use lawn herbicides) other than for any stray seed heads.

For edging by hand you can use an edging tool, a handle with a half-moon at the working end. There are edging attachments for weed whackers but they don't do as neat a job (a lot less work though!).

Thank you! My lawn does have a lot of seeds close to the ground. Not sure what kind of grass I have, but I planted a mix of seeds. a lot of seed heads when I look closely.

If your lawnmower doesn't have a clippings catcher, then you can use a handheld weed puller. Yeah, you will spend additional time, but the result is amazing.

Well...that's because your lawn... isn't. Those are weeds, weeds do have seeds that can germinate. The best solution would be to gradually improve the lawn by eliminating the weeds, improving the growing conditions, overseeding the existing lawn and then you will reduce the issue significantly. Lucky for you the best time of year for Northern climes to begin the process is just around the corner!