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What Is a Mowing Strip? The Edge That Saves You Strimming

A flush band of paving or brick between lawn and bed that a mower wheel can run on, so the blade cuts the edge and nothing needs trimming by hand.

By Zakaria 3 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
A cobbled area meeting a lawn edge beside a red timber garden shed
Photo: fietzfotos, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
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A flush band of paving or brick along the lawn edge that a mower wheel runs on, so the blade cuts right to the boundary. The point is simple: nothing left to strim afterwards.

Strip versus ordinary edging

This table answers the question on its own
Mowing stripVertical edging
OrientationHorizontal, load-bearingVertical barrier
Mower runs on itYesNo
Trimming afterwardsNoneStill required
Stops lawn creeping into bedsYesYes
Stops soil spilling onto lawnYesYes
Installation effortHigherLower

Proud edging makes more work, not less

Plastic or metal edging standing above the lawn means the mower cannot reach the last few centimetres — so you still strim, and now you strim around an obstacle.

Width

At least 200 mm; 225–300 mm is the comfortable range. A single course of pavers laid lengthways, or two courses of brick, both land there.

Narrower than about 150 mm and the wheel slips off repeatedly — more irritating than having no strip at all. Err wider.

Materials

  • Clay brick, soldier course — looks good against grass, easy to curve
  • Concrete flags — fastest over long straight runs
  • Setts — suit informal gardens
  • Avoid: anything that cracks under a wheel, anything slippery, and timber, which rots at ground level in contact with wet soil

Building it

  1. Mark the line with a hose or string, and look at it from the house. Gentle sweeping curves read better and mow better than tight wiggles.
  2. Dig the trench — width of the material plus working room, depth for sub-base, bedding and unit.
  3. Compact 75–100 mm of hardcore, more on soft or wet ground.
  4. Bed the units flush, or very slightly below the grass, on sharp sand or a dry mortar mix.
  5. Backfill and firm both sides so no gap is left for grass roots or weeds.

Why the foundation is not optional

The strip takes a mower repeatedly and sits in ground that freezes, dries and swells. Laid straight onto soil, the units tilt and sink within a couple of seasons — and then the mower scalps the lawn beside them, which is worse than where you started.

Is it worth it?

On a long edge, quickly. Strimming an edge often takes as long as mowing the lawn itself, and the strip also keeps the boundary sharp without re-cutting it every spring.

On a small lawn with a short edge, a simple cut edge redone annually may be enough.

Step by step

  1. Mark the line

    Lay a hose or string line along the edge you want, standing back to check the curve reads well from the house. Gentle sweeping curves look better and are easier to mow than tight wiggles.

  2. Excavate the trench

    Dig a trench along the line wide enough for your chosen material plus a little working room, and deep enough for a compacted sub-base, a bedding layer and the paver itself.

  3. Lay and compact the sub-base

    Put down and compact around 75 to 100 mm of crushed hardcore, more on soft or wet ground, so the strip does not sink and tilt over its first few winters.

  4. Bed the units flush with the lawn

    Set the pavers or bricks on a bedding layer of sharp sand or a dry mortar mix, levelling each one so its surface sits flush with or very slightly below the grass. Too high and the mower scalps the lawn beside it.

  5. Backfill and firm both sides

    Fill behind the strip with soil on the bed side and firm the turf against it on the lawn side, so no gap is left for grass roots or weeds to colonise.

Common questions

What is a mowing strip?

A mowing strip is a narrow band of hard material — paving slabs, bricks, setts or concrete — laid flush with the lawn surface along its edge, so that a mower wheel can run along it and the blade cuts the grass right to the boundary. The point is that it removes the need to strim or hand-edge afterwards, which is usually the slowest and least pleasant part of mowing. It also stops lawn creeping into beds and bed soil spilling onto grass.

How is it different from ordinary lawn edging?

Most edging is a vertical barrier that separates lawn from bed, and the mower cannot run on it, so you still have to trim the strip of grass the mower could not reach. A mowing strip is horizontal and load-bearing — the mower drives over it. The distinction matters because plastic or metal edging standing proud of the lawn actually creates more trimming work, while a flush strip eliminates it.

How wide should a mowing strip be?

Wide enough for a mower wheel to sit comfortably on it, which in practice means at least 200 mm and more usually 225 to 300 mm. A single course of pavers laid lengthways or two courses of brick both land in that range. Narrower than about 150 mm and a wheel slips off the edge repeatedly, which is more irritating than having no strip at all, so err wider rather than tighter.

What material should I use?

Concrete pavers and clay bricks are the common choices and both work well. Clay bricks laid as a soldier course look good against a lawn and are easy to curve, concrete flags are faster to lay over long straight runs, and setts suit informal gardens. Avoid anything that will crack under a mower wheel or that becomes slippery, and avoid timber, which rots at ground level in contact with wet soil.

Does a mowing strip need a proper foundation?

Yes, and skipping it is why most fail. The strip carries a mower repeatedly and sits in ground that freezes, dries and swells, so it needs a compacted sub-base of around 75 to 100 mm of hardcore under a bedding layer, more on soft or badly drained ground. Laid straight onto soil, the units tilt and sink within a couple of seasons and the mower then scalps the lawn beside them.

Is it worth the effort?

If you mow regularly and have a long edge, it repays itself quickly in time saved, because strimming an edge usually takes as long as mowing the lawn itself. It also keeps the boundary sharp without re-cutting the edge every spring, and makes the whole garden look more deliberate. On a small lawn with a short edge, a simple cut edge redone each year may be enough.

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