Repurpose An Old Hose For An Easy Garden Edging Hack

Landscape edging is to your garden as frosting is to a cake. While it's not necessary to enjoy your garden, taking the time to add edging creates crisp lines that can take your landscaping to the next level. Plus, when you opt for taller edging rather than a flat border, it adds dimension to your yard and establishes clear borders — which is especially helpful for keeping guests out of gardens that neighbor sidewalks. You can even use lawn edging to make your small yard appear larger. Landscaping edging doesn't have to be complex or boring, however. In fact, with just an old garden hose, you can recreate a traditional wattle fence that's flexible enough to edge even a curved lawn or garden.

Wattle fences have appeared in lawns throughout history, made of thin and flexible saplings (weavers) woven between sturdy stakes. While you can create your own wattle so long as you have the right wood on hand, this hack takes away some of that hassle while also repurposing a hose that otherwise would've been thrown away. To create your own hose wattle fence, you need at least one garden hose, although you'll likely need several for an average-sized fence. You'll also need to choose a material to use as your stakes. You can use items such as stakes made from cut conduit or repurposed wood. Lastly, this project also requires several cable ties to keep your hoses secured.

Before you can start the fun part of weaving the hoses, you have to create the main structure of your wattle by hammering the stakes into the ground, as the stakes are the backbone of a wattle. Hammer each stake into the ground in even intervals along the length of where you want your fence to run. Then, you can move on to weaving.

Weaving in your hoses is simple, but it can be time-consuming. As a result, make sure you're taking the steps to avoid any hidden gardening dangers, like too much sun exposure during this process. When weaving, you want to alternate between your hoses crossing in front of and behind your stakes. As you finish a row, press it down so it compresses at the bottom, making a tightly woven fence. As you cross over the stakes, you can use the cable ties to secure your hose to them.

Once you've finished your wattle, you can add something to cover the edges. You can also take this time to add your own touch, like topping off the stakes with an eye-catching solar light or choosing differently colored hoses for visual appeal. Since the sides will be left exposed once this project is done, you may want to choose a different flexible lawn edging hack if you have pets or children who may be playing near your wattle for safety, or add a decorative end cap to cover it.