Creating flower strips

A flower strip not only looks beautiful, but also saves a lot of time when it comes to maintenance. An advantage is that the edge strip does not need to be reworked after mowing.

The perennials and grasses also provide food and shelter for many animals – perfect for an animal-friendly garden with a great variety of species.

A flower strip should be at least 50 cm wide, but can be wider. To keep maintenance simple, we recommend not exceeding a width of 1 m when creating a flower strip.

It is best to plant a flower strip in the autumn, up to around the end of October. Planting is also possible in spring between March and the middle/end of May as soon as the days get longer and the soil is no longer frozen. You should not create flower strips in the height of summer, as the plants will not grow well in the heat.

At the end of February/beginning of March, cut back the perennials so that new shoots can develop. For evergreen grasses and perennials, remove brown leaves and dead shoots. In summer, remove flower heads once they have finished flowering and water if it has not rained for more than 3 to 4 weeks.

Yes, the flower strip can and should be mulched like any perennial plant. Organic mulching materials such as chopped Chinese reed (Miscanthus) or mineral materials such as gravel are suitable for this purpose. The mulch layer should be about 8 to 10 centimetres deep. It prevents the soil from drying out and thus promotes soil life.

When maintaining a strip of grass, a robotic lawnmower drives right up to the edge of the bed, preventing perennials and ornamental grasses from overgrowing into the lawn. Regular recutting or tidying up of flowerbed edging is no longer necessary.

Under certain conditions, robotic mowers can support more biodiversity than ordinary manual mowers. At least that is what a study by the University of Hohenheim looking at mowing methods and biodiversity suggests.

• Sand, approx. 50 kg/m², simple screed sand/play sand
• Perennials and grasses, 9 pots per approx. 8/m²
• Gravel, about 8–12 millimetres, about 150 kg/m² (results in 10 cm depth)

• Clearing saw, for example the STIHL FSA 30 cordless clearing saw
• Robotic mowers, such as the STIHL iMOW® 7 EVO
• If necessary, lawn mowers, for example the RMA 448 V cordless lawn mower
• Spade
• Shovel
• Hand shovel
• Rake
• 2 stakes
• Hammer/rubber mallet
• Hand rake
• Wheelbarrow
• Garden string
• Hose with spray head attachment

Working with high-performance power tools is fun and allows you to broaden your skills, which is great if you can rely on effective and safe protective clothing. 

Always wear your personal protective equipment when working with STIHL power tools. Find out more in the instruction manual for your product. Before using your power tool for the first time, fully familiarise yourself with it and ensure that it is in flawless condition before each use. 

On request, your STIHL dealer will be happy to prepare your power tool for its first job, and will also advise you on models and sizes of protective clothing that you can try on at your leisure. Please remember that personal protective equipment is no substitute for safe working.

First mow the area where you want to create your flower strip, with a clearing saw, for example the STIHL FSA 30 cordless clearing saw. The grass should be a maximum of 10 centimetres high after mowing.

Drive in stakes along the edges of the intended area and tension string along the planned border of the bed.

Now dig up the turf with a spade – you can take it away in a wheelbarrow and compost it or dispose of it as garden waste.

Now grab a rake and smooth the top layer of soil. Also, remove all larger stones and roots by hand.

When creating a flower strip, soil improvement is important for the plants to grow well. To do this, spread sand evenly over your surface and rake it in.

Gather the plants you want to plant in your flower strip and water them thoroughly with a garden hose. Then distribute them over the bed - a self-drawn planting plan can be helpful here.

Dig plant holes in the desired places with a hand shovel, remove the plants from the pots and loosen long roots from the root ball with a hand rake if necessary. Now you can place your plants into the holes and press the soil down firmly.

Now water the plants again thoroughly with the garden hose.

Apply a layer of gravel between the plants. This reduces evaporation and unwanted germination of seeds.

Now lay the boundary wire of your iMOW® at a distance of 15 centimetres from the flower strip and connect the docking station. Find out how to install the iMOW® robotic mower here.