Clear the area ready for planting
If you need to clear a grassed area to make a new border it may be best to hire a mechanical turf lifter if you have a large area to move. If you choose to do it by hand, cutting into the turf with a spade and then lifting it with a turfing iron will make it easier. Stack the lifted turves soil side up in a corner of the garden and they’ll break down to make a crumbly compost in about a year’s time. If the area where you want your new border is full of weeds, consider using a systemic weedkiller on a still, dry day, or cover the ground with black polythene and peg it tight to the ground for a couple of weeks to kill off the weeds.