Landscape edging is a handy way to create both a border and a barrier that separates a landscaped garden bed from your lawn. It is also known as garden edging or lawn edging. Most people have a visual preference for the look of a clean, finished edge between lawn and garden. (Pictured: Suncast 60 ft. Landscape Edging Roll)
But beyond aesthetics, there are many practical reasons for installing landscape bed edging:
- Holds the mulch inside the landscaped bed, keeping it from scattering all over the lawn
- Helps to block grass stolons (roots) from spreading into your landscaped beds
- Certain types of edging (e.g. brick landscape edging) create a mowing path for your lawn mower, eliminating the need for trimmers
Here we examine three simple yet attractive landscape edging ideas that will keep unwanted lawn grass from invading your landscaping. and also eliminate your edge trimming chores.
Plastic And Metal Landscape Edging
The most unobtrusive kinds of landscape edging products are plastic and metal, such as steel or aluminum. You can buy them in rolled-up strips of various lengths that are approximately 4 inches (10 cm) deep. You can easily bend them into any shape of curve, and they are particularly effective at keeping grass roots out.
Aesthetically speaking, painted steel and aluminum are the most pleasing because they blend in to the environment most easily, nearly disappearing into the grassy background. Plastic or vinyl landscape edging has a wide bulge all along the top of the strip. All of these varieties perform best if your yard has a flat contour. If there are many dips or rises, then you should consider using edging made out of brick or concrete pavers (see below).
Aluminum and steel landscape edging cost roughly the same as one another, but aluminum has a much lighter weight at about 40 pounds per 100 feet (19kg /30m) as opposed to steel at 230 pounds (103kg) for the same length. Both present a very professional image, but if weight is a concern for you, then go with the aluminum.
When installing these kinds of landscape edging borders, you should set the top edge at least 1/2 inch (125cm) above the level of the soil to prevent the grass roots from creeping over the top. At this height, the border is nearly invisible yet you can still mow over the top of it with no problem. Keep in mind, though, that metal has a very thin top edge that can hurt bare feet. After you make the cuts and install the strips, use a file to smooth any sharp edges that might be sticking out.
There’s a trick to installing this kind of edging. Using a square garden spade, cut out a clean vertical edge along the grass, so that you are able to install the edging strip very tightly against the grass while you stick it. Making a curved edge, however, is not tricky at all. Simply follow along the edge of the lawn in a gradual curve. If you do need to make a sharp curve, then bend the edging with a circular form.
Purchasing Rolls Of Edging
Steel is the most widely used type of metal when edging landscape, but sometimes you can’t find it at your local nursery. Try looking at large garden centers or maybe landscape supply houses. Steel edging rolls usually come in strips that are 10 feet long (3m) by 4 inches wide (10 cm) and it is available in a wide selection of colors. Even though it is quite durable, eventually it will rust, especially if you live near the ocean. You need to give it full support when moving it, because of its heavy weight.
Aluminum landscape edging is both lighter and stiffer than steel, and it also is sold in a wide choice of colors. It has one big advantage over steel however because it does not rust. You may have to place a special order for aluminum, or buy it online, because sometimes it is hard to find. You will need stakes for this kind of edging, so make sure your order includes them.
The ubiquitous plastic landscape edging can be found in almost every home and garden center. Normally it is sold in two different thicknesses: regular and heavy-duty. The regular is lighter and cheaper, but you are better off choosing the heavy-duty landscape edging plastic, because it stands up better to lawnmower collisions, which are inevitable.
Concrete Landscape Edging (Pavers)
Pavers can be made out of stone, brick or concrete. They are simple to install and very attractive as well. If you are looking for a wider border that allows more space for bushes and flowers to hang over without covering the lawn, then pavers are a perfect choice. That way, you won’t chop up the flowers with a lawnmower.
The best paver designs create a nice flat surface that the lawnmower wheels can roll on top of, creating a sharp clean cut that eliminates any need for edge trimming. To install papers, you must first create a bed of sand that allows you to place them in the correct position and make them level. If you lay the sand overa strip of landscape fabric, it will prevent most grass stolons from creeping under the edging into your landscape beds.
Pavers work well for gardens with straight edges, but even better for yards with slopes and gradual curves. It’s easy to adjust the pavers to follow the uneven contours of a yard. But they don’t work as well on tight curves unless you are willing to cut them into smaller pieces.
Landscaping pavers work well for yards with just about any contour, especially those with gentle curves or slopes. You can easily adjust the landscape edging brick to fit the uneven yard contours. However, they don’t work quite as well with tight curves, because then you have to cut them into smaller pieces to avoid having large gaps between them.
Stone Landscape Edging
There’s nothing like a raised border to add charm and texture to your garden. There are so many beautiful varieties of landscape edging stones to choose from! A stone border for your garden creates a handsome and practical feature that adds great depth to a flat and featureless yard, especially when you illuminate it with solar outdoor string lights.
If you are unfortunate enough to have poor soil, all you have to do is add topsoil and compost to make an incredible planting bed. A raised bed also creates excellent drainage that makes it perfect for soggy spots in your yard. If your yard has a slope, then you can use raised beds to create nice, flat terraced gardens.
One way to reduce maintenance is to add a 4-inch (10 cm) deep trench filled with mulch and lined with plastic garden edging. The edging prevents grassroots from encroaching into the stone wall, and the mulch makes a track for the lawnmower wheels to follow. This allows you to mow right over the top of the plastic edge and eliminates the need to trim the grass.
A good way to cut down on maintenance is to create a trench in front of the stones, about 4 inches deep (10cm), filling it with mulch and lining it with plastic edging. (See photo) The mulch provides a track for your lawnmower wheels, and the edging keeps the grass from growing into the stone wall. This design lets you mow right over the edging and eliminates the need for trimming entirely.
We hope that these landscape edging options have given you some inspiration to get out there and create the perfect landscaped beds. Happy gardening!
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