Types of Edging

• There are many various types of landscaping edging. Most people just like the look of a neatly outlined flower bed or walkway, but that is not the only good reason for installing the edging. Grass will grow and spread into a flower garden, walkway or even the cracks in a driveway if not properly contained. Flower gardens are normally mulched and walkways can be made of gravel or pebbles. Allowing them to spill over into your lawn can cause serious damage when hit with a lawnmower. Edging can be done with many types of materials. The most common is a flexible black plastic border that can be made to fit around any garden, walkway or other area. The use of interlocking concrete pavers or bricks is also very common. If wood is preferred, landscaping timbers and small logs can make the area look very nice. There are a couple of things to consider when deciding which materials to use. The first is the material should be able to go into the ground at least 6 inches to keep the grass from spreading over. Another is to try to complement the rest of the landscape or your home while trying to stay within your budget.
  
  

Preparing for the Installation

• Since you want this edging to be there for a very long time, you will want to make sure that you like where it is going. Planning the outline is one of the most important steps of the project. Use a garden hose to outline the area and move it around until you get the look you want. If you are making a straight line, measure it out to make sure that it is really straight. You don't want to get it all done and find that you can really notice a slant in your edge. Mark the line, either a curved or straight line with spray paint, so that you know exactly where to start digging. For straight lines, you can use the stake and string method. Measure the width and depth of the material that you are using for edging so you know how large to dig your trench.
  
  

Installing the Edging

• You should dig with a shovel or you can use a rototiller to get at least a 6-inch trench along your lines. The width will need to be a couple inches wider than the material you are using. It will be much easier to set bricks or wood in and then fill around it than have the area too small. If you are using a plastic border, then you will need the width to set the little metal stakes. Plastic border comes in many different grades. Commercial grade stands up to frost and heat much better than the cheaper versions. When connecting the plastic border pieces together, make sure that the connectors are half on one piece and half on the other. Many times the connectors are installed more to one side and they don't hold very well when the frozen ground starts to push them upward. The angle of the stakes is also important. The stakes should be installed at a 25-degree angle from the edging to keep them in place for a very long time. This border is just connected, placed in the trench and the stakes are attached. The dirt is then filled back around them and pushed in tight from the inside of the flower bed. You will still need to fill dirt into gaps along the lawn side, and it should be watered with a garden hose to compress the dirt and then refilled. All but about ½ inch of the top should be showing.
  
  Interlocking concrete pavers are just laid in the trench on its side, one by one. The trench for the pavers should be dug the depth of the pavers sitting on its side. Then fill the trench with about an inch to 2 inches with sand. Tamp the sand down and then begin lying in the pavers. Push the pavers down from above. Don't drag them in to the each other or the sand will get between them and you won't have a solid fit. After you have installed all of the pavers, place a level on top and use a rubber mallet to hit the higher pavers down and make your border level. The border should be only a half inch above the ground if you want to be able to mow right up to it by placing one side of the tires over it. However, many people like it higher and they use a weed whacker to cut the grass up to it.