One of the easy ways to lower maintenance in the yard and add interest is to add edging. Edging can offer definition to a landscape, as it provides a crisp delineation between different areas. Edging also produces a finished look around a garden bed or rock garden. It also helps direct the eye to focal points. One major benefit when it comes to lawn maintenance is that edging keeps the grass from spreading into a garden bed or another area you’d rather it didn’t grow.
If your pathways consist of loose material such as gravel or mulch, edging will keep your pathway in place and prevent the material from scattering into the grass around it. That makes mowing easier, too. One of the best uses for lawn edging is a flat variety placed along a lawn edge. An installation like this permits lawnmower wheels to roll right over the edge, meaning no manual edging or weed-wacking at the end of your lawn. Finally, edging – especially taller styles – keep wandering feet out of areas you’d rather they didn’t tread, which means your prized flowers are less likely to be trampled inadvertently.
The options and looks in edging materials are varied, as there are many choices of decorative edgings. These include concrete, brick, stone, metal, plastic, and wood.
- Concrete edging is a favorite to use beside a section of grass lawn. An advantage is that it can be poured in a straight line or in a custom contour. Preformed sections are also available, which simply need to be set in place.
- Brick edging is one of the most durable and common edgings. It also provides a traditional and elegant charm. The wide variety of colors and textures available in brick provides a lot of different options. Brick edging is available in a wide price range.
- Stone edging is also very durable and is one of the most popular edging. Stones are more natural and can be placed to look as though nature just dropped them in place. With flat stones you can combine a walkway and edging with one material.
- Wood garden edging is not as durable as brick or stone options, but if cared for properly can last up to 10 years. Wood used in edging should be treated so it won’t r0t. It does blend into the landscape to look natural, but it only works in straight areas.
- Metal edging is often one of the most expensive options to install, but lighting can be incorporated it in, which makes it a dual-purpose material.
- Plastic garden edging is one of the most commonly used edging and is one of the most affordable. It’s also the most flexible, which makes it a good economical option for curved areas. However, with plastic edging you get what you pay for – a cheap product looks cheap, so if you opt for plastic, go for the more quailty product.
A good landscape design includes the right touches such as landscape edging, which not only gives your yard a finished look but helps make it easier to maintain. If you have questions about incorporating edging into your landscape, give us a call.