What is garden edging?
Edging is a means of creating more definition in your garden by creating sections separated from each other by a boundary or divider. Edging can be useful in helping your garden look neat and clean, with crisp divisions between different parts of your garden. It can be used to help smoothen the transitions in any landscape, such as differentiating a flower bed from a tree, pond or meadow.
Common Edging Material
Edging can be done by something as simple as stones and bricks or more exotic materials such as terracotta pipes and bamboo.
Creating a garden edge – source
Why do you need to ‘edge’ your garden?
Add Appeal to your Garden. No matter how well mowed your lawn may be, it may eventually start looking disorderly and poorly maintained if you haven’t edged it. In most cases, we are so used to looking at edged gardens and lawns, that we take them for granted. If you were to eliminate edging from a garden, the overall appeal would be severely affected.
Compartmentalize your space
You need edging to compartmentalize different parts of your garden such as the mailbox, poles, sitting area, driveway and almost any other strip of bare land in the middle of your lush expanse. Here are a couple of interesting ideas about how to edge your garden.
Types of Garden Edging
Brick and stone edging.
The most common and classic way of edging your garden is using either bricks, stones or a combination of the two when edging different parts of your garden. If you have a small garden, then using one of the two materials will help create a sense of theme throughout the landscape. However, if you have a huge yard with different parts, feel free to experiment with different combinations of brick and stone edging.
Timeless Beauty
Brick edging is a timeless look that won’t be going out of style any time soon. It can help anything from quaint cottage yards to glamorous mansion gardens look more beautiful! Brick-edging can help create a neatly sectioned garden landscape. Just make sure that the raw material bricks that you buy are high quality and water resistant so that they can withstand rough weather.
Stone and brick edging.
Minimal type of Edging
Stone edging is one of the most minimalist ways to edge your garden. It is also fairly convenient because it isn’t a very laborious task apart from somehow managing to carry heavy stones into your garden or lawn. It does not require much effort and can last you a very long time as well. Just be careful about your choice of stones. You will want to use stones of roughly the same size and texture to create congruency in your garden.
Seashell Edging
One of the more creative ways to edge your garden is to use seashells as dividers! This is a unique and clever twist to any landscape that creates a blend between two natural environments (the land and the sea).
Pastel coloured seashells can help bolster the gracefulness and beauty of any garden by creating a serene and relaxing environment. Just be careful about your choice of seashells! You will want to choose a variety that is large and flat on top. If the seashell is too thin or flaky, the material might occasionally break necessitating regular replacements which will be a hassle.
Quahog seashell.
Quahog Seashell Edging
The quahog species of seashells is one that can be used to create a remarkable edging boundary in almost any garden. Your edging will be particularly striking if you are located in an area far from the sea where getting seashells is rare. If you want, you could even break the shells into smaller pieces for a rock-garden effect.
Cinder block edging
Cinder blocks are an extremely versatile and inexpensive choice when it comes to edging. They are versatile because they can be used to line ponds, raise flower beds, and distinguish paths in a garden equally well. You can even paint the cinder blocks in different colours or go the extra mile by making patterns on them. If you do decide to do this, just make sure they’re placed somewhere under the shade where the rain can’t wash them away.
Organize your Landscape
Cinder blocks can serve as fantastic planers and create a sense of controlled landscape in any garden or lawn. Cinder block edging has been around for quite some time now and it isn’t about to go out of style any time soon!
Cinderblock edging – source
Gabion Edging
Gabion literally means ‘big cage’ and it is an interesting edging concept if you’re willing to toy around with cages in your garden. Even though it may sound weird, if you have seen a gabion edging you will know how mesmerizing it looks. A gabion edging involves using cages with items such as stones placed inside of them.
You can find the cages at many retail stores and gardening shops. Several of them are made in a style which is appropriate for garden and lawn use. You can fill the inside of these cages with different materials such as stones, logs and even terracotta figurines. However, the stone-cage gabion edging is one that is classic and the most popular as well.
Long-lasting Edging
While it may take some folks time to get visually used to gabion edging, others may immediately resonate with its appeal. Most gabion edges will last approximately 50 to 60 years so you don’t really have to worry about the cages wearing down or busting open. Ensure that the material you use to fill the cages has spaces in between to allow drainage.
Other Items you can use for Edging
You can use a plethora of items for edging your gardens such as flat logs, ropes and fences, curved platforms, drainage systems and even plastic cobblestone for an inexpensive solution to edging. Be willing to experiment with different materials because certain edges will look better than others in a particular lawn or garden.
Wooden Edging used in a garden – source
The Bottom Line
Garden edging can instantly add appeal and organize your garden in impressive ways. You can choose from timeless edging styles and add individuality to your garden quickly and easily. Consider getting help from a professional if you are doing it for the first time. If your grass runs flush with your edging, a small electric lawn mower or a cordless mower with a narrow cutting width can be used to get a clean cut.
