When the edges of your lawn or landscaped area appear prettier or undefined, it may detract from the overall beauty of the area you’ve worked so hard to create. To give the place a more finished look, you have lots of options for landscape edging. Installing different kinds of edging is a simple task, and one you can definitely do yourself using just a shovel and a rake. While obstacles of rubber, plastic or another kind of tough material are conventional choices for landscape edging, you’ve got other choices based on available materials and your sense of style.
Materials
You have many choices when it comes to landscape edging stuff. If you have stones, bricks or long timbers on your garage, the choice will be fairly simple — just use what you have available. If you need to purchase some substances from a recycled construction materials shop or a hardware shop, pick based on price, longevity and your yard general style. Wood timbers may appear nice and may be inexpensive — particularly when they are used — but they’ll have to be replaced every few decades. Plastic or rubber edging is also fairly inexpensive, but it may crack in the warm sun or be damaged easily. Metal edging is more expensive, and will last a long time, but may have rough edges that require special or covering attention to prevent injury. Stones or bricks run the gamut in terms of price, but they may require that you have a truck to haul, then can get knocked out of position should youn’t dump them in.
Installation
As soon as you’ve decided on the material you would like to use, installing the edging is fairly simple. For metal, plastic or rubber edging, dig a trench about 2 inches wide and a few inches deep, place the edging inside the trench, and cover with the dirt you scooped out. For timbers, stone or brick, clear the area of any grass or plant life and also dig a trench about 2 inches deep and wide enough to allow the edging material to fit inside. Put a 1-inch layer of gravel into the trench, then place the bricks, stone or timbers on top. If you are using more than 1 layer of brick, place a layer of mortar to surface of the first layer of bricks, then lay the second layer on surface.
Edging With Mulch
An alternative for landscape edging would be to make a swath of mulch in the area in which you want a barrier. If you have wood chips or bark dust available, this may be a simple and inexpensive means to make an advantage for the garden or landscaped area. Remove any grass in roughly a 1-foot area around the garden, then lay cardboard or landscaping material over top to discourage new development. Then, lay a thick layer, anywhere from 4 to 6 inches, of wood chips or bark dust above the surface and smooth it with a rake.
With Sensors as Edging
You may also create a living barrier using attractive ground cover crops to edge gardens. Sedum (Sedum spp.) , speedwell (Veronica spp.) and thyme (Thymus spp.) Are all good alternatives for ground covers, advises University of Wyoming Extension. The trick here is keeping any grass or unwanted plants from encroaching on the area. Eliminate any existing plants in the area, after that until the soil and add the seeds of the preferred ground cover. If you would like to have a head start, you may even buy starts in a nursery.