What Landscape Edging Should You Choose

There are so many options to choose from when considering a form of edging for your garden beds: plastic, steel, aluminum, brick, stone, poured and formed concrete curbing, and natural spade edge.  I will explain the "spade edge" later.  The others are fairly self explanatory.  In this blog, I will lay out the pros and cons of each and the effort needed to install each.

Plastic Edging: 
For years, I have been telling my clients to stay away from plastic edging.   You know the kind: Three or  four inches tall, flimsy, with a tubular top designed to remain above ground and help delineate the space between garden and lawn.  I can't tell you how many times I have pulled plastic edging up at a project.  Usually, it is already broken and pushed several inches above its original installed position. 

The stuff is badly designed.  The six to eight inch spikes are too short and too few to hold the plastic in place, even when the soil has been packed around it as per manufacturer's specs. The spikes are generally spiked through the plastic, thus creating a break that will eventually assist in the failure of the edging.  Many of the manufacturers use flimsy plastic spikes that break easily.  The freeze-thaw cycles experienced in much of the country degrades the plastic, causing it to become brittle rather than flexible.  The same freeze-thaw cycle makes use of that tubular top to shove the plastic out of the ground within a few seasons.  Plastic edging is impossible to mow over or weed whip without breaking it.  Considering the amount of work required to install this edging (you have to dig a trench 3-4" deep and wide enough to slide the edging in and still have room to nail the spike in using a hammer), and the relatively short life-cycle of plastic edging, I say stay away from it altogether. 

Steel Edging:
Because steel is very strong, it would seem a good option for edging.  It should stand up to the abuse of mowers and weed wackers, shovels and rakes and weather.  However, steel edging is generally powder coated (painted) in order to protect the steel from rusting and breaking down over years of in ground application.  The green, black, or brown paint tends to chip off when run over by a mower, thus creating an opening for rust to take hold.  So much for rust protection.

Steel edging is heavy weight and tends to be less affected by frost heave than plastic edging and will, therefore, stay in place.  However, it is also more difficult to work with.  It does not flex well on tight turns, and requires more effort to trim in order to fit the beds you lay out.  In addition, obviously, steel edging is heavy.  It usually comes in 6-8' sections which must be connected using a built in locking mechanism.  This can be a challenge.  So, though steel will outlast plastic edging, I do not recommend using it for most applications.  Possible use: separating areas that will not be disturbed by mowing, weed wacking or digging.

Aluminum Edging:

Aluminum edging varies in quality greatly.  Low quality aluminum edging such as that found in big box stores is also flimsy.  When purchasing aluminum edging, choose heavier grade material, either 1/8 or 3/16" thick.  In Michigan, I purchase all of my aluminum edging from Curv Rite which is based in Wayland, MI.  They offer a wide variety of aluminum restrain systems.  I most often use either their 2000 series (1/8") or 3000 series (3/16") for garden or lawn edging projects.  These products come in 4" and 5.5" heights and 8' and 16' lengths.  Check their products out http://www.curv-rite.com/landscapeedgnig.html. 

Aluminum edging has com a long way in the past 15 years.  The quality and durability of professional grade edging is excellent.  The biggest problem I still see today, is with improper installation practices.  The edging is meant to separate lawns, and beds.  It is not meant to be decorative edging.  Bury the aluminum edging so no more than 1/2" sticks above the ground.  Grass and stone or mulch can hide the rest.  Leave it too high, and it will be damaged by mowers. 

This product still requires you to dig a trench deep enough and wide enough to set the edging in and nail the stakes in place.  Before you begin trenching, make sure you know where your utilities and irrigation and landscape lighting lines are.  It is easy to damage them when you are digging four or five inches deep.  Be very warry of using a trenching machine.  Better to do it by hand if you are not sure where all those lines run.  Then at least you will know if and when and where damage has occurred and can fix it before it becomes a larger and more costly issue.  

Unlike plastic, it takes alot to damage the aluminum edging.  It won't break down like plastic or steel.  And it is easier to install than steel because it is light weight.  Overall, I believe aluminum edging is the most cost effective, long-lasting option available. And, you can do it yourself if you have the strength, skill and patience to dig your trench.

Brick and natural stone edging or borders can add character, depth and sense of permanence not encounter when using plastic, steel or aluminum edging.  Because of the innate color and texture variance of brick and stone, they provide another dimension of character to the landscape.  Chosen carefully, these edging options can also help tie structures to the landscape through those colors and textures found in the siding and roof of your home.  This continuity adds depth to both the house and garden. 

The literal weight of the brick or stone edging/border can be felt.  Our understanding and sense of awe at the structure of brick and stone buildings, castles, carvings, monuments etc. carries over into the garden.  It makes us feel like the garden has been around for a long time and will continue long into the future.  And properly installed, it can.

Proper installation of brick and natural stone edging varies based on the size of the individual pieces being laid.  Typical bricks weigh only a few pounds and therefore require some type of base to ensure they remain in place through the tough freeze and thaw cycles of Michigan.  The same goes for relatively small and thin natural stone (i.e. flagstone).  This will keep the bricks or stones from becoming uneven as the years go by.

When I lay brick and flagstone borders, I dig approximately 6 inches below the finished level and 2 inches wider than the width of the border.  So, if your brick is 4 inches long and 2 inches wide, and you are laying your bricks side by side with the long sides against each other (this is called a soldier run), your border will be 4 inches wide.  You will dig your trench a total of 6 inches wide to allow for 1 inch at either end of the 4 inch long brick.  Dig the full length of the trench before moving on the next step. 

Next, you will put 4 inches of crushed concrete or chips n dust at the bottom of the trench.  Chips n Dust is easier to work with that crushed concrete because it can be leveled more evenly.  Another option is stone dust.  Sand shifts too much.  You won't be able to compact it sufficiently, which leads to shifting of the stone or brick when any weight is applied, (i.e. running a lawn mower or wheelbarrow over the border).  Using a 4-6 inch wide tamper, thoroughly compact the crushed concrete, chips n dust or stone dust.  Use your brick or stone to check the depth of the trench to make sure there is enough base for the finished border to be approximately 1/4" above the grade of your lawn or garden bed.  Add or remove base material as needed.

Now start laying the brick or stone side by side, eliminating any gaps between by trimming with either a chisel and hammer or a diamond bladed saw.  Lay a several pieces and then check for smooth surface by laying a straight edge or level across the top surface.  Using a rubber mallet, tap any areas that are too high.  Add chips n dust or stone dust as needed to raise low bricks or stones.  Once an area of several linear feet has been laid, tamp soil at along the ends of the bricks to help hold them in place.  Using brick edging along the garden bed side of the border may be helpful because you probably add mulch to the beds on regular basis and will want to push back soil and mulch each year to make sure it does not overflow the border.  The brick edge ensures the bricks stay put in the process.

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