A well-planned landscape design is created by a series of lines.  Whether these lines are curved or straight, it is imperative to the design that they remain crisp throughout the project’s lifetime.  In order to maintain the lines that create the landscape design, it is necessary to use a proper landscape edging.  

The correct usage of landscape edging can save the user time, labor, and money over the lifetime of the project, as well as ensure the design remains visually appealing.  Without the presense of an edging, a landscape design can begin to migrate over time, causing the design to lose it’s original intent.

Landscape edgings are used for many differing applications in today’s world, however, only a few applications make up the majority of edging use.  The most common use of landscape edging is to divide a landscaping or flower bed from the lawn.  The edging is used to create a permanent border between the grass and the soil, rocks, or mulch in the bed area.  This prevents grass from spreading into the bed, and it also helps retain the mulch or rock from spilling into the lawn.

Another popular use for landscape edging around the house is a maintenance line.  These are borders around the house or a fence line, often filled with stone, that catch water runoff and prevent the need to mow right up to the building or object.  Edging is necesary in this application in order to separate the grass from the stone or gravel.

Similar to the maintenance line, a tree ring is used to circle the trunk of a tree to prevent the need to mow right up to the tree.  The area is often filled with mulch and/or flowers, and the edging creates a separation of this from the grass.

When it comes to choosing an edging, there can be many decisions.  One of the most critical elements of edging is the way that it connects.  The connection must be strong to prevent the joints from coming apart due to ground movement.  A built-in, permanant connection system is preferable to using separate connection accessories.

There are a large variety of materials used in landscape edgings manufactured in today’s market.   In order to achieve maximum performance, it is important to understand the difference in the various edging materials.

Aluminum is a durable, easily formed, lightweight metal that is perfect for landscape use. Aluminum is nontoxic, has excellent corrosion resistance, and is 100% recyclable.  Because aluminum is a tough metal that will not rust, rot, or crack, it is extremely well suited to resist the demands of Mother Nature, professional lawn maintenance, and home power equipment.  When properly installed aluminum edgings and restraints will never need to be replaced and will remain beautiful for the life of your project.

Steel is also very popular among landscape professionals for its durability, ability to hold landscape lines in place and resistance to rot. When working with steel edging, it is important to be aware that steel can be quite heavy, and  can rust over time. Steel edging is not well suited for play areas, as the top of the edging is not rounded, leaving sharp corners.

Plastic edgings have become very popular due to their low cost.  There are many styles and quality levels of plastic available on today’s market, and a professional must be careful to choose a high-quality product.  Many plastic composites, such as polypropylene and polyethylene are very susceptible to direct sunlight and the freeze-thaw cycle, and will work their way out of the ground, in what is called frost heave.  Also, many plastic edgings do not have a permanent connection system.

Wood edging and bender boards, while popular in the past, are rarely used by landscape contractors today. Despite its natural beauty, wood’s lack of durability makes it unsuitable for most professional design applications.

A more recent development in landscape edging, concrete curbing, is growing in popularity and is available in a variety of shapes, colors and patterns. This kind of edging requires a special curbing machine and a trained operator to install. While providing a permanent installation, concrete curbing can develop cracks and chips over time, and is not ideal for cold climates.

Brick and stone, while appealing to the eye, are more expensive forms of edging and, in effect, borders. They last a long time and can give a nice look to the edge. However, bricks and stones can eventually shift out of place. Vegetation can also creep into the cracks. In a climate where frost heave occurs, cementing bricks and stones is not a suitable option.

Natural edging, also known as spading or trenching, means digging a line along the turf and flowerbed. With no physical barrier to define the two, you will need to redefine the edge each year or sometimes more frequently, causing the bed edge to migrate. Expenses and the work can add up over the long run.

In order to keep landscape edging in place, stakes are typically used.  The type of staking system used can make a noticable difference in how well the edging performs.  For proper staking, it is important that the edging have pre-manufactured pockets, or loops, for the stakes to be placed through.  Some materials require the stake be driven through the edging by hand, requiring extra labor and possible weakening of the edging.

There are many different types of stakes available with edging as well.  The deeper the stake goes into the ground, the better the holding power..  A barbed stake will also provide more holding power, as it helps prevent the stake from coming back out of the ground due to compaction and friction.  Many higher quality edgings will also have a system to lock the stake into the loop to tie the whole system together, creating the best defence against frost heave.

When choosing the best edging there are many decisions to make, but choosing the right product the first time will save a lot of time and labor.  Landscape edging is an important part of maintaining your design, and should not be a decision quickly passed over.