How To Install Natural Stone Landscape Edging

The Best Garden and Backyard Edging Ideas & Tips

Updated: Sep. 17, 2022

Three simple, attractive, low-maintenance garden and lawn edging ideas to inspire.

Family Handyman

We show y'all how to edge a backyard with simple and attractive tips that keep grass from invading your garden and eliminate the need for edge trimming.

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Time

A full 24-hour interval

Complication

Beginner

Cost

Varies

Backyard Edging: Metal: A Nearly Invisible Garden Border

Backyard Edging: Metal garden borders

Metal lawn edging subtly separates the backyard from the garden.

Lawn Edging: Photo one: Dig the trench

Cut a narrow, 4-in. deep trench with ane vertical side along the lawn edge. Shave the vertical border to smooth out curves. Follow a string line for straight landscape edge edging.

Lawn Edging Photograph ii: Place the garden edging in the trench

Snap together the 8-ft. landscape borders, drop the garden edging into the trench and lay it against the vertical border. Cut the final section to length with a hacksaw.

Lawn Edging Photograph iii: Support the landscape edgers with stakes

Drive stakes to ready the depth at about 1/2 in. above the soil level of the backyard. If the garden edging drops too low, pry it up with the tip of your shovel.

Backyard Edging: Photograph four: Backfill forth the garden edging

Backfill the landscape edging with soil from the garden bed and compress it firmly. Leave room on summit for mulch.

The simplest and most subtle landscape borders that effectively split your lawn from a garden are 4-in.deep strips of steel, aluminum or plastic. The metal lawn edging bends hands into smooth, svelte curves and stops the spread of grass roots. Even so, painted aluminum and steel offer the sleekest, nearly refined garden edging look because they well-nigh disappear against the grass and garden bed. The plastic types of garden edging take a prominent blackness bulge forth the acme edge. All work best on fairly even terrain; if y'all take a lot of dips and rises, information technology'south easier to install a paver border.

Plus: You may desire to consider flower bed fencing, if there are pests you need to keep out.

Although aluminum and steel landscape edging price almost the same, we chose aluminum because information technology was much lighter. It weighs about 41 lbs. per 100 ft., while steel weighs about 225. With aluminum landscape edging, you go a professional wait without the heavy lifting.

Program to set the garden border with the top border near one/2 in. above the soil level to maintain the backyard/garden separation and go on roots from crossing over the meridian. This makes the garden border almost invisible and allows you to mow right over the tiptop. Yet, exist aware that the summit of the thin lawn edging can hurt blank feet. Afterward cutting it, brand sure you round off any sharp edges with a file.

Follow the photos for the bones garden edging installation techniques. The central to setting this garden border is to cutting a make clean vertical edge forth the grass with a square spade (Photo one). And then yous can lay the garden edge tightly against the edge when you pale and backfill it. At that place's no rule for shaping the border. Simply follow the edges of your lawn, making polish, gradual curves.To make smooth, sharp curves, bend the metal lawn edging around a circular form.

The thicker landscaping edgers improve withstand those inevitable bumps and hard knocks that go with backyard mowing.

Circumspection

Call your local utilities or 811 to locate clandestine lines earlier you dig and install all edging.

Buying Lawn Edging

Steel mural edging is the nearly common metal garden edging, although you might not observe it at local nurseries. Look for it at larger garden centers or at mural suppliers, which is where most pros get it. (Search "Landscape Equipment and Supplies" online.) Steel garden landscape edging comes in iv-in. wide past 10-ft. long strips in a diverseness of colors. Keep in mind that information technology'll eventually rust, especially in a common salt surroundings. Information technology's heavy, floppy stuff and needs well-nigh full support when y'all transport it.

Aluminum garden landscape edging, likewise being lighter and stiffer, won't rust and is also bachelor in a wide variety of colors. Look for it through landscaping suppliers, although it might exist difficult to find. You might have to order information technology. Be sure stakes are included with your purchase.

You'll notice black plastic landscaping edging at every garden heart and home center, sometimes in both regular and heavy-duty thicknesses. Buy the thicker landscaping edging material. The thicker landscaping edgers ameliorate withstands those inevitable bumps and hard knocks that get with lawn mowing.

A Paver Garden Border: Edging Stones

Paver edge

Pavers provide a wide backyard edging border that keeps grass out of the garden.

Concrete and brick pavers

Pavers are available in a diversity of colors and shapes.

Photograph 1: Place the garden border

Lay out the border of the lawn edging with a garden hose, using the brick design equally a spacer. Make curves gradual and smooth.

Photo ii: Dig a wide trench

Dig a 4-in. deep trench about an inch wider than the brick blueprint, using a square spade. Cutting the edge forth the grass polish and foursquare.

Photograph 3: Fill the trench with fabric and sand

Cut landscape fabric to fit the lesser and sides of the trench and dump in well-nigh 2 in. of sand. Smooth and flatten the sand with a block of woods.

Photo 4: Lay the edging stones on the sand

Set the bricks tightly together so the tops and front edges are even and near 1/two in. above the soil. Sweep sand into gaps and pack soil confronting the back side of the lawn edging.

If y'all're having trouble deciding between various lawn edging ideas, consider concrete or brick pavers. They make a simple, handsome edge and work well every bit lawn edging material too. They're platonic when you desire a wide edge that keeps grass out of the garden, nonetheless allows flowers and other plants to spill over without intruding onto the grass. You lot're less probable to chop them up with the lawn mower.

The paver design shown here likewise provides a prissy, flat surface for the lawn mower bike to roll along and brand a clean cut. You shouldn't take to trim the edges later on mowing. Concrete pavers are designed for rugged outdoor utilise. Brick pavers are too, but don't confuse them with regular bricks, which are typically softer and more probable to intermission down. Set the pavers in a bed of sand for easier positioning and leveling (Photo three).

The sand bed that you lay over landscape fabric keeps most grass types from sending roots under the backyard edging and getting into your garden. Paver borders work well for straight, formal gardens but even better for informal yards with gradual curves and varying slopes. You can easily arrange them to follow the contours of an uneven yard. But they won't fit too on tighter curves unless y'all alter the design and are willing to cut them to fit with a diamond blade saw.

Employ a garden hose to marking the shape and gradual curves of your lawn edging (Photo 1).  Don't hesitate to trim the trench a bit here or in that location equally you cut the edge to smoothen curves or change the garden bed shape. For straight borders, follow a tightly stretched cord line. Follow the photos for installing the pavers. It's of import to set the front border of the pavers almost 1/2 in. above the soil in the lawn then the backyard mower can cut the grass cleanly. We also leveled our pavers from front end to dorsum to go along the row from dipping and rising, simply it's non necessary and on slopes might look better if attack an bending. Just make sure the top of each paver sits flush with its neighbour and that the front edges create a smooth line. Yous can go dorsum after and whack them perfectly flush with a block of wood and a hammer or a safe mallet. The pavers nosotros gear up on border are primarily decorative, but they also raise the garden bed slightly and assist retain mulch. Prepare them higher or lower to fit the needs of your garden.

A Raised-Bed Border

Raised-bed border

A raised border adds depth and texture to the garden.

Stacking edging rock

You can cull from a variety of attractive stone for your border.

Photograph i: Dig a trench

Mark the path of the border with paint, then dig a iv-in. deep trench along the line. Make the width the stone width plus 6 in.

Photo two: Fill up the trench with gravel

Pack in and level a bed of gravel. Keep the height at or below the soil level. If necessary on slopes, plan to step the stone up or downward.

Photo 3: Set the first row of stone

Lay the first row of stones nearly 4 in. dorsum from the grass edge. Push button in more gravel or dig it out to align and level them. Article of clothing goggles when chipping stones.

Photo iv: Lay the second row

Stack the second row of stones onto the first, overlapping the joints. Exam several stones to find the about stable fit.

Photo 5: Fill the raised bed with topsoil

Lay a strip of landscape fabric confronting the dorsum of the stones and fill the planting bed with topsoil. Trim off excess textile afterwards.

Photo 6: Install plastic border along the front

Scoop out 4 in. of gravel in front of the wall and install plastic lawn edging. Pack mulch into the gap between the plastic and rock.

A rock wall does more than than make a make clean border along your lawn. Information technology'due south a handsome visual statement in itself, a great way to add depth and texture to a flat, featureless grand. It's practical, also.

When looking at paver lawn edging ideas, exist sure to explore the diversity of stone materials, sizes and shapes to create your ideal landscape border. It besides provides good drainage, making it a great solution for depression-lying, soggy gardens. And information technology'due south a good manner to terrace a sloped yard and create nice, flat gardens.

To reduce maintenance we added a 4-in. deep trench that we lined with plastic edging and filled with mulch. The lawn edging keeps grass roots from creeping into the stone wall, and the mulch provides a mowing track for backyard mower wheels. With taller types of grass, y'all can mow right over the plastic border and cutting the lawn edge cleanly. At that place's no need to trim the grass.

This projection doesn't require whatever special skills, simply a strong back. For metal lawn edging you'll need a hacksaw, and for stone lawn edging you'll need a common cold chisel. Remember to wear prophylactic googles when installing your mural edging. Design your raised bed to blend into the contours of your k like a natural feature. You can handle slopes in i of two ways. Either let your wall follow the gradient of the thousand for an informal await, or level the stones as we did and pace the wall upward or downwardly every bit the gradient requires to maintain approximately the same height.

The exact size of stacking stone for walls varies considerably by region. Visit a local landscape supplier to check types. (Ours is Chilton limestone.) For lawn edging, limit the meridian of your wall to two courses and then you won't accept stones falling out. Measure your wall length and brand a sketch.

The stone dealer will aid you figure out the quantities of all the materials you need. The stone volition probably be sold by the ton or pallet and it'southward heavy. Have information technology delivered and dropped as shut to the wall location as possible. And take gravel or sand delivered to use as a setting bed for the stone (Photo 2) too every bit topsoil to fill behind the wall (Photograph 5). The rock or landscaping dealer will help you calculate how much of these yous need.

Follow the photos for stride-by-step instructions on how to edge a lawn with stone. Become started past laying out the edge with a garden hose or paint. We drew a curve past setting a string at a centre point and mark an arc with pigment (Photograph 1). The trench width will vary depending on the width of the stone. Add together 6 in. to the stone width (2 in. for the mowing edge plus four in. extra).

More often than not information technology'southward best to go along the lesser row of stone an inch or and so below the original soil level, but this will vary if you go on the stones level and the yard isn't level (what yard is?). If you lot're considering this lawn edging idea, just know that you lot may need to stride the stones up or down, or apply thinner or thicker stones depending on artful and fit. There's no rule hither. Experiment when you lot lay the stones for the best advent.

Lay the stones that have the near irregular faces in the outset row so you can place the irregular face down in the gravel and level the top (Photo 3). Vary the sizes and colors for the all-time await. Chip off irregularities with the maul and chisel. And so add the second row (Photo 4). Make this row as stable as possible so the stones won't rock and fall off. As a last resort, stabilize the stones by shoving stone chips into the gaps.

Lay mural material against the dorsum of the wall before backfilling to keep dirt from washing out through the stone (Photo five). Then install the plastic edging in front. Add organic mulch to finish upwardly the mowing edge.

Originally Published: June 24, 2022

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