Landscape borders are a great way to designate one or more yard areas. Regardless of your garden’s style, they may be used to visually tie in different space areas, separate grass from the garden, or work with paths to move people around the garden. You can use several different materials to create a garden border and arrange them in many ways.
This is a great project to work on in spring, when the ground is dry. Just be careful of any plants that have not yet been pushed through the soil. You don’t want to build something overtop accidentally. If you have old woord, stones or bricks, you don’t even need to go outside your garden to get the materials. However, if you don’t, you can easily get landscaping supplies.
Why Add Landscape Edging to a Garden?
Landscape borders make an excellent addition to the garden for several reasons:
- Aesthetically, they keep the garden neat.
- Also referred to as a mowing border, flat landscape edging creates a nice boundary to cut grass around the edges, which means you can do away with the string trimmer.
- Edging materials can stop plants from getting into another part of the pathway or garden.
- Edging can be used to delimit a small area, for example where a tree or unique plant.
Digging a Space for Your Edging Material
A good garden shovel should be able to cut the grass. A garden edger could help get you started on a small trench but you need a shovel to dig the soil wider. If you are digging around your fence to anchor the bottom of a taller fence or to anchor a single level of stones or bricks, scoop a trench a few inches larger on one side of the stones or bricks. Set the soil aside, in a wheelbarrow or on a tarp. This will fill in the voids on either side of the material after it has been dug in.
Inspiration for Landscape Borders
Look in the neighborhood and public gardens for garden border ideas. You may find something innovative and cool that you haven’t seen before.
How to Create a Sharp Edge Between Garden and Grass
If you have an existing lawn that you are renovating, move the soil away from the grass verge. Use your edger or shovel to clean up the line and redefine the edge.
If you are building a new edge, for instance, using your edging tool or spade to cut if you’re widening a garden. If needed, use your foot and drive it as deep into the soil as possible. Use it to lift off the grass, which will leave a nice clean edge.
Wattle Landscape Border
Wattle Edging
It’s easy to fall in love with the edges of a tidy yet rustic-looking wattle border. Willow is a very flexible and easy to use material. You can use a pruned raspberry canes to build a willow border. With this arrangement, you may need to trim or replace some of the sticks from time to time. But in general, wattle brings a unique look to the garden.
Create Landscape Borders From Rocks
This idea is not as neat as, say, lined up pavers but rocks are an excellent way to frame a woodland garden or backyard shade garden. You will have to keep on top of weeding around them.
Garden Border Ideas for Poured Concrete
Poured concrete builds a very durable and solid perimeter around the garden. It allows you to add a sharp, neat edge. Concrete also acts as an excellent barrier between the lawn and the garden soil. You will want to keep it low to the ground – no more than one inch above the ground. You can make your own curved or straight lines, using a hardboard or wooden stakes. Special molds even allow you to get creative and add a pattern.
Stacking Fieldstone Into a Garden Border
Edging Your Garden in Fieldstones
This is another fantastic idea if you have materials laying around – such as an old garden path or patio you want to dig up. Simply spread your stone to create a border.
Edging a Garden With Bricks
There are a number of ways to define a garden with bricks. One way is to turn them on their ends and then dig them to a certain height. Another is to lay them flat. You could let a ground cover grow between them, such as Irish moss, or fill the space with concrete or fine gravel.
If you want to upgrade your garden and need landscaping supplies, we recommend Lakeside Pakenham Garden and Building Supplies in Pakenham. Built on excellent customer service and industry-leading knowledge, they are a household name in the area. Check them out!
