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Although it plays an important role in how a garden looks, edging is not often given much attention. Simultaneously, edging holds the garden together and delineates its various sections: the lawn, the garden beds, the paths. I had a look at my garden pictures to find examples of various styles of edging in order to assess them from a practical and an aesthetic point of view. Here is what I found.
Laying down logs, as in the previous two pictures, produces a rather informal effect, especially when the logs are not completely straight. It shows clearly what is flower bed and what is path. As long as the plants growing on the edge of the beds are not too invasive, logs are practical.
Hard surface paths like the ones above do not require any edging to stop plants from invading. In both cases the grey colour helps the paths to blend in and not to stand out too much. A hard, geometrical surface works best in a formal setting as in the photo below.
The concrete edging below is very substantial and "no nonsense". It must be quite efficient at stopping roots, although it is not very attractive. Even if roots do not get through, a few things have seeded between the interlocking stones.
A lawn path like the following one suggests opulence, but of course it is high maintenance. Not only does it have to be mowed and rolled but also edged, This requires skills. Besides, foot traffic on it cannot be too heavy.
The following informal version of the same thing is beautiful, but I would think it is even more high maintenance. There is only a bit of edging to do on the right, but how do you trim on the left side without damaging the plants at the rock base? Not with a whipper-snipper. You would have to do it by hand.
Edging with plants can be quite attractive, especially if you use perennials, as in these three examples below. Ribbon planting with annuals is less interesting.The drawback of this kind of edging with perennials is that it takes a lot of time to mature and might be expensive to set up (unless you have decades to do it!).
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You can also use rocks to edge. This works better in the shade, where the rocks are decorative and do not have to stop a lot of invasive plants - or where the path is well tamped.
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You can cover the rocks with plants as in the pictures below. Again, this takes a lot of time, but that is of course part of its charm. It gives a very "established" look.
I am sure the "maximum security" approach below can stop most weeds, but is not particularly attractive. You want to control planting in a much more subtle way, even in a public garden.
A sunk board is efficient and attractive to the extent that you don't see it much. Wood is more traditional than plastic, although it might not last as long.
Two good methods of edging in the same picture - with a cedar hedge (Thuya sp.) and with a narrow band of bricks which simplify mowing.
What kind of edging do you prefer and why?
Although it plays an important role in how a garden looks, edging is not often given much attention. Simultaneously, edging holds the garden together and delineates its various sections: the lawn, the garden beds, the paths. I had a look at my garden pictures to find examples of various styles of edging in order to assess them from a practical and an aesthetic point of view. Here is what I found.
Laying down logs, as in the previous two pictures, produces a rather informal effect, especially when the logs are not completely straight. It shows clearly what is flower bed and what is path. As long as the plants growing on the edge of the beds are not too invasive, logs are practical.
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| Straight logs produce a more formal look. |
Hard surface paths like the ones above do not require any edging to stop plants from invading. In both cases the grey colour helps the paths to blend in and not to stand out too much. A hard, geometrical surface works best in a formal setting as in the photo below.
The concrete edging below is very substantial and "no nonsense". It must be quite efficient at stopping roots, although it is not very attractive. Even if roots do not get through, a few things have seeded between the interlocking stones.
A lawn path like the following one suggests opulence, but of course it is high maintenance. Not only does it have to be mowed and rolled but also edged, This requires skills. Besides, foot traffic on it cannot be too heavy.
The following informal version of the same thing is beautiful, but I would think it is even more high maintenance. There is only a bit of edging to do on the right, but how do you trim on the left side without damaging the plants at the rock base? Not with a whipper-snipper. You would have to do it by hand.
Edging with plants can be quite attractive, especially if you use perennials, as in these three examples below. Ribbon planting with annuals is less interesting.The drawback of this kind of edging with perennials is that it takes a lot of time to mature and might be expensive to set up (unless you have decades to do it!).
You can cover the rocks with plants as in the pictures below. Again, this takes a lot of time, but that is of course part of its charm. It gives a very "established" look.
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| Creeping Jenny allowed to colonize the stone edging |
I am sure the "maximum security" approach below can stop most weeds, but is not particularly attractive. You want to control planting in a much more subtle way, even in a public garden.
A sunk board is efficient and attractive to the extent that you don't see it much. Wood is more traditional than plastic, although it might not last as long.
Two good methods of edging in the same picture - with a cedar hedge (Thuya sp.) and with a narrow band of bricks which simplify mowing.
Interesting as we are just trying to decide on edging doe a couple of out beds and it is so hard to decide.
ReplyDeleteAs Rick says below, if you chose something that blends with the rest it should work well.
DeleteInteresting piece Alain, if you are going to have grass I much prefer a line of bricks or paviours, the most important thing to me is that the edging fits in with the general theme of the garden, there is nothing worse than having something that sticks out like a sore thumb.
ReplyDeleteI created an edge on a lawn for a client several years ago with horizontal bricks at the level go the grass Rick, and it looked really nice and was a practical way of maintaining the lawn edge
DeleteI think Rick your comment about the general theme of the garden is quite right. You want things to blend into each other, not clash. Together with things fitting in a general scheme I think scale is an other aspect of design people do not pay enough attention to.
DeleteAlthough I prefer my herbaceous plants to my grass, Alain, I do make it a rule when I edge with my long handled shears (still the best way) and/or my mower straddling the edge I insist that the line of the edge is paramount and if my plants get nicely pruned every mowing that is fine by me.
ReplyDeleteYou are quite right about the edge being paramount. I was reading that the most important factor to make a garden looks well-kept is to make sure the grass edge are neat.
DeleteThis is a great post! I really like the look of the natural rocks and stones, as well as the perennials. And the brick pathways and patios are attractive. We're in the process of upgrading our edging a bit, but we won't be sinking a lot of money into it, as we plan to move within a few years.
ReplyDeleteHi Beth,
DeleteGood luck with your edging project. Are you still basking in the sun or back to our cold latitudes?
Hello Alain, I don't like brick or otherwise formally edged borders, it makes them all the more difficult to expand in future (borders only ever expand in my book). I also prefer to have plants spilling over the border edges and onto the grass, obscuring the border boundary and softening it, it's the kind of style I go for and suits my garden but I can appreciate the various other styles in your post, especially the stone/boulder-lines paths for a more "rustic" feel.
ReplyDeleteHi Sunil,
DeleteI must say I also prefer plants spilling over. Spilling over works well with a strong border because you can let the plants do what they want.
I have opted for edging my borders with local stone but have sunk them down to almost level with the lawn (where there is lawn) to make it a bit easier to manage. It seems to work and fits in with my scheme (as has been said above). It's only been there for 1 year so just how practical it's going to be remains yet to be seen.
ReplyDeleteI do love the edges softened with plants but I am never able to keep the plants as neat as I'd like.
Lots of choices there Alain, something for everyone what ever their style.
You are right, there are lots of good ways to approach it depending on what you like and what your garden is like.
DeleteI enjoyed seeing all the different types of edging, I rather liked the plants and rocks, some great ideas though, many inspiring. I edge our lawn with bricks that are at the same level as the lawn, it makes mowing easier and less tidying to do.xxx
ReplyDeleteBricks work very well. You need something rather permanent next to lawns are they spread so easily.
DeleteChoice of edging is often a question of budget. I quite like Corten-steel in connection with modern planting. In my garden I use natural stone as it suits the style best (and we have plenty of it) and lawn edges which need quite a bit of maintenance as you've pointed out. High edging along with lawn is often a bad choice as it involves a strimmer. Great selection, Alain, something for every taste.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the price. No doubt Corten steel would be great in many settings but it must be expensive.
DeleteIn my own garden I prefer natural sharp lawn edges, elaborated with spade time to time, when needed. However, my sempervivum beds are edged with rocks. It holds well together lightly rised bed and adds a thematic interest.
ReplyDeleteIn general I think edging must be very well considered and constructed. It is quite easy to fail and ruin the overall look of the garden or specific border. I see it quite often in privet gardens - they have an idea (usually seen an example somewhere) but really don't know how to establish it. Public places are somewhat better.
I agree with you that ideas that work well in a garden you visit might not have the same result in your own garden. As you say, it must be well considered before you go ahead.
DeleteThanks for the helpful post, Alain! There is plenty here to think about. Being small, I have always found it difficult to deal with equipment designed for upkeep of grass paths - I have never known anyone else to complain of this! At any rate, I intend to use a combination of paviours and low ground cover plants. I think it will work stylistically...
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by Amy. A combination of paviours and low ground cover sounds quite appealing.
DeleteThis was a really interesting post Alain and not a subject that is given enough attention. A neat border makes a garden look so much better kept overall. I have struggled with edging my flower garden. The lawn creeps in all the time and I haven't time to edge it consistently. I'm always pleased when it's freshly edged but it doesn't last long.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by Marguerite. This type of lawn edging is probably the most attractive but a lot of work. Besides, it is work that is harder than it seems.
DeleteAs evidenced in your excellent array of images, edging can have such a dramatic effect on the style of a garden. I have rock edging in some areas of my garden and a brick edging in other garden "rooms". Generally my choice of materials has been limited by budget. I wonder what I would choose if money were no object? Hmm... that's an interesting question.
ReplyDeleteWith no budget limitation, I would choose thin bands of metal (I expect that is what Annette above calls Corten-steel). I have seen it used in a public garden in B.C. It stops everything, is no doubt long lasting and you don't see it unless you bend down to check.
DeleteI love the idea of using bricks for edging the lawn but I have too much lawn to do this. I agree that it is important to have good edges to set off the garden. Unfortunately it is something I am not very good at. My edges look as if I have ripped them with my teeth.
ReplyDeleteI am not all that skilled at edging either. Fortunately I only have a little square (about 10 x 10 feet square) of lawn which I have edged with boards.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the best thing to use to edge a circular lawn? This is the first time I have tried this, so I need all the help I can get...
ReplyDeleteuk lawn edging