Landscape Bed Edging
What to use and not use and why landscape bed edges are important!
First things first, you may ask “Tyler, what is a landscape bed edge?” Simply put, the bed edge is what separates the landscape from your lawn, patio, or any other part of your yard.
The second question you may ask is “Why is a bed edge important? What function do they serve?”
The answer to this question is a little more in depth than the first question. The main function of the bed edge is delineate between different spaces. The bed edge is important to signify where one space ends and another begins and to also keep people where you may want them. Edges can define walkway spaces to move you or your guests from a walkway to your patio or from the front door to the driveway, or to even keep them from walking through your lawn or your landscape. Another large function of the bed edge is to keep lawn clippings out of your landscape. The reason you want to do this is it keeps weeds and debris from growing in your landscape beds which in turn leads to less maintenance and weeding that you have to undertake!
Now that the basics are out of the way, you may ask, “What are the different types of bed edges and which one is right for me?”
Our favorite bed edge at Outdoor Oasis is the natural, spade cut bed edge which lets the mulch roll up to the edge and flow seamlessly into the rest of the lawn. We love this look because it’s natural and makes the flow of the yard and landscape feel and look harmonious.
While the natural bed edge is our favorite, there are a few others that look good and serve the function we are looking for. Our second favorite is steel or aluminum edging. We prefer this option over plastic because when you or your lawn care company inevitably nicks the steel or aluminum it won’t shred to pieces and look terrible. The other benefit to steel or aluminum over plastic is that when it inevitably heaves due to freeze/thaw it is easily hammered back down with a rubber mallet or dead blow hammer! The steel or aluminum edging also comes in a multitude of colors to match the aesthetic of your landscape and your home. These colors can include black, silver, bronze or brown . We love steel/aluminum because much like the natural edge it offers a seamless transition between lawn and landscape while still creating a distinct difference between the two.
The third option is to use brick paver edging or Garden Edging Stones from Techo-Bloc. The beautiful thing about garden edging stones is they are designed and manufactured for this intended purpose. Another great thing about these stones from Techo-Bloc is they offer modern, traditional, rustic, and even contemporary options that can be either linear or curved to match whatever edge you may want for your landscape. The largest benefit to either edging stones or steel/aluminum edging is that you don’t have to hand edge your landscape every single year.
In closing, having a crisp edge between your landscape and other areas of your property is an important way to help reduce maintenance while increasing the look and function of the space!
