Landscaping your yard can add beauty and curb appeal to your home. If you are planning a new flowerbed or other small garden within your yard, you will likely need landscape edging. Landscape edging will keep pesky grass out of your gardens and will help to keep your landscaping looking fresh and sharp all year round. Although landscape edging is easy to install, knowing how to do it well will ensure a top-quality job.

Preparation

Before you begin installing your landscape edging, prepare your yard. Use a string or a hose to mark a line on your yard where you would like your garden bed to be. Dig a 4- to 6-inch deep trench along the line. This will help to keep the grass roots from invading your flower bed. If you are planning on tilling the soil in your garden bed, do so before installing the landscape edging.

Types of Edging

Landscape edging comes in many different types. You can use plastic or metal edging, which is placed so that is sits approximately 1/2 inch above the ground. You can also use wood, concrete or brick edging, which is more decorative but more expensive. All edging is designed to prevent grass from invading a flowerbed when installed correctly.

Installation

Install concrete and wood edging by placing the edging directly into place in your trench. When installing brick edging, put a layer of sand into the trench before the bricks are placed. Metal and plastic edging are slightly more difficult to install than wood, concrete or brick edging. Most metal and plastic edging comes in rolls. At the beginning of the installation, roll out the edging to prepare it for the trench. To install the metal or plastic edging, place it in the trench. Your edging should not be more than 1/2 inch above the ground. Use large stakes to anchor your metal or plastic edging in place. Drive the stakes parallel to the ground. If you install your metal or plastic edging incorrectly, a heavy frost will heave it out of the ground.

Fill in the Holes

Use the dirt that was removed from the trench to fill in the trench again. The soil should butt up completely to the landscape edging on either side. Plastic and metal edging may leave a large gap on both sides of the edging. Fill in the gap on the grassy side of the edging. The grass will fill in any holes.

Source:

Renegade Gardener

Blades Lawn Care