Bed edging

I need some ideas for edging around my flower beds and trees. We mow three acres with forty trees and nine flower beds. We want to add more beds and walkways. Now that we are semi-retired we have a little more time to spend on the yard but don't want to spend all our time on it. Our policy in the past, when we lacked time, was to spray anything we couldn't get with a five foot mower deck using Roundup. We're trying to wean ourselves away from that policy.

We've just ordered a mini-tiller with an edger attachment. The plan is to go around multiple flower beds and tree bases for a nice crisp edge to mark where the grass stops and mulch begins. We usually use a cypress mulch or tree bark as opposed to a leaf mulch. Our primary problems here are wind and the lawn mower. The mulch has to be large enough so the prairie wind doesn't blow it away. The other problem is trying to get close enough to mow all the grass without the mower sucking the mulch from the beds.

In the past I've used a round point shovel to make the edge and picked up the sod in the area where I want mulch; tedious and back breaking work at best. A real pain when I have a large area to remove. I figure the tiller/edger will help with that leaving me to scoop up the broken sod with a flat shovel.

In the past we have used the black plastic edging to keep the grass from encroaching into the mulch area. It keeps working its way out of the ground or the mower sucks it out. We've tried decorative stone, river rock, but one has to be careful or the mower throws it into the yard. If one is too careful grass is left. No matter what we do I realize that will still be a problem, maybe.

I'm thinking of installing bricks as an edging. Perhaps laying them flat to provide a four inch cushion of space before the mower gets to the mulch. A two or three inch thick brick on soil should be about level with the grass base allowing the mower to pass over it (them) to clip the grass.

I'm wondering what some of you use as edging for this problem. Or have seen used.

Thanks for your thoughts.
Gary

I have seen more flat edging recently for this very purpose...keep the grass out of the flower beds...and be able to mow with out getting in the flower bed.

I got this at Menards. It is plastic, in retrospect I would have purchased some concrete pavers in much the same thickness and size. I still might!

Another view.

What size are they, merigold? 6x12? That may be what I am looking for. I'm sure each is more expensive than a brick and probably not as expensive as a paver of similar size. They wouldn't break under my heavy rider but the light weight may cause problems of kicking them out of place. Never know until I look at one. I'll be going to where a Menard's is this weekend or early next week.

Thanks for the idea.

They are 8x24 and you are right about the light weight. It's not a problem for a regular mower but would be for a rider. And, I'm sure we could have done something in brick or paver for cheaper. It looked like an easy fix and I went for it, ha, ha.

You're smarter than me...taking the time to give it good thought! :)

LOL! Smarter? I doubt it. Lazier perhaps. If I was ambitious I would buy a weed eater.

I only want to do this once so I want to do it in a way that requires minimum maintenance in the long run. I want to enjoy my yard while sitting on the porch sipping iced tea while chatting with my friends instead of being in it working.

Sounds like a great plan! Have fun at Menards.

we've used a harder plastic edging that you can cut so it bends and it's been wonderful! Easy to install and it doesn't come up.

Where can I read more about this araness?

I haven't been to Menard's yet. There is a Lowe's closer. Home Depot is 15 miles further away in the opposite direction.

We bought ours a Lowe's, I don't remember the name but I'll ask my DH and post it. We live in extreme heat and it has held up well, lol the DH isn't the best with the edger so it gets a beating but still looks great. We had to take up a few plants and it was amazing how easy it was to take it up and replace it.

I finally got the edging started. Here is the old Patio garden. We had already stripped the sides to prepare for bricks when I took the pic.

Here is the new version.

Here are my rain guages with "Sweet Kate" spiderwort. Really into the work I didn't take time for a before photo.

That looks wonderful, Gary!!

This message was edited Aug 13, 2008 6:04 PM

It looks very nice Gary. Looks like you have alot of edging to do but it will be sooo nice when it is done.

Today's project; a before shot. A large tree used to stand here. When the stump was ground away it left a foot deep hole we filled with dirt. I mounded the dirt since I didn't think the edges were deep enough to include tall plant roots. I've got Endless Summer hydrangeas in the back and Butterfly weed (A. tuberosa) and heucheras in the front.
No. The pump doesn't work.

Improved Pump Garden. I was a few bricks shy of enough yesterday so I finished it this morning.

I like how you did the flat edge for mowing. I should'a done that with my project last weekend.

The bricks look similar to yours?

It sure looks like the same style of bricks. I guess they are called lanscaping stones but I have a little trouble calling concrete poured in a mold a stone. My primary concern is not needing to drag out a weed eater after mowing. If you can get an edger along side the stones it should serve the same purpose near about.

What color are your stones? I had a choice between red and tan. Judy vetoed red before we even got to the store.

My next project is a sidewalk from the driveway around the Memorial garden to the patio on the house side of the garage. After that I'm going to relax for a while.

Mine are a gray. There were red, tan, and two different grays, I chose the darker gray as it compliments the brick behind it nicely.

My problem with an edger here is that there is a sprinkler head just a few inches into the year. If I would have been thinking about my husband mowing I could have put down an edger of sorts and set my "wall" back a few more inches.

Oh well, he syas he's okay with weed wacking there.

My sidewalk is done but not finished. I still need to put sealer on it. The dark spots are moisture from scrubbing on it yesterday. The light spots are concrete dust I couldn't scrub out of the pores.

Love the sidewalk!