Anyone have ideas on edging they love?

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dusky
Posts: 4
Joined: Jun 26, 2009 7:40 pm
USDA Zone: 5

Anyone have ideas on edging they love?

Post by dusky »

I would love to find an edging idea that keeps the grass out that is wide enough to mow on to reduce weed whacking and let the plants tumble on.Thanks, love the site!
govgirl75
Posts: 660
Joined: Jun 24, 2008 12:33 pm
USDA Zone: 5
Location: OH

Re: Anyone have ideas on edging they love?

Post by govgirl75 »

We have used paving bricks laid side by side set level with the ground. They make a pretty wide border, have very few weeds in between and the riding mower wheel runs right along them, so no weed whacking. I do use an edger once in the spring to pull back any grass. Any strays get handled with Roundup.
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caliloo
Posts: 3406
Joined: Dec 07, 2004 5:11 am
USDA Zone: SE PA z6
Location: SE PA Zone 6/7

Re: Anyone have ideas on edging they love?

Post by caliloo »

I haven't done this, but I saw it on another site and thought it was an idea that had potential...... The gardener dug a trench about 8 inches wide and 8 inches deep all the way around the bed. She then mixed up quick set and poured it into the trench. She then set glass discs, tile pieces, etc in the top of the quick set. She claims it hasn't cracked from frost heaving, but I might try to put it in in sections (like a sidewalk) with some sort of material that has some give. It is level with the ground (and bed) and will allow creeping plants to spill over the cement moat and has a mosaic surface.

I have a few beds that are surrounded with a single height brick of EP Henry that I can get one side of the push mower on to run around.

I will be checking back for more ideas too - I am always looking!

Alexa
Spring - An experience in immortality.
- Henry D. Thoreau
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JaneG
Posts: 4235
Joined: Oct 16, 2001 8:00 pm
USDA Zone: 5
Location: Central Illinois, Zone 5

Re: Anyone have ideas on edging they love?

Post by JaneG »

I have one bed done similar to what Caliloo mentioned. We dug out a shallow trench, maybe 8" wide and 5" deep around the bed. Then mixed bagged concrete and filled the trench. The mix is thick enough that we could slightly mound it, so it's rounded a little with both sides sloping down a little. It works great, requires no maintenance and we run the mower right on it. We added a tan/gold colorant to the mix so it wouldn't be the color of a sidewalk. I didn't go the extra step of placing marbles and glass pieces in it! The only drawback to this method is that it is almost permanent, can't change your mind and change your edges easily!

Here are two pictures - the first one shows that we expanded the size of the bed when we put in the new border. The picture shows that we dug the trench and poured the concrete, then went back and killed the grass and planted out to the new border. The second pic is the following year. Since the picture was taken I have finally taken up the ugly black landscape fabric peeking out and put in "good" mulch instead of the chunky stuff.
PicnicHostaGardenBorder-004.jpg
CementBorderBed.jpg
The other method that I really liked was to dig a slightly wider trench, fill with gravel/sand, then place flagstone pieces in it, as if making a path. I really liked the way it looked and it gave it an inviting look, as if you should walk around the bed on this combination path/border. It was flush with the ground and I mowed right over it. Unfortunately, I did this at my previous house, so I don't have this one in my garden any longer. But I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. The drawback for this one is that weeds and grass easily grow between the flagstones, but I simply pluck them out or use Round-Up. Here's a picture from an upstairs window looking down on it right after it was finished. It was in the fall, so the leaves are falling and the plants in the bed are starting to shut down.
Aerial-View-of-Walnut-Bed_c.jpg
JaneG
Start slowly . . . then taper off.
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kHT
Posts: 10379
Joined: Oct 31, 2001 8:00 pm
USDA Zone: 7-8 Z-nial
Location: PNW, some where over the rainbow?

Re: Anyone have ideas on edging they love?

Post by kHT »

What great ideas but what happens in the future when one wants to expand and you have cemented hard scapes?

http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a258/karmaHappyToes/

You can take our garden tour and see we have both the cement scallaped edging and soft scape, I'll tell you no weed wacking
is done here as I have heard so many stories of distoryed plants. We use Roundup along the edges and beside the edging to
keep the grass from growing into the beds. This way we can expand when there is the need to make the beds larger and take
up more grass. Less mowing and more flowers is my goal here. No wacking of anything!
karma 'Happy Toes' (kHT)
The Goddess is Alive and Magic is Afoot!!!!
I'm just a simple housewife.
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