How to Install Flowerbed Edging

Mark the lines where you will install the flowerbed edging. For strength lines, drive a stake into each side and run a string between the two stakes at ground level. When working with a curve, lay a garden hose or a piece of heavy rope along the intended border.

Place a shovel on ground 1 inch away from the rope of string. Use a flat-backed shovel. Drive the shovel straight into the soil 1 inch deeper than the depth of the edging you intend to use. If you are using 6-inch edging, drive the shovel 7 inches into the ground.

Place the shovel next to the rope or string and 1 to 2 inches away from the first cut, depending on the width of the edging you use. The trench should be slightly wider than the width of the edging material. Drive the shovel into the soil the same depth as the first cut at a slight angle. Remove the sod from the cut. You will be left with a 1- to 2-inch wide "V"-shaped trench along the flower garden border.

Place the edging into the trench. The edging has a rounded top, while the bottom has a 1/4- to 1/2-inch "V" shape at the bottom. Position the edging so that the "V" shape faces the flower garden. The top of the edging should be flush with the surrounding lawn and vertical in the trench. Edging comes in 20-foot sections.

Pound 8-inch edging stakes into the soil on the garden side so that they go through the "V"-shaped curl at the bottom of the edging material. Install the stakes every 3 to 4 feet along the edging. Press extra soil into the area around the edging and stomp it down along the length of each piece.