The Edging of Mulch Beds

Simple Edging

• Motorized or manual edging tools help keep your mulch beds neat and tidy without adding a decorative border. These long-handled tools have either a solid cutting wheel or a spiked cutting disk at the bottom of the handle. Press the edge of the wheel into the soil at the edge of the mulch bed to cut through it like a knife. Push the edger forward without lifting it up to cut a continuous, clean line through the sod around the bed. Removing the trimmed sod is as simple as slipping the edge of a small gardening shovel underneath and lifting it up. The defined edge helps keep mulch inside without any fancy trimmings.

Stone Edging

• Landscaping stones come in different sizes and shapes, many of which are narrow enough to outline a mulch bed without intruding far into the grass. Remove a band of sod around the bed to help set the stones flat and even. Once the border is set, raise the mulch bed by backfilling the stones with more mulch. If you prefer less maintenance, leave the mulch bed at its current level and let the stones help contain it even during heavy rains and high winds.

Small Picket Edging

• Miniature picket fence sections are available at home and garden centers to accent the edge of your mulch bed, whether around a tree or a collection of plants. Press the spikes that protrude from the bottom of the sections deep into the soil. Press each section against the last. The resulting picketed edge gives your mulch bed a cottage look. Some picket sections are available in black and look like a miniature wrought iron fence.

Bricks with a Mowing Edge

• Even with a tidy edge, mowing around a mulch bed is sometimes tricky. Trimming close with a string trimmer can send mulch flying in all directions; however, a brick paver mowing edge makes the job quick and neat. Set a continuous border of brick pavers upright and halfway into the soil around the mulch bed. Remove a ribbon of sod around the brick border as wide as the length of one brick and 4 inches deep. Line the bottom of the trench with landscaping fabric and pour in enough sand to raise top of the finished mowing edge 1/2-inch above the soil level. To check the sand level, set a paver on top and make adjustments by adding or removing sand as necessary. Set the pavers flat on the sand, side by side, with their short ends backed against the upright bricks and tap the tops with a rubber mallet until the surface is uniform. The resulting path lets you roll your lawnmower over the pavers to mow the lawn's edge, removing the need for a trimmer. You can use common bricks for this type of edging, but they might degrade more quickly than pavers when subjected to temperature extremes and abuse.