Decorative Landscaping Edging

Concrete and Brick

• Concrete and brick are perhaps the longest-lasting of the possibilities to choose from when deciding on a landscape edging. While brick is easier to install, concrete can provide a certain versatility, depending upon whether you choose a pre-formed concrete edging or have it poured on site. Pre-formed concrete pieces, much like brick, are available in different colors, and are poured in a variety of different shapes, sizes and styles, while brick, for the most part, comes in traditional square or rectangular shapes. When dealing with pre-formed edging or brick, installation is a simple matter of digging a trench the width of the edging and putting it in place, adding dirt back to secure it. Poured concrete must be planned in advance, and involves digging a trench, building forms and pouring concrete into place, preferably with strengthening rods added where needed to keep the concrete from cracking or lifting with weather conditions. All three of these options can prove expensive, depending upon the size of your landscape.

Stone and Wood

• Adding texture and form to your garden and landscape is easy when using stone or wood as your edging material. Field stone can provide a wide variety of shapes and color to your edging, giving your landscape a natural look, as if the stone were there all along. Installation occurs much like the brick or pre-formed concrete edging and involves digging a trench and burying the field stone about 1/3 of the way into the ground before refilling the trench with dirt. Wood is an excellent garden edging, but has a few drawbacks. Wood naturally disintegrates with time, even when coated or treated, and so will need to be replaced periodically. If you are edging a vegetable garden, timbers soaked in preservative may not be the best idea to use as edging, as the pesticides and creosote used in preserving the wood may seep into the ground. It's possible to use natural and untreated logs, which give the landscape a rustic look and feel, but they will need to be replaced as the logs decay.

Metal and Plastic

• Some of the most decorative edging available comes in either metal or plastic. The edgings come formed into a variety of designs, and can give your landscape an entirely different look and feel. From rustic to Victorian, metal edging is available in plain metal or can be coated with color to your specifications. Plastic edging is often made from recycled materials, and can therefore be an excellent "green" option, but the look may not be as impressive as metal. Both plastic and metal edging also come in flat styles that can be hammered into the edge of the garden; the top of the edging lies flat to the ground, providing nothing more than a barrier to prevent grass and weeds from invading your plantings.

Natural Edging

• Perhaps the easiest edging to apply is a natural edging that can be planted and maintained throughout the growing season. You can edge your landscape with plants that color-coordinate with the landscape design and are suitable for either light or shady areas. A 12-inch-wide border surrounding your garden or landscape planted with alyssum or creeping phlox can add texture and color to your design.