Flower bed edge

[itguy12]

Hi!

I'm been putting this off for a few years now, but something finally needs to be done about the border of my beds. I've posted a link to a video of the area below. What recommendations do you guys have about creating a border/edge between the bed and grass? I've been just weed eating it for years now, but it's getting to the point where I'm weeding every other week it seems. So...I'd like a more permanent solution. Thoughts?

IMG_8555.MOV

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[Sean Regan]

This comes up regularly.

I got sick of "edging." Also the border does tend to creep.

So I bought a load of small rectangular block paving bricks, some hardcore, fine concrete mix and some sand and cement mortar.

I did the whole border, three features and the edge of our small front lawn, over two days, (working my sort of "hours," ten 'til half three with an hour for lunch).

First get a hard vertical edge to the lawn with a shallow trough below it.

Lay a bit of hardcore in the trough, then just damp concrete mix on top.

Set the bricks into the concrete mix, up to the level of the lawn, you may have to adjust the amount of concrete as you lay them, but being just damp it won't run away. You need a straight edge that will cover a few bricks to ensure you get them level as you tamp them down into the concrete. They only need to be halfway in.

The following day I mortared them up, creating a ramp of mortar on the border side, up to about an inch below the top of the bricks for additional strength. I added some yellow cement dye to the mortar to take off the "whiteness." They'll "weather in, " during the first year.

Job done

I did this over ten years ago.

This is from last year. The bricks hardly notice, I just run my Flymo over them.

Where the lawn meets the path to the right, I just run my strimmer down the edge, a two minute job.

Front garden, last year.

 

[itguy12]

Thanks! I really like this idea. One thing that complicates this for me is that my bed slopes down from right to left. Any suggestions here?
Photo attached.

 

[Sean Regan]

Thanks! I really like this idea. One thing that complicates this for me is that my bed slopes down from right to left. Any suggestions here?
Photo attached.

It doesn't really matter, presumably the lawn slopes at the same gradient?

Our lawn slopes up towards the back of the garden, by about six inches or so.

If you're using bricks which are about 4" or 5" square, it won't be a problem. But it needs to be a regular slope, or if not, make it so.

 

[oneeye]

The stones look prettier but if you are looking for a quick fix you could use Steel Landscaping Edging at $13.20 per 8ft. I have used these 100s of times on the job over the past many years and they are still where I installed them to this day. What I like about using edging, besides the price and easy installation is, it blocks weeds from growing under ground into you bed. The stone work will cost you (parts only) about $490. to $900 as the edging will run you about S38.00 for the whole job. A good stone worker using concrete would charge about $2500 to $2800 to do the job parts and labor. Good luck.

 

[Sean Regan]

Totally disagree on pricing of the blocks, you shouldn't be paying more than around $20 per sq yard. Don't take my word for it, check it out yourself.

I bought mine from B&Q, a "shed chain." Looks liker you need about three square yards at most. It's an easy job for anyone with basic DIY skills. Damp fine concrete mix is very foregiving.

I consider a two day job, i.e. part of one week-end, a "quick and permanent fix." The photos prove the latter point.

Each to their own, but I wouldn't want to run my Flymo over metal edging.

 

[oneeye]

If you are doing it yourself it's a different story and the job would be much cheaper. Stone masons charge a lot of money. I think using stones would be the very best and look the best too. I would stack them a couple stones high to have them stand out from the road. If you do lay stones its best to lay them on a sand foundation to prevent cracks between the stones in the future. Many different ways to edge your beds. Good luck.

 

[Sean Regan]

As I said, "each to their own."

Mine are simply to stop the border creeping and to avoid me having to edge the lawn after mowing. They aren't supposed to be a feature and few people notice them. They've been down for twelve years. There's been no cracking of the mortar or concrete despite the bricks frequently being stood on when I'm weeding the border.
Here is is how they look today.
I cut the lawn yesterday.

 

[oneeye]

Wow! Sean that does look pretty and solid too, and that would be the best choice. You have a beautiful lawn with healthy grass too! I noticed your Acer palmatum Japanese maple is just starting to leaf out in the photo above. I love those Acers, beautiful trees. You have a beautiful yard and I do see what you are talking about using stone instead of metal..

 

[Sean Regan]

Wow! Sean that does look pretty and solid too, and that would be the best choice. You have a beautiful lawn with healthy grass too! I noticed your Acer palmatum Japanese maple is just starting to leaf out in the photo above. I love those Acers, beautiful trees. You have a beautiful yard and I do see what you are talking about using stone instead of metal..

Thanks for the kind words.

The basic landscaping I did by myself thirty-four years ago.

Little changed in that time until last year. We had a 3000 gallon 5ft deep koi pool. But last year due to a liner failure, I decided to have it filled in, although I'd dug it out, I cot a contractor to fill it in with 20 tons of eco-friendly hardcore and pave it over so we went from this.

To this. The overall effect being much the same.

The koi went to a good home, two doors away.

 

[oneeye]

Your wisteria plant is probably the prettiest I've ever seen now! Thanks for sharing your video with me, and I have to say the Japanese Maples are my favorite in the video.