That’s exactly the look I want, although my yard will never look that good! Any issues from the lawnmower hitting it? Or is it low enough to work

I do occasionally hit it with my rider tires, and it just bends/moves. You need to be careful as they are staked (4 per piece) which they are plastic. I may have broke a couple (oops) not sure, and eventually I’m sure I’ll have to purchase replacement stakes. I have some tough/steep hills in spots which are my problem areas....machine wants to slide :( But if you lay it right you can ride/ push right along the edges with no problem.

Do you have a rider or push mower?

Push mower and gentle curves on my beds to make it easy to mow. So this one just sits on top of the soil it seems? Hmm because I wanted one to block shoots from getting across...

Push mower would ride right on the edge..no weed whip needed :)

Yes it sits on soil. And yes, I still get some creeping grass that I have to pull occasionally, but nothing like before!

It sounds like steel edging is what you are looking for. Expensive, and tough to install. I would have loved to get that, but there is no way It would work for me as I have too many roots and rocks to compete with.

We have plastic dig-in edging because it's readily available and DH, who does the mowing, doesn't like a cut edge since the mower wheels drop into it. We run a line of recycled brick or patio block along the inside edge of the edging so the mower wheels have something to run on to eliminate trimming. This photo happens to be along the edge of our back field, but we do the same thing in lawn areas. Once the grass has grown in, it is virtually invisible. I have found that it generally will follow contour; I just dig the trench the same depth.

I have some plastic dig-in edging (in a desperate attempt to avoid my neighbours couch grass. While I agree, it was both cheap and so far, effective, it was an absolute swine to install. Do not even think of attempting this at any time other than winter, preferably when the soil has some moisture still. I did mine in a dry April and squeezing the flexible (and slightly corrugated) plastic strip into my spade slit was a nightmare (was unable to dig a wider trench because of neighbours path). Soil falling back into the slit, roots and stones getting in the way...also, using 8 inches instead of the more manageable 6 was a mistake. In the end, I only managed to do half of the length of my plot - will do the rest this winter or maybe when doing some autumn harvesting).

a sharp straight shovel.. once or twice per season ... is all that is needed ...

there were some brilliant old posts on this years back.. i will look for them when i have more time ...

ken

I do what Ken says. I find any kind of inserted edging is just another place for slugs to lurk.

“a sharp straight shovel.. once or twice per season ... is all that is needed ...”

Ken that works great for small beds. But for multiple large beds...not so great.

Do you mean this one Ken? https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/4572791/flower-bed-edging-which-is-best?n=19

I also do as Ken and Floral. I dislike any artificial edging as it looks.....artificial :-)) The worst is the poured concrete curbing, which removes all spontaneity in the garden but any plastic edging is hot on its heels for lack of visual appeal. I can tolerate the cobble, brick or masonry edging but much prefer just a cleanly trenched edge. Fast and easy to maintain.

I have always relied on a half mooner for edging...until the vile and brutally vigorous couch started invading my (perennial) beds. My neighbour has trenched her side of the (shared) path so she has a sort of dyke like a raised moat...so when I did my side, the entire path...which is a mere 2 foot strip between plots) started to collapse. Personally, I feel like digging out the whole thing and starting again but she would have a cow. The vicissitudes of shared allotments (she is also responsible for the continuing blackcurrant blight and raspberry fail - I am frequently straining to remain amiable: ( I secretly hate her).

At least the plastic is invisible...while the other alternative (for me) - roof slates - did leave a possibility of painful gashes and shards of razor sharp welsh slate.

A stirrup/action/hula/oscillating hoe works pretty well too

Just trenching by itself will become ragged after a while as the OP says so you also need to use edging shears or a powered edger to maintain it.

Skip, how do you use your hoe for edging? In the beds I use mine for annual weeds but it doesn't work on perennials with persistent roots but I don't use it for edging.

The hoe defoliates the grass creeping into the bed at the level of the soil surface, basically. The grass grows back but I see the same can be said of a trench or shovel cut edge. I dont have particularly formal beds so it works for me.

I see. Does that mean you don't have a trench? Is the soil surface level with the lawn? With a trench creeping grasses take a few weeks to grow back. The lawn grasses I'm familiar with aren't creeping species. They just have an overhanging fringe which needs trimming whenever the grass is mown.

I'm with the folks who prefer the trench look. I find the rubber edging unappealing because it sticks out too much. However, I have a border that was losing it's battle with bermuda grass, so I used this stiff plastic edging. I pounded it down with a rubber mallet, so it sticks out about an inch above the soil level and you would never know it's there. It's a bit pricey, though.

Yeah I have no trench. I used a grass seed that is a mix tall fescue, perennial rye, kentucky bluegrass and chewing fescue. I mow the grass at edge of the bed, the same as the rest of the yard.

Have you ever thought if edging shears?

I got fiskars edging shears to try for around my deck and house but they are basically garbage. I have to see if I can bend or tighten them enough to get them to actually cut the grass instead of just pinching and bending it.

I find that as long as the black plastic edging is properly installed (sunk so the rolled rim is just above soil level) and lined with brick, it pretty much disappears in practical terms.

Unless it's to prevent grass growing in between rocks, I also have just edged with a shovel; except I know it as a spade.

Whatever the name, if you're a beginner and go the (spade) edging root, you need a tool with a rectangular blade which is flat or nearly flat and has a straight (horizontal) cutting edge at the bottom. It has a handle, the shaft of which is shorter than that of some shovels. The top of the blade can be flanged (to place a foot on) at either side of the handle. The garden tool with this complex of features has often been called an English-style spade.

In Europe apparently, shovels traditionally featured in areas where it was necessary to work with dry heavy clay (viz. central Europe).

Matt's original problem; at least if his garden was here, I'd say the edging ("trenching") is not deep enough.

How deep should I be trenching then?? My huge issue is the Bermuda grass creep/reaching across. I’m just trying to set up clear boundaries for this multi-year battle which includes spraying and everything.

thx rob.. i tried using the search engine above.. and only got links to landscape design and design dilemma posts ... and they were useless ...

over the years.. i came to find plastic.. abhorrent in the garden ... https://duckduckgo.com/?q=abhorrent+define&t=ffcm&ia=definition

its a PIA to install.. looks good for a season or two.. and then its all down hill ...

and once i moved to a riding lawnmower .. it just didnt work ...

also.. i spent a few years doing lawn care.. to pay for college ... and i saw a lot of old aging ugly plastic ..

whatever.. its all personal opinion .. choose a small bed.. and install it ... see how it works.. and if you end up liking it.. you can do another in fall.. or next year ... btw ... the straight shovel i linked to in robs link.. will make installation easier.. and dont forget to buy the file to sharpen it ...

i usually try to just skip posting.. when i dont agree with personal choice decisions .... lol ... but apparently.. i didnt know how much i hate this stuff .. lol ...

good luck

ken

i like it this way

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=garden+edging+by+shovel&t=ffcm&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

one other comment ... i once spent a whole weekend creating a perfect 90 degree turn ... lol.. then i found out i could not use the mower on it ... and it was a pia to get the weed whacker back there .. lol ... so keep in mind.. when you make your edge.. to design it with your mower in mind.. and in fact.. use the mower to make the design ... when you get the general idea in mind.. drop the mower a little.. and mow low.. so you can find where to make the edge ...

Trenching will not keep Bermuda from penetrating into planting beds........it is relentless!! In this situation, edging is definitely called for and even that is no guarantee you will keep the two separated.

Matt, I edge up to about a foot with our northern lawns, but Bermuda grass (very fast growing) is another matter.

I see several relevant barrier approaches on-line, even also putting mulch on the beds themselves; that since Bermuda grass will apparently cross, but not root in mulch.

Yep, bermuda is, I guess more or less the same as our relentless couch...and something like a shorter bamboo barrier is really the only thing (it laughs at treated timber - has to be changed out every 5 years (instead of at least 10). I like the look of stuff which could be pounded with a mallet - my plastic was too flexible (cheap). I suspect I am going to actually go for steel (son is a metal fabricator)...in fact, metals are gradually replacing many of my wonky timber veg and rose supports.

Great Kid, Camp!

Love the look of some (Gothic?) steel arbours I've seen here.

GardenHo_MI_Z5 that is a gorgeous bed!

I always trench every other year around the foundation gardens of the house, but never had time to do the other gardens. I retired last fall and am in the process of trenching my other gardens. I am 75% done and my muscles are reminding me I'm not a spring chicken anymore. With our freeze and thaw cycle in PA during the winter the plastic/metal edging heaves out of place. So it is useless. Even when I used bricks to edge after a couple years they were wonky from the freeze/thaw and I was constantly resetting them. To keep trenching looking nice all you have to do is take your weed wacker and turn it upside down and weed wack along the trench to clean up the edge every few weeks. We have a riding mower so there is no problem with the wheels falling in the trench.

I promise you it roots in my leaf mold mulch. That being said, I neglected it last year and I feel like I lost all the gains I had made. The issue is not just that it spreads fast, but that it sets roots EVERYWHERE and then breaks when I pull it so it just keeps growing.

anyway, so can someone explain what is meant by a barrier vs edging? You mean it needs to have height to it?? Like a line of stones or something?

I guess you could call what I do trenching, but not as deep as the photos depict.

All in all, edging is quite the chore and one I'm less enthused about as the years go by. Although it looks so nice when freshly done and mulched laid down. I use my plain "go to" shovel with the 6" blade. Easier to do a day after it rains,too.

Thank goodness I don’t have to deal with Bermuda grass! Over the years I’ve used several edging options. At first I did the trench edging - but it became an onerous chore as the number and size of the beds increased. Plus I found it required doing three times a year - first thing in spring to clear out dirt that had filled the trench over the winter; in mid-summer as grass started to encroach on the edge, making the line less crisp; at the end of summer to neaten up the line again and to clean out the trench again before winter. Edging in the heat of the summer was particularly uncomfortable.... The trench edge also became a tripping/fall hazard for me due to my disabilities so an alternative was required.

I then moved to an aluminium metal grass barrier with a line of brick pavers on the inner side laid on top of compacted ‘crusher run’ gravel. I like the look but there are a number of limitations:

- it’s not easy to change the line of a bed once the edge is in place, so you need to be sure you are content to live with the shape of the beds for a long time!

- somebody above mentioned the freeze-thaw issue.... Yep! That’s an annoying issue...! A couple of winters ago, there was a major problem with that. Many bricks got wobbly up and down and the metal edge heaved in quite a few places. Re-levelling the bricks took a lot of work but was possible, while resetting the metal edge to its former depth proved impossible in most places. So there is too much metal showing and sitting too high relative to the bricks that drives me crazy to see it, but there’s not much I can do other than plant stuff to drape over the edge in hopes that it will eventually hide what’s annoying me!

- somebody (the OP..?) was concerned re the (in)ability of the edging to flex up and down to follow slopes. That is a problem here in places and results in the edging being exposed on the uphill side of the slope. That drives me crazy too...:-)

The edging I’m most happy with is all in the backyard where I have packed earth paths topped with bark mulch on the outside of the beds, between the bed and the lawn. In a few places there is a brick edge between the bed and the path too where I wanted to visually emphasize the line. Any grass that encroaches on the path is easily visible and simple to manually remove or smother with more mulch. So the simplest edge occurs where there is no grass near the bed, only a path of some sort. The paths in the front garden are all grass though - except one small one where the grass got shades out. In that case there is still a metal edge simply because it would be too much work to remove it!

So I’ve never found a perfect edging solution - you just have to go with the one that seems to address the largest number of issues that bug you and hope that the edging doesn’t bug you too much too! :-)

Terms like edging, trenching, trench edging and barrier seem to be used in various and overlapping ways on on-line gardening and landscape maintenance sites.

I just do traditional edging with a spade, but the flower beds in gardens I know or have worked in also frequently have what are presumably "barriers", e.g. stone/ concrete paths or low walls in front and brick walls behind.

At Merlin's Hollow, the herbaceous beds have paths in front (of fine gravel, a foot deep) and cedar hedges behind. I guess the paths and hedges both function, in part, as barriers.

Emily..thank you!

I wish I were committed enough to have permanent bed edging, but I still can't even see a future where I'm satisfied with the bed lines. Maybe when all the lawn is gone I can finally settle on permanent paths :)

Being a very frugal person (ie cheap) I'm trying out some recycled deck boards (the thinner pieces which are used as a fascia board along the front and sides of a deck). They have a decent bend to them and even when cut lengthwise have at least four inches of depth. Right now everything here is spade edged. I have wood mulch on the bed edges and when that's filling the trench it slows down the creep of the edge enough that it lasts at least a season.

Metal edging is the only one I've seen in other gardens which I've always liked, but I do like the idea of lining the inside of the edging with a row of bricks or pavers!

I find doing the edging from grass to garden bed quite easy. I have about 200 ft of edging to do in my yard. I redo my beds each spring with my straight spade. It's my main go to garden tool. Once it's done, for the rest of the year I do the upside down weed trimmer trick every week to keep the edges crisp. That takes maybe 10 minutes weekly. I like the neatness it brings to the yard. I'm also in an area where the freeze and thaws cause issue with concrete, interlock paths, etc. That seems to be a lot more maintenance that simple edging methods. Plus, the cost with edging materials in the first place. Photo of a few beds in spring & one from mid summer. I also find it easier to maintain if you leave a decent amount of space between the plantings and the edges.

A decent amount of space between the plants and the yard is a must. My husband mows the lawn. Do I need to say more.

Once in a while I come across a gas edger at a garage sale. Are they worth it to use?

I'm amazed the Fiskars edging shears didn't work, skip. There's something fishy there. Were they second hand? Had they been used on something too tough, like twigs, which had bent the blades? Have you ever had them sharpened? My shears are ancient and still work fine.

Floral, I got them from amazon over the winter for ~$30. Long handle swivel grass shears. I was hoping they would be usable but they are just cheaply made. I tried them on hairy bittercress and some grass around my deck and they didnt work at all. The blades dont seem to be lined up properly.

I looked those up. They're not what I meant by edging shears. The blades are in the wrong plane for edging. They should be vertical, not horizontal. You need something like These.

Floral they are angle adjustable, long handled similar to yours.I know because I have one too....I agree they are junk. Those you posted look like nice ones!

Yep, I have some Spear and Jackson edgeing shears which were given to me 25 years ago...and were not new then. I don't usually go crazy for S&J stuff...but I cannot fault my edgers (although mine are in a different plane) - I rotate my strimmer head to do a cut at 90degrees to the flat...but a really sharp half-mooner cuts cleanly through the grass anyway..

My half moon is unfortunately blunt. I tend to use a spade. It's only the allotment so doesn't need to be perfect. Don't have a strimmer. The noise is other people's drives me nuts when I'm just having a quiet potter.

O, I love mine. I have only had it for 2 years and I am besotted. Nothing like the bloody great Stihl brushcutter I have for the wood, mine is a little battery job (I have 2 batteries and can strim for 40 minutes)...Anyway, Floral, my allotment is always teetering on chaos - wild oats proliferate all over the site (and loads of other pernicious stuff) but I discovered that simply strimming everything (and squinting your eyes a lot), the untidy plot is now covered in a velvety green lawn. Result!

At home, my sketchy housework will always include sweeping the floor (even if nothing else) as the psychological value of a clear space (floor) is bliss for the frazzled mind. Same thing with strimmed weeds. Top machine (and doesn't sound too much like an angry wasp).

I think a shovel cut edge looks the best, but it's near impossible for me to do with my rocky clay soil. I put in some no dig plastic edging. It's not that tall so it's barely visible. I only have a small section of grass anyway. In between my beds and gravel walkways I used the countless rocks I've dug up to line the path and contain the mulch.

I confess I have toyed with a strimmer, Camp, as I crawl about clipping with my hand shears or struggle with the push mower on bumpy ground. But I'm a skinflint and a noise hater. What model is yours?

Oh, it is one I have never heard of - MacAlister from B&Q (we had a friend who worked there and I got 20% discount) but it was around £60 on the shelves. The batteries charge in 30 minutes and it is a piece of cake to use. I was surprised as, like you, I have always used hand shears and an old push-mower which cost me £3 from the local tip. So yep, a recent convert.

I tell myself the shears and mower are fighting off the bingo wings......