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How To Get the Best Garden Edging: Paver Borders
Steel edging is the most common metal edging, although you might not find it at local nurseries. Look for it at larger garden centers or at landscape suppliers, which is where most pros get it. (Look under “Landscape Equipment and Supplies” in your Yellow Pages.) Steel edging comes in 4-in. wide by 10-ft. long strips in a variety of colors. Keep in mind that it’ll eventually rust, especially in a salt environment. It’s heavy, floppy stuff and needs almost full support when you transport it.
Aluminum edging, besides being lighter and stiffer, won’t rust and is also available in a wide variety of colors. Look for it through landscaping suppliers, although it might be difficult to find. You might have to order it. One source is Permaloc Corp., (800-356-9660, permaloc.com); call to find a nearby dealer or order direct. Both aluminum and steel edging cost from $1.60 to $2.30 per ft. (delivery included). Be sure stakes are included with your purchase.
You’ll find black plastic edging at every garden center and home center, sometimes in both regular and heavy-duty thicknesses. Buy the thicker material. It better withstands those inevitable bumps and hard knocks that go with lawn mowing. It costs about $1.70 per ft.
Both concrete and brick pavers make a simple, handsome border and work well as edging material too. They’re ideal when you want a wide border that keeps grass out of the garden, yet allows flowers and other plants to spill over without intruding onto the grass. You’re less likely to chop them up with the lawn mower. The paver design shown here also provides a nice, flat surface for the lawn mower wheel to roll along and make a clean cut. You shouldn’t have to trim the edges after mowing.
Concrete pavers (55¢ each) are designed for rugged outdoor use. Brick pavers ($1 each) are too, but don’t confuse them with regular bricks, which are typically softer and more likely to break down. Set the pavers in a bed of sand for easier positioning and leveling. The 4-in. deep sand bed that you lay over landscape fabric keeps most grass types from sending roots under the edging and getting into the garden.
Paver borders work well for straight, formal gardens but even better for informal yards with gradual curves and varying slopes. You can easily adjust them to follow the contours of an uneven yard. But they won’t fit as well on tighter curves unless you alter the design and are willing to cut them to fit with a diamond blade saw.
Use a garden hose to mark the best-looking border shape and to make gradual curves. Don’t hesitate to trim the trench a bit here or there as you cut the edge to smooth curves or alter the garden bed shape. For straight borders, follow a tightly stretched string line. It’s important to set the front edge of the pavers about 1/2 in. above the soil in the lawn so the lawn mower can cut the grass cleanly. We also leveled our pavers from front to back to keep the row from dipping and rising, but it’s not necessary and on slopes might look better if set on an angle. Just make sure the top of each paver sits flush with its neighbor and that the front edges create a smooth line. You can go back later and whack them perfectly flush with a block of wood and a hammer or a rubber mallet. The pavers we set on edge are primarily decorative, but they also raise the garden bed slightly and help retain mulch. Set them higher or lower to fit the needs of your garden.
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