Garden Edging - some insights
Garden spaces separated with a clean, crisp, sharply defined line is one of the key elements of strong garden design. Be it a formal garden design or not, sharp edges are aesthetically pleasing and significantly easier to maintain.
In many cases these border-lines separate paths and driveways from lawns or soil filled beds. Paths can be paved, gravel or any variety of other materials - but they'll always look better with a sharp, clean edge.
Keeping lawns intact is one of the key uses for garden edging as grass can be very invasive by sending out runners. Many materials prove to be no match for grass as they will find their way through brick and concrete or stone edging with ease.
What you need is an uninterrupted material barrier and then you'll keep grass in its place.
Flexible Steel Edging:
Steel is without doubt the best material for garden edging due to its robust and durable nature along with its thin (1.6mm) profile making for sharp and clean lines. It is purchased already sealed, either by galvanising with a powder top coat for colour or in Corten, which is a patented treatment that looks initially like raw, silvery grey steel. However when the Corten steel garden edging is installed outside it starts to form a rusted coating which then (magically) seals it against further decay.
What Is Corten Steel?: Corten steel has had phosphorus, copper, chromium and nickel-molybdenum added in the manufacturing process - which is why it is noticeably more expensive. These alloys increase it's resistance to corrosion by creating a protective patina on the surface which effectiely seals it.
Installing: Everedge flexible steel garden edging is easy to install. It is purchased in 1 metre lengths which overlap to clip loosely together. Once installed a flange can then be bent over to make that join solid and permanent.
The securing pins are an integral part of each strip - a strip may be 75mm, 100mm or 125mm wide but the pins add another 90mm overall.
To install just cut the line in with a spade and lay the metal strips up against that line, firming them down into place with a wooden mallet or a hammer with a piece of wood laid on top of the strip to protect it from damage. This way it is easy to achieve smooth and symetrical curves with very little extra effort. You can also make sharper bends by laying a piece of wood across at 90 degrees and leveraging the strip by hand to the required angle.
All these techniques can be seen in the accompanying video clip on this website.
Don't forget to allow 6% for the overlap (join) when measuring up prior to purchase. If you do need to achieve a precise overall length then you'll need to cut the last strip (with a hacksaw), then ensure you seal the bare end against corrosion with a rust-proof paint.
Other Edging Materials:
Plastic - this tends to come in a roll and is good at keeping grass in its place initially, but does tend to be rather pliable, bending easily when stepped on, or from natural soil subsidence and soon starting to look messy. It does also mean that grass can get over the top as it starts to bend.
Wood: Simple, treated pine strips can make a good, clean, straight edge. They are by nature thicker and therefore not so aesthetically pleasing to the eye but they do a good job of straight line edging and will last a long time. The biggest draw-back to wood is its inability to make curves, either gentle or sharp.
Stone, Pavers or Masonry: In days long gone by you'd often see bricks or pavers cemented into place alongside paths or between lawns and garden beds. When old bricks are laid up at an angle and cemented in place they can look quite good, especially as curves and bends of all types can be created - a very rustic, cottage garden aesthetic can therefore be achieved. But cement will always crack or break over time, losing the original lines and allowing grass or other materials to get through the cracks.
It was popular as it was the best available at the time - but modern technolgy and steel manufacturing have intervened to consign it to history - unless you are happy to continue to patch it up, which some would due to its rustic appeal.