How Much Does Garden Edging Cost? (2023)

FAQs

Is garden edging worth it? ›

Garden edging can seem like an expense that you can forego, but it's actually one of the most important parts of your garden design. A great garden has clear lines and edges, so everything looks nice and tidy, and it's easier to maintain than if you just had plants growing all over the place.

Logs are one of the best and the cheapest edging for your garden bed. You can lay them out vertically or horizontally to give a natural and simple look to your garden.

From a practical standpoint, landscape edging helps to keep turfgrass from creeping into surrounding garden areas. At the same time, it prevents soil or mulch in garden beds from spilling onto the lawn whenever you water, or it rains.

The average cost of landscape edging by size is roughly $4 to $11 per linear foot. So, for 180 feet of edging, you may pay a total cost of $720 to $1,980, depending on materials and labor.

Brick or Paver Edging

Masonry bricks and landscape pavers can also be used to edge pathways, landscape beds, play areas, and more. They're available in a range of sizes, colors, textures, and materials. There are even wood-look bricks that can be used in place of natural wood!

Properly installed, lawn edging will last 20 years or more.

No-dig edging is the easiest to install, since all you typically have to do is pound stakes into the ground. On the other end of the spectrum, stone or brick edging will require using mud mortar and sometimes even cutting the stone with an angle grinder to make the joints fit together.

Slabs, blocks, large rocks or paving stones in different sizes not only edge your lawn, but also add interest, color and texture. Leave small pockets between stones to add vegetation and soften the edges, or butt the stones against each other for a defined edge.

Aluminum or steel edging is great for straight-line areas; it won't rust, rot or become brittle. It's installed with stakes and can be molded into shapes and curves.

The exact amount of space your border should take up will depend on how large your yard is, but the average suburban home can handle a border that is about 2 to 3 feet (2/3 to 1 meter) out from the house.

Is metal or plastic edging better? ›

Metal Is More Durable

Metals boasting their intrinsic qualities are hard, strong, and last a lifetime. This is why when it comes to edging, you'll find that metal is the material of choice for most. No doubt, it's more expensive than plastic, but the investment will definitely pay off.

Lay a length of rope along the edge of your garden bed, following its contours. Mark the rope at the end of the bed with tape, pull it taut, and measure the rope up to the mark. Divide that length in inches by the width of the bricks to calculate the number you'll need, then add 10 percent to your order.

Dig the trench to a uniform depth of three to four inches—deep enough to let the edging stand about one-half inch above ground level. Dig straight down to create a vertical "wall" that will support the edging.

The cost to remove existing trim ranges from $0.55 to $1.17 per linear foot, which amounts to about $70 to $150 for a house with 125 linear feet of trim. When budgeting for a trim replacement, you should add these costs to the standard labor costs for installation.

Thin plastic and metal edging strips are barely noticeable when installed between grass and gravel. They help keep grass roots and to a slightly lesser degree, gravel, from spreading out of bounds, and in doing so drastically reduce yard maintenance time.

Use an edging tool to cut a sharp edge around garden beds before mulching. This prevents lawn grass from creeping into garden beds while making a neat edge that looks nicely tended.

By mowing first, you know how short to trim grass along edges and will be less likely to scalp those areas, giving rise to bare or weedy patches.

Some people find that by trimming the edges first you are able to mow over the cut grass from the edges, which will leave the lawn clean of debris when finished. But if you don't mind blowing these trimmings away afterwards, then it doesn't really matter. In some cases, we have seen people edge first.

Metal landscape edging is long lasting and creates a clean edge that is not noticeable. Great for straight edges and gentle curves. Gives you a nice clean finished look. Metal landscape edging can be found in a handful of colors.

Concrete blocks and natural stone pavers are a couple of types of raised driveway edging ideas that many homeowners prefer. You could also use shrubs, flowers, wooden planks or posts, logs, or bricks as a raised border for your gravel driveway.

What is the best edging around a house foundation? ›

The best materials to landscape around a foundation will inhibit weed growth, provide a proper water drainage system, and won't attract pests. With years of landscaping experience, we have determined that the four best landscaping materials around foundation are gravel, rubber mulch, concrete, and brick masonry.

Metal tends to be the longest-lasting edging material, but it comes with a price and tends to be difficult to install. Steel edging is heavy and difficult to use on deeply curved beds, so it works better for areas that need side strength, such as a driveway.

Weeds thrive in exposed soil, so when you cut away the soil at a sharp angle, you invite weeds. To avoid the rush of weeds, cut a vertical edge with the spade or edging tool. Don't cut at an angle.

Dry edging is the preferred method for a neat, clean, and precise edge. Wet edging is a good option for lawns that are difficult to edge dry and can help to avoid scalping the lawn. Whichever method you choose, it is important to use the right tools, take safety precautions, and prepare the lawn well.

Concrete and brick edging

Brick and concrete are two exceptionally durable options that will last forever and require little maintenance. "[Concrete and brick] edging is best used when you need to contain larger planters and you want a stronger structured edge that is more decorative and visible," says Clarke.

It's easy. Just take a flat-edged shovel and dig straight down 3 inches along the outer edge of the lawn. Then dig a second slice that's at a 45-degree in the direction of the border or bed. So you'll end up with a trench that's straight downward on the lawn side and angled up to the border.

When you install your landscape edging, you'll need to dig a trench for it. Wrap the extra landscape fabric around the bottom of the edging material before sinking it into the trench. The edging will secure the landscape fabric.

To reduce the mulch from washing away, you can add perimeter plants. These perimeter plants include hostas, sweet woodruff, creeping thyme, and other short-border plants. These plants are suitable for keeping the mulch put because they create a physical barrier for the mulch during the growing season.

Edging creates a border around a tree or garden to keep mulch from migrating off your treescape or flower beds and into your yard. It also provides a barrier for weeds, grass, and other nuisance plants and creates a tidy appearance to your property.

How thick should garden edging be? ›

Generally the 75 mm depth is ideal for edging paths or driveways (where no grass is involved) whilst the 100 mm and 125 mm depths are used for edging lawns and flower beds particularly where grass runners are involved.

Cons of plastic landscape edging: While plastic edging is a cheaper option, it tends to require more installation time because the edging material itself doesn't always unroll as straightly or neatly as steel edging.

Under ideal circumstances the weathering steel used in garden edging will last for many decades (maybe even 100yrs!) and in bad conditions expect at least 10 years.

How long does the steel edging last? There are factors which vary the lifespan of steel edging but as a guide our 6mm edge will last in excess of 25 years and 3mm in excess of 20 years.

Before you edge your lawn, mow it with a lawn mower set to cut the grass approximately 2 1/2 inches tall. Make sure not to remove more than the top third of the grass blades each time you mow. If you cut too low, the blades won't be able to grow and support as many roots as they need to produce a lush, green lawn.

The best way to make planting beds is to keep the soil at or below the original level. Beside the sidewalk it should be 3 inches below the level of the sidewalk so that mulch can be added. Being lower than the lawn grass also works better than being too high.

Loose materials such as gravel need edging to keep the surface in place, and formally shaped lawns need edging to maintain shape.

Narrow edging may require more upkeep, while thicker edging may need less. The best dimensions to keep grass roots and weeds from invading your garden are 6 inches deep, 6 inches wide, and a few inches above the lawn's surface.

Take your costs per foot and add what you want to make on top of that, then add contingency for all those little things that will happen and you have your bid price per foot of moulding. Apply this method to each and every little piece of trim in the house and you have your bid.

How much is 100 linear feet? ›

That just means they are not taking the width into account. If you bought 100 linear feet of lumber, laying them down end to end would stretch for 100 feet, it wouldn't matter how wide the boards were.

Try to edge at least once a year.

That way you don't have to wrestle with crazy overgrowth when you decide to do it. Stand on the sidewalk or driveway when edging.

Consider bricks, concrete pavers or terra cotta tiles. Even wine bottles sunk neck-down could make a nice border. Make sure the bottles are sunk deep enough to keep grass from growing underneath them but are still easy to mow next to and not likely to be chewed up with a string trimmer.