Define your inground planting beds with an attractive edging – a low line of brick, stone, concrete, plastic or wood set along its perimeter. Edgings are usually 6 inches high or less. Select an edging material that coordinates with the garden’s look: brick or painted wood for formal gardens, natural stone or aged wood for those with a more casual style, and concrete pavers or bright plastic for gardens with a modern flair. To coordinate with a natural garden, seek out local materials such as flagstone or rocks already on your property. Materials that complement your home’s architecture also are a good choice.
Edging choices have expanded to prefabricated wood, plastic, masonry and metal options that can be installed in minutes to create a neat look around your perennial beds and borders.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Edgings add decorative accents and simplify maintenance, too. Crisp rows of brick along that all-important front edge give your beds a tidy appearance even when your plants are dormant. Edgings set along walkways discourage feet from straying into the plants, and beautifully divide beds from lawns or groundcover. Where lawn meets perennial beds, grass must be edged by hand because power string trimmers might damage perennial blooms and foliage. A solid edging allows you to set the canopy of the trimmer against it and work quickly.
To install a brick or paver edging, dig a trench the desired width and depth plus 1 inch. Pour 1-2 inches of sand in the bottom of the trench. Set the edging materials in place – set bricks and pavers halfway into the ground, either at right angles or on a diagonal, and set fieldstones with 1/3 of their height underground. Tap them using a rubber-headed mallet for solid placement and to ensure fit. In regions where soil freezes, use grout between pieces.
Constructing masonry edgings provides a permanent and distinctive outline around perennial planting areas. With masonry, you can control the exact shape of the edging to precisely match your garden plan. Working with concrete also allows you many options for the edging’s color and pattern. To add interest, texture the concrete using split shingle forms or brush the concrete as it dries, add color tints, or press in stones for surface decoration.
Gather together a straight-edged shovel, hammer, bender board for forms, a bundle of stakes, nails, mixing trough for concrete, and a spade. To build the forms and pour the concrete, follow the steps shown in these pictures and described in their captions.
Masonry Edging
Masonry Edging - Step 1
Mark the edge of your planting bed using flour or string. Dig a trench along the edge of the bed or border 6 inches deep using a straight-edge trenching shovel.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Masonry Edging - Step 2
Position the form boards on each side of the trench. Forms should be 1 inch from the bottom and sides of the trench. Square and level the tops of the forms.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Masonry Edging - Step 3
Support the form boards with a 1- x 2-inch stake spaced approximately 2 feet apart. Nail diagonally into a sledge to stop the nails and clinch them.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Masonry Edging - Step 4
Mix the concrete according to its bag instructions. Shovel concrete to fill forms to the top using the shovel to vibrate and settle it into the form’s sides and bottom.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Masonry Edging - Step 5
Move a striker board across the top of the form, filling hollows, removing any excess concrete and making the surface roughly level.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Masonry Edging - Step 6
After the water of formation is absorbed and while the concrete is still workable, use a steel-edging tool to finish the edges along the form. At 4-foot intervals, crease the concrete to provide control joints. If desired, add surface texture effects. Dry overnight.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
