This is one of the most common questions we get asked by customers. There are 4 main options you can choose from when it comes to styling the edge of your flower beds:
The first option is to keep a natural edge and simply re-edge your flower beds every season with an edging shovel and nicely maintain the existing surrounding edge.
The second option is to incorporate an edge that acts as a border around the beds so that it keeps river gravel stones or other beds materials from migrating into the grass. Opting for a more permanent edge border provides you with the following 3 types of edging products:
Plastic Edging
While this option is the cheapest initially, it is definitely not the most cost-effective or permanent solution in the long run; and we therefore do not recommend it. Reason being, during the winter season the ground freezes and expands, pushing the plastic edging up and out of place. Once the ground cools back down and shrinkage occurs, the plastic edging will now be sticking out of place, so after just a couple of years your edging will look very wavy and out of line, eventually needing replacement.
Metal Edging
This option is preferred to plastic edging due because the product is more resistant to shifting positions. As demonstrated, we install these by pounding sizable landscape stakes down through the sides into the ground, helping keep the edge in the position for longer. However, shifting is still a real possibility throughout the winter.
Edge Stones
This is the most permanent and our most recommended option. We use a variety of Techo-Bloc edge stones for our customers’ projects, and the one you see here is the Belgik Edge Stone. We install these stones with the bottoms several inches below grade then we glue them together with a commercial construction adhesive which bonds very tightly, holding the stones together so that even during the winter conditions of freeze-thaw cycles, your edge remains solid and instact for many years to come.