The Ultimate, Edgy, Border Guide
By Ben Parrot - Landscape Gardener & Amateur Geologist
Overview
Many thoughtfully planned outdoor spaces have distinct zones and functions, like an outdoor trellis with raspberry bushes, a raised veggie patch, or a seasonal flower border. The use of landscape edging has been used to highlights these areas while playing some practical roles in the overall design of a garden.
Refining the appearance of your garden with rubber edging is the topic of this article. Let's discover what is has to offer as a landscaping solution.
Key Takeaways
What is the Purpose of Garden Edging
Edging can be used effectively to define boundaries, sharpen lines, and direct attention within your outdoor design. Whether forming the border between a lush lawn and a neighboring flower bed, outlining a planting of shrubs, accentuating a solitary tree, or surrounding a feature you want noticed, it's a practical way to underscore the aesthetics of your garden, whilst performing a few important jobs.
Importance of Lawn and Garden Separation
Creating clear lines and separation between your garden and lawn has some advantages. Using garden border edging rubber can help keep your plants in their dedicated areas, while keeping grass encroaching and competing for vital nutrients.
Let's now look at the different style and types, including for use as rubber path edging.
Rubber Edging Garden Styles and Types
Styles
Classic Border Style
A simple and timeless design with a straight or curved top edge. It provides a clean border that can work with most gardens.
Natural Stone
Designed to resemble natural stone pavers and shapes, they offer a rustic and more natural edge that can be used to mimic stacked stones or river rocks along beds and borders.
Brick Style
Edging to look like traditional brick or roman stone bricks. A classic design without the weight and generic style of house bricks.
Scallop or Wave Edging
Featuring a scalloped or wavy top edge adds a decorative look to your outdoors.
Cobblestone Texture
Cobblestone-textured rubber edging can re-create the look of cobblestone pathways without the need for the stones.
Wood Grain
Rubber garden edging with a faux wood grain finish provides a natural-looking finish in place of lumber.
Types
- 1Flexible: This type of edging is bendable and can be easily shaped to fit the curves in your garden.
- 2Rolled Rubber: A flat and continuous strip of rubber that can be unrolled and laid out along a generally straight line.
- 3Interlocking: This type of edging provides a more secure and stable border using individual pieces that click together like pieces of a puzzle.
- 4Tree Ring Edging: Designed specifically to encircle trees, it usually comes in a circular shape and can help enhance or protect the base of tree trunk by providing a clean line.
- 5Mower-Strip Rubber Edging: A low-profile border that sits flush with the ground, allowing the wheel of your mower you to follow the edge without any obstructions.
Garden Edging Rubber vs. Plastic
While both have their place, in a head-to-head comparison, rubber stands out. Not only is it more environmentally friendly, but it is also bent easily due to its flexible nature, making it a suitable for gardens that don't follow only straight lines.
Colour Options
The classic black rubber garden edging creates clean, defined lines, while the brown options give a more natural look that can blend easily with most gardens. For those looking to add a contemporary look have colours such as green, grey and red to choose from.
Benefits of Rubber Edging
Defining the Desired Area
Edging is a practical way to keep creeping grass at bay that also provides a barrier to prevent soil or mulch from leaving your beds and borders during watering or on rainy days. Additionally, holding loose path materials like gravel or mulch in place, helping to maintain well-defined pathways or driveway areas.
Flexible, Durable and Cost Effective
Recycled rubber garden edging can bend and adapt, making it useful for gardens of every unique shape. Additionally, a good quality type can last for a reasonable length of time, without breaking the bank, even after the lawns been mowed for the hundredth time.
Eco-friendly Nature of Recycled Rubber
One of the biggest pluses for recycled rubber garden edging is its eco-friendly materials. Choosing repurposed waste in place of something newly manufactured is always best.
How Rubber Edging Help Beds and Borders
Rubber edging acts as a barrier, helping your flower beds win in the constant battle against weeds and grass. By providing a distinct border, it can also make mowing and maintenance easier.
How to Install Rubber Garden Edging
For every different kind, there's a different way for them to be installed. But don't worry, here are some easy and great tips which apply in most cases.
- 1Remove all weeds and grass along the edge you plan to lay, a minimum of the width of your edging.
- 2Dig in a little to make the soil level as even or consistent as possible.
- 3Measure the borders length, noting them in a skeleton plan.
- 4Cut the edging to fit work to your plan, and place it along the border.
- 5Knock the provided pins into the ground to secure the edging, and add your mulch or decorative aggregate toppings, where applicable.
Maintenance Tips
Periodic checks that the edging remains in good condition, protect it from sharp tools and avoiding placing heavy objects on the edging.
Factors to Consider
Before purchasing rubber garden edging, consider factors such as the:
They will eventually crack or deteriorate and may be hard to replace if the type is discontinued.
Summary
In conclusion, rubber garden edging can be a budget-friendly, versatile and practical solution for outdoor spaces. With a range of styles and types to define your garden beds, pathways, and borders with, it can suit many people. While the durability and weather resistance can vary by brand, they can also be a good investment that requires minimal maintenance.
Whether classic, natural, or decorative, rubber garden edging offers a range of looks and options to suit most needs. So, do some research about the brands and explore the possibilities if it seems like it has the edge for your border solution.
FAQs
Is rubber lawn edging good?
Rubber lawn edging can be an ideal choice for many outdoor projects. Its a flexible and low maintenance option for creating clean borders and paths that's also environmentally friendly.
How do you install rubber lawn edging?
Start by preparing the area, measuring the length, cutting the rubber, and then placing it. Secure with pins to ensure it stays in place.
Is plastic garden edging any good?
Plastic garden edging is can be suitable for different tasks, but it can lack the flexibility rubber offers.
How do I create a garden border on a budget?
Go for recycled rubber, look out for deals, or consider DIY solutions to create a border from recycled materials without breaking the bank.
