How to Install Plastic Landscape Edging

There is no getting around it: yard work is work, but installing plastic landscape edging around trees or flowerbeds not only gives your yard a neat and polished look, it also cuts down on future yard work by minimizing the spread of weeds and making mowing easier. With a minimum investment of time and effort, installing plastic landscape ending will ensure that your grass stays where your grass should be, and your dirt and other landscaping elements stay safely where you want them.

Plastic edging

Edging connectors

Stakes

Spray paint (optional)

String (optional)

Shovel, spade or mechanical tiller

Gloves (optional)

Mark the area you plan to edge with spray paint or string tied to stakes. Even when edging around an existing flowerbed, marking your edging path will make digging a straight line easier and ensure you get the look and placement you want.

Measure the perimeter to determine how much edging you need to purchase.

Dig a trench straight down around the entire perimeter of the bed, deep enough to accommodate your edging material. Use a spade, shovel or mechanical tiller. Read your product's instructions to determine how deep to seat the edging into the ground.

Place the plastic edging in the trench. Use plastic connectors to connect strips of edging, or to connect the ends together if your flowerbed is round. Without connectors, your edging will buckle or heave during frosts.

Brace the plastic edging with stakes as directed by the product's instruction sheet. The Home Depot suggests that edging should anchored every 3 to 4 feet.

Fill in the trench with the displaced soil. Pack the soil tightly and tamp it down with your feet or a brick--or wet the soil with a garden hose.

Plastic edging comes in a variety of grades and depths. According to The Flower Gardener's Bible, "a 4-inch depth will keep out most shallow-rooted weeds and lawn grasses, but an 8-inch depth will do a better job."

Wear gloves and boots while digging to protect your hands and feet.