Cheap Edging in the Garden

While you could spend a lot of money on high-end edging for garden beds and paths, it's not necessary. Low-cost edging methods range from the extremely simple to the artistically resourceful.

The least expensive method for edging garden beds and paths is also one of the most traditional. Spade-cut edging, sometimes called Victorian edging, doesn't require you to buy any expensive edging material, and it gives beds an extremely clean, elegant edge. Aside from a small trench, this technique doesn't provide any barrier between a garden bed and grass on the other side of the edge, so it requires regular maintenance to keep the edge tidy and sharp.

Garden hose or string

Sharp garden spade or edger

Shovel

Lay out the contour of the garden bed that you wish to edge with a garden hose or a length of string. The flexibility of the hose or string will allow you to make smooth curves and move the boundary of the bed easily as you work out the design.

Make a vertical cut at the edge of the bed with a sharp spad, cutting through the turf to a depth of 3 to 4 inches.

Make a second cut on the bed side of the first cut, this one at a 45-degree angle to the first so you can cut away the sod to make a v-shaped trench. Continue working along the entire edge of the bed until you've cut a trench and removed the sod all the way around.

Dig out the interior of the bed with a shovel. Plant and mulch the bed, spreading the mulch up against the edge you've cut.

Clean up the edges with the spade at least once a year or as often as needed to keep it looking neat.

Plastic edging is an inexpensive alternative to more costly steel or aluminum edging. To get the most durable product, buy the thickest plastic edging you can afford.

Installing plastic edging begins similarly to the technique of spade-cut edging, but after you've cut a trench, lay the edging into the trench. Fit the edging as tightly as possible against the vertical side of the trench on the lawn side of the bed or path so the top of the edging is at ground level. Use the stakes provided with the edging to hold it in place, driving the stakes through the bottom of the edging.

If you'd like to have edging with a more decorative look, consider using wood edging as a less expensive alternative to brick or stone edge pavers. Landscape timbers come in a range of sizes and shapes, and they are relatively durable and easy to install. Because they don't bend, they won't work as edging for curved beds or paths, but they work well to define straight edges.

Pressure-treated timbers are less expensive than timbers made from naturally rot-resistant wood species such as redwood, cedar or cypress.

Using recycled or repurposed items as edging is both inexpensive and environmentally responsible. Salvaged bricks, stones, boards and other reclaimed building materials can serve as edging and can often be found for little or no cost. Pruned branches, cut lengths of logs and willow branches woven into a wattle are examples of edging materials you may be able to find in your own garden.

Depending on how well reclaimed materials fit together, they may not provide a perfectly impermeable barrier around your bed or path, so the edge may require maintenance to keep grass and weeds at bay.