alternative to expensive border edging

mrscruffy

I had exactly the same problem about 12 months ago. A visit to a nearby reclamation yard turned up old slate roof tiles for about 50p each.

They look fantastic!

Lotus-eater

If you are going to be mowing right up to the edge of the bed, get something so it will be easy to do so.
Empty food tins sound like a disaster for weeds growing in hard to get to places... and they go rusty? Very attractive.

Gingernutmeg

I've got bricks round the edge of the beds in my garden - it looks nice and it's easy to get more for when I finally get round to finishing it off. It looks very neat when the grass has been mown too.

angelavdavis

I once used bricks diagonally for one house (there was lots of rubble in the garden so it was a good use for them).

I had a neighbour years ago that spent ages chopping up large branches into log roll and inserting into the soil - very environmentally friendly, but it just harboured slugs.

More recently, I bought some green plastic lawn edging last year from B and Q. It is £9.98 for 30m.

I don't actually have any grass in my garden so use it with my large plastic containers to earth up potatoes (extend the height of the pots by adding a strip of edging inside the edge of the pot, top with soil and continue. The benefit for me of using this is that I can roll it up at the end of the year and reuse.

Provided it is three quarter buried, it usually does a good job at keeping a clean edge that lasts for ages and ages.

There are recycled alternatives available, but are more pricey and not suitable for my use.

Lotus-eater

Gingernutmeg wrote: »

I've got bricks round the edge of the beds in my garden - it looks nice and it's easy to get more for when I finally get round to finishing it off. It looks very neat when the grass has been mown too.

Is that bricks set into the ground at soil height? I found this one of the easiest edges, you can mow right over them. On of my raised beds has grass right up to the edge of a board and as the mower won't get right up to the edge, its a right pain. Ok if you want to go round with a strimmer afterwards, but I haven't got the time to do that.

angelavdavis

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Is that bricks set into the ground at soil height? I found this one of the easiest edges, you can mow right over them. On of my raised beds has grass right up to the edge of a board and as the mower won't get right up to the edge, its a right pain. Ok if you want to go round with a strimmer afterwards, but I haven't got the time to do that.

When I cut my OH's lawn, I use the strimmer first, then go over whole lot with the mower - collecting up the strimmed bits too! He was amazed how much quicker it was!

dora37

How about Decking boards on their side painted with fence paint?

tomsolomon

Bricks in my opinion are by far the best. But then I'm lazy and would rather skim over the edge with a lawnmower, they are cheap enough and look good if done right. For the time being though I've managed to collect around 3 ton of quarry stone from freecycle. Ive edged the one side of the garden with melon sized pieces of stone and still had enough for a rockery and the bigger pieces make up a waterfall for the fish pond....
Eventually I want to edge the lawn with bricks layed flat in a figure of eight-ish shape and have a gravel path between the bricks and the stone borders, with the stone cemented in place.
Gardening need not be expensive, People are always throwing stuff out.
I also take lots of cuttings from friends and neighbours, also any plants they dont want or arent growing properly due to good quality soil, and clumping perenials are good also. We have been heer for 2 years and the garden is just starting to take off now.

Merlot

mymatebob wrote: »

Sounds very similar to the bloke along the road from me.
He has done it with wine bottles mind you.
And from the look of his edging his liver must be pickled

I think thats my husband:rotfl: Where does this chap live, I like a drop of wine occassionally.

bordercars

look for a roof job going on and ask for the tiles, i used a marley concrete tile, they interlock and you can break them in half so they go twice as far, you could also try builders merchants they must have loads that get damaged and they pay to get them taken away as rubbish.