Ethan Clarke
Plastic garden edging is a great way to give your garden a clean, finished look. It is also an economical and DIY-friendly way to boost your home's curb appeal. The purpose of garden edging is to prevent grass from growing sideways into your bed. The installation process involves measuring and marking the desired area, digging a trench, placing the edging into the trench, and backfilling any gaps. It is important to ensure that the edging is sturdy and secure, and there are different types of stakes available for this purpose. With the right tools and techniques, you can easily install plastic garden edging to enhance the appearance of your outdoor spaces.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To give garden beds, borders and outdoor spaces a clean, finished look and to prevent grass from growing sideways into the bed |
| Height | Typically ranges from 3–6 inches (7.6–15.2 cm) |
| Preparation | Unroll the plastic lawn edging a day before installation and remove any plastic coverings or packaging |
| Trench depth | 3–6 inches (7.6–15.2 cm) |
| Installation | Place the edging into the trench, ensuring the top, decorative edge is level with the surface. The ribbed or bottom side should point toward the garden bed |
| Cutting | Use scissors, a utility knife or tin snips to cut the edging to size or to cut notches for large tree roots |
| Support | Use stakes to support the edging and prevent it from moving |
| Backfilling | Push soil into any gaps between the garden bed and the edging |
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What You'll Learn
Measuring and planning the layout
Before installing plastic garden edging, it is important to measure and plan the layout to ensure you have the correct amount of materials and to visualise the design.
First, decide on the shape of your garden bed or border. You can use rope or twine to map out the desired shape. Play around with different shapes and configurations until you find one that you like. Once you are satisfied with the design, use an environmentally safe marking paint to trace the curvature of the rope. This will ensure that you have a clear guideline to follow when digging your trench and installing the edging.
When planning the layout, consider the height of the edging you will be using. The height of plastic lawn edging can vary from 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15.2 cm), with 3-inch edging being more common and affordable. If you want to prevent grass from growing into your garden bed, you will need at least 5 inches of seamless edging below ground level. For curved borders and round garden beds, flexible plastic edging is a great option as it can easily be shaped to your desired design.
After finalising your design, measure the length of the rope with a tape measure to determine how much plastic edging you will need. Add 10% to the total length to account for any waste. It is also a good idea to plan for any stakes or connectors you may need. Stakes help to sturdy the garden bed and edging, preventing it from moving over time. If your trench is longer than one roll of plastic edging, you will need to use a connector to join the pieces together.
By following these steps, you can effectively measure and plan the layout for your plastic garden edging, ensuring a neat and functional design.
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Digging a trench
First, measure the garden bed or border you want to edge. You can use rope or twine to create the desired shape, and then use environmentally safe marking paint to trace the outline. This will serve as your guide for digging the trench. Allow the paint to dry before proceeding.
The depth of your trench should be uniform and depend on the height of your plastic edging. As a rule of thumb, dig a trench that is deep enough to let the edging stand about half an inch above ground level. Most plastic lawn edging ranges from 3 to 6 inches in height. Therefore, you should aim for a trench depth of around 3 to 4 inches.
When digging the trench, use a round point shovel or spade and dig straight down to create a vertical "wall" that will support the edging. Ensure that the trench is neat and follows the marked outline closely. If you encounter any large tree roots, you may need to cut notches into the edging to accommodate them.
Additionally, consider creating ground stakes to support the edging. You can make these from scrap wood and place them into the corners of the trench. These stakes will help sturdy the garden bed and prevent the edging from moving over time as the soil shifts.
Once you have finished digging the trench, remove any debris or loose soil from the trench to create a clean surface for the plastic edging to be installed. Now you are ready to place the edging into the trench and continue with the installation process.
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Placing the edging in the trench
Now that you have dug a trench along the marked-out area, it's time to place the edging. First, unroll the plastic lawn edging and remove any packaging. If you have time, it's a good idea to leave the edging in the sun for a day, as this will make it easier to shape and use.
Place the edging into the trench, pushing it firmly against the garden bed. Ensure that the decorative edge is level with the surface of the trench and that the lip on the bottom points towards the garden bed. The edging should stand about half an inch above ground level to keep grass from growing sideways into your bed. If there is a tree root in the way, cut a notch in the edging and line it up with the root. Avoid placing edging around areas with many large roots, as this will weaken the structure.
If your trench is longer than one roll of edging, use a connector to join the pieces. You can also cut the edging to size with tin snips, pruning shears, scissors, or a utility knife. Once the edging is in place, spike it horizontally into the soil to prevent the freeze/thaw cycle from pushing it out of the ground. The ribbed side of the edging should face into the bed.
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Cutting the edging to size
First, measure the garden bed or border you want to edge. You can use rope or twine to create the desired shape and then trace the curvature with environmentally safe marking paint. Once the paint is dry, cut the rope to size and measure its length with a tape measure. This will give you an idea of how much plastic edging you'll need. Don't forget to add 10% to the total length to account for waste.
Now, you're ready to start cutting the plastic edging to size. Unroll the plastic edging and lay it flat on the ground. If it's curled, leaving it in the sun for a day can help make it easier to work with. Use a shovel or spade to dig a trench along the marked edges of the bed, following the curvature of your paint markings. The trench should be uniform in depth, typically ranging from 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15.2 cm) deep, depending on the height of your plastic edging.
Once your trench is dug, you can place the plastic edging into it. Push it firmly against the garden bed, ensuring that the top, decorative edge is level with the surface of the trench. The bottom lip of the edging should point toward the garden bed rather than the lawn.
If you encounter large tree roots, use scissors or a utility knife to cut a notch or gap in the edging to accommodate them. Avoid placing the edging around areas with many large roots, as you don't want to compromise the integrity of the edging by cutting it too much.
Finally, trim the strips of edging to length, if necessary, using tin snips, pruning shears, scissors, or a utility knife. With these steps, you can ensure your plastic garden edging is cut to the perfect size for your project.
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Backfilling and watering
Once you've dug your trench and placed your edging, it's time to backfill and water.
Backfilling is important to ensure your edging is sturdy and secure. Use your hands to push soil into any small gaps between the garden bed and the lawn. Make sure the edging feels secure and solid in every place, and add more soil to any areas that need more support. You can also use ground stakes to put into each corner to help with this. These can be made from scrap wood.
Watering is the next step. Walk along your newly installed edging with a garden hose, watering the soil on both sides lightly. You don't need to saturate or flood the soil, just make it moderately damp. This will help to settle the soil.
If you live in an area that experiences a freeze/thaw cycle, you can also spike the edging horizontally into the soil near the bottom. This will stop it from being pushed out of the ground.
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Frequently asked questions
Use rope or twine to measure out the desired shape, then use environmentally safe marking paint to trace the curvature of the rope. Once the rope is dry, cut it to size and use a tape measure to determine how much plastic edging you will need.
Dig a trench around the garden bed with a round-pointed shovel or spade, following the marking paint as a guide. The trench should be uniform in depth, approximately 3-6 inches deep, and create a vertical "wall" to support the edging.
Unroll the plastic edging and remove any packaging. Place the edging into the trench, pushing it firmly against the garden bed. Ensure that the decorative edge is level with the surface of the trench and that the bottom lip points toward the garden bed. Use scissors or a utility knife to cut the edging to size if needed.
Water the edging lightly to settle the soil and fill any gaps with soil. Check that the edging feels sturdy and add stakes to the corners to provide additional support and prevent movement over time.
