How to Edge a Garden
Not all surfaces need to be edged but it often adds the finishing touch. In some cases, edging is used for purely ornamental reasons, but in others, edging is required to help keep the surface material in place, or even to hold back soil in flowerbeds. With brick surfaces, edging has a dual function. On the practical side, it helps to prevent the edges breaking away or sinking, and from a visual point of view, decorative edging can add considerably to the effect of a path or a more expansive paved area.
A brick surface can be edged in a variety of ways, according to the look of the garden. A level course of bricks can be set in cement or concrete, but a more decorative effect can be created by sinking bricks into the soil at a 45° angle, to give a toothed effect. Many special edging tiles can be purchased for brick paths, especially Victorian styles which include those with scrolled tops, known as barley sugar tops, and those with a castellated finish. These look particularly good in small town gardens and in association with weathered brick or gravel.
Concrete is more difficult to edge. The most commonly seen edging is round-topped lengths of concrete, but these are rather municipal and not very attractive. A better finish is to use a row of granite setts or even bricks positioned around the edge of the concrete area. Paving slabs need some form of edging, and a line of bricks or granite setts can often add to the interest of the material. These should be laid flush with the surface rather than raised.
Gravel requires a raised edge to prevent the stones mixing with bordering soil. Any of the materials already mentioned can be used, although brick and granite setts look the most handsome. In a more informal setting, use thin logs of wood.
Plants themselves can be used as edging. Low clipped hedges of box (Buxus) make very effective edging, especially to brick or stone. Other plants can be used for a more informal edge; lavender (Laven-dula), for example, is ideal as it can be clipped into neat shapes; it is also deliciously fragrant and will perfume the air along the border or path.
