Creative Plastic Garden Edging Ideas

Garden edges serve an important functional purpose, but they can also provide aesthetic appeal with creative designs and colors that complement the plants and hardscapes.

Plastic edging is an affordable and versatile option to define beds and borders. It comes in various colors and can be shaped into curves, waves, and custom patterns.

Benefits of Plastic Edging in Gardens

Unlike materials like wood or metal, plastic lawn and garden edging provides lasting durability with minimal maintenance required. It clearly delineates planting areas from grass or other surfaces.

• Withstands weather and ground movement without rotting, rusting or becoming misshapen
• Contains loose materials like mulch, gravel, and soil in raised beds or on slopes
• Protects lawn edges from damage caused by lawn mowers and string trimmers
• Available in a wide variety of neutral or bright colors to match landscapes
• More affordable and longer lasting than natural wood or stone borders

New No-Dig Landscape Edging

Installing traditional edging requires extensive digging to bury parts of the border. New no-dig plastic edging allows for easier installation along the soil surface with included stakes.

This edging comes in long rolls that can flex along landscape contours. It features extra UV protection and reinforced spikes for added stability along garden perimeter edges.

Plastic Paver Edging Kits

For sidewalks, patios and driveway borders, paver edging kits keep materials neatly contained. These come with connector bars, spikes, and corner pieces to frame circular, curved, or straight paver projects.

The edging connects to block style pavers and provides a stable edge to maintain a uniform perimeter. This prevents scattering of filling material between pavers in high traffic areas.

Popular Plastic Lawn Edging Styles

Standard plastic edging comes in straight lengths that can be cut to desired sizes. These linear borders provide clean lines and right angles in garden beds and tree rings.

For more ornate garden beds, plastic edging can be molded into curved, scalloped, or angled styles. Interlocking sections also allow flexibility in shaping winding borders and organic patterns.

Straight or Linear Garden Edging

The most common edging utilizes stakes or lawn staples to secure rigid straight plastic borders in place along landscape edges. This versatile linear edging is quick and easy to install in DIY projects.

Curved and Scalloped Plastic Borders

Molded plastic garden edging offers decorative curved and scalloped profiles. Softer curved edges complement flower beds and trees, while scalloped edges add interest along walkways or patio borders.

Interlocking and Snap-Together Edges

Modular interlocking plastic borders feature connectors to join multiple sections. These snap-together like puzzle pieces for customized lengths and shapes. Some types click into channels or slide into guide tracks.

Interlocks allow for easier alignment of long spans. They also adapt well to landscapes with grade changes better than single piece borders.

Installing New Plastic Garden Edges

Installation of new plastic lawn edging requires minimal digging compared to materials embedded deeper into soil. Basic steps include layout, light trenching, securing with spikes, and backfilling inside borders.

• Prepare the site by removing sod grass or plants along the border location
• Mark the shape of the edging layout with a hose, spray paint or flour
• Dig a narrow trench just wider than the edging thickness
• Secure edging with included stakes or lawn staples driven into the ground

Raised garden beds may involve a deeper anchor trench for greater stability. For ornamental bed shapes, moldable or snap-together borders simplify curved installations.

Creative Ideas for Plastic Garden Borders

Beyond basic grass border applications, consider these creative ways to utilize the versatility of plastic edging:

• Use colors to designate different planting beds or match accompanying hardscapes
• Make fun shapes like waves and curves instead of just straight lines
• Try two-tone looks pairing neutral colors with bright accent hues
• Accent the insides of beds with decorative stones, shells or colored mulch

Lightweight plastic edging allows for playful patterns not easily achieved with wood, metal or stone. Contrasting colors help beds, pathways and decorative accents stand out.

Compare Plastic Edging Costs and Durability

Price and longevity should factor into edging choice. Plastic lawn borders offer affordability upfront paired with many years of reliable performance.

Heavier grade plastic borders made with High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) resist weathering, fading, and breakage. Lighter versions suffice for gentler applications or as temporary garden accents.

Thicker commercial grade edging costs more initially but handles frequent lawn maintenance and foot traffic for over a decade when properly installed.

Master Mark Plastic Lawn Edging

Master Mark offers durable plastic landscape edging for both homeowners and professionals. Their Commercial Grade borders work well for municipal parks while the DIY Homeowner Grade suits most residential lawns and gardens.

Commercial Grade Edging

The commercial line features thick .5" - .75" profiles that resist denting and flexing. Stakes securely anchor this sturdy border that retains crisp edges along high-traffic zones.

DIY Homeowner Grade Edging

For residential garden borders, the DIY line provides ample durability in slimmer .25" - .5" sizes costing 20% less. The lighter weight also simplifies do-it-yourself shaping and insertion around landscapes.

Maintaining and Cleaning Plastic Edges

Like any landscape border, plastic edging requires occasional maintenance to keep things neatly contained and prevent weeds. Basic upkeep steps involve:

• Regularly trimming grass and weeds growing around edges
• Re-securing any sections that become loosened over time
• Washing off accumulated dirt and debris with soap and water
• Replacing damaged pieces to maintain a uniform border

Proper lawn mowing technique avoids hitting borders with the mower deck. Using manual weed control around edges enhances maintenance efficiency.

Using Landscape Fabric Under Edges

Adding landscape fabric beneath plastic lawn edging offers a weed barrier plus other bonuses:

• Prevents unwanted vegetation growth under edging
• Allows air and water to permeate soil while blocking weeds
• Anchors edging better by reducing soil shifting
• Reduces erosion of soil underneath borders

The fabric lays quickly under edging before backfilling trenches. It can run the entire border length or just problem weed areas. No need to stake through fabric.

No-Dig Edging Offers Easier Install

Installing plastic borders on top of landscape fabric simplifies projects by eliminating digging. Stakes pierce through both layers to securely anchor no-dig edging.

This above ground method suits gentler residential applications. Fabric covers soil nicely while edging contains the above ground elements.