Edging for Landscaping: Strategic Edging Solutions for Landscaping Professionals

The right edging can make all the difference in the longevity and durability of your outdoor project. Having the knowledge and resources to provide effective edging for landscaping can help you have more confidence in your results. 

Choosing the right edging and installing it correctly isn’t always easy. However, if you can do so successfully, your outdoor projects will be more attractive, longer-lasting and easier for your clients to maintain. 

The Importance of Edging in Professional Landscaping

The crucial role of edging for landscaping can’t be overstated. In addition to its aesthetic benefits, edging provides numerous practical ones. 

Landscapes are dynamic living environments as they are constantly moving and shifting. Edging helps maintain the lines that landscape designers intended for the long term, ensuring a beautiful, well-kept outdoor space. 

Collaborating With Clients: Communicating the Value of Edging

Communicating the value of advanced edging systems to clients can sometimes be tricky — after all, the most simple landscape edging can be implemented by hand. However, the best quality edging with the greatest longevity requires using commercial-grade materials that will pay off in the long term.

One key advantage of opting for more advanced edging is the ease of maintenance. For example, aluminum edging can last for generations without needing to be replaced and can help prevent grass and weeds from spreading more effectively than basic solutions like placed stones. 

Types of Edging Materials and Their Applications

There is a range of edging materials — including plastic, rubber, brick and metal — all of which have pros and cons. 

Plastic Edging

One of the most common types of edging for landscaping, plastic is affordable, flexible and easy to install. 

The material is lightweight and can be shaped to fit curved or irregular borders, making it versatile enough for most outdoor spaces. Plastic edging is also resistant to weathering, rot and pests. 

However, it isn’t as durable as materials like metal or stone, and it can become brittle due to time or extreme temperatures.

Rubber Edging

Rubber edging is often made from recycled tires, and is flexible enough to easily contour around curved borders. 

It is a popular choice of edging for playgrounds due to its soft texture, reducing the chance of injury from falls or collisions, but it is also popular for lawns and pathways. 

Rubber is also resistant to weathering, cracking and damage from mowers or other tools. However, rubber edging is often more expensive than other materials. 

Brick or Stone Edging

Brick edging is a popular choice for those who want edging to be an aesthetic statement, as it matches most surroundings and is available in various colors. Durability is also an advantage of using bricks for landscape edging. 

Similarly to bricks, stones or boulders are popular for bold, strong edging, and many even choose irregular shapes for aesthetic appeal. There are possible downsides to brick or stone edging, though. Bricks can be expensive and labor-intensive to install. 

Metal Edging

With a reputation among many as the best edge for landscaping, metal certainly has many advantages. 

Metal edging is durable and long-lasting, making it a great choice for clients who wish to create strong yet barely visible divisions between garden sections.

Metal edging products are typically made from steel or aluminum. Many types of steel are vulnerable to rust over time and in the presence of moisture. However, aluminum is immune to corrosion, making it a particularly popular and sustainable edging choice.

Steel can be sharp, particularly when cut or shaped into edges, so care and safety precautions (such as thick gloves and protective glasses) must be taken during installation, this is not the case with aluminum edging. 

Design Considerations for Effective Edging

When it comes to landscape edging ideas, there are plenty of options in addition to simply choosing the edging material. The shapes of borders are an important factor to consider and may even inform your choice of material — more elaborate shapes are likely to require more flexible materials.

You should also consider the purpose of your edging — is it purely aesthetic, or do you need it to help prevent the spread of grass and weeds? If the latter, you must choose a durable, non-permeable material like metal or rubber.

Depending on the scale and complexity of your outdoor project, you may even want to mix different types of landscape edging. 

Installation Techniques for Professional Results

Proper installation techniques can save you and your clients time and money in the long run. Before starting the installation, ensure you have the recommended tools, including:

• Spade
• Hammer
• Measuring tape
• Hacksaw
• Gloves
• Safety glasses

Some metal landscape edging products can be driven straight into the ground, but most edging installation starts with digging a trench. 

When you dig, drive the spade straight down vertically, then set aside the loosed soil to be added back into the trench. Dig the trench approximately an inch deeper than the height of the edging. 

If you need to create sharp angles in your edging, bend the edging around a brick.

For more details on how to install different types of edging, take a look at our edging installation instructions and videos.

Permaloc: Superior Landscape Edging Solutions

Cutting-edge landscaping requires high-quality solutions and materials. At Permaloc, we have provided top-quality edging for landscaping for 40 years, solidifying ourselves as the world’s most specified edging brand. 

There are Permaloc products for many applications, and our team of expert Product Specialists provides world-class service to help contractors choose and apply the best products for their requirements. 

If you’re unsure where to start with your project, check out our Design Tools for help and guidance in the designing process.