Laying lawn edges – metal, PVC, concrete or natural stone?

Your lawn does not need a lawn edge at all, on the contrary, each of the grass plants contained in a lawn mixture wants to spread as far as possible into the surrounding area.

This is exactly why the gardener tending the garden urgently needs a lawn edge if he has certain requirements for his garden:

• A brand new garden needs a basic structure
• He can benefit if this structure is initially mapped out by non-plant elements
• This is the only way it will remain immovable for a while and can be adjusted if necessary
• If you leave the structural changes to the spreading plants, they fulfill their design wishes and not yours…
• A really nice green lawn is the result of frequent mowing
• Frequent mowing becomes a tolerable task even for working garden owners if it is made easier by a lawn edge
• You can mow over the appropriately created lawn edge
• Without the lawn mower throwing grass plants and soil all over the garden
• The lawn edge keeps the grass plants in their area
• And prevents a neighboring plant that is keen to spread from migrating into the lawn
• The lawn edge saves water when watering the bed because less water flows off to the sides
• The borders of beds with stoloniferous plants are much easier to maintain
• The lawn edge visually separates the lawn from the garden path and the beds
• However, it only separates where you want it, inconspicuously and gently when in doubt
• if e.g. B. individual natural stones limit the mowing area, which allow the grass plants to develop freely around them
• If you value a low-maintenance garden, you’re really doing yourself a favor by installing a lawn edging

The right lawn edge for every garden

The lawn edge doesn’t necessarily have the best reputation among people who consider allotments with a Disneyland vibe to be state pollution.

But even a “wildly growing” natural garden is only a garden in the true sense of the word, a fenced piece of nature in front of the house designed by humans, if at least a tiny amount of design can be seen.

A succession of scrub and grass, changing without any sign of order, is (sometimes) a great adventure playground, but not a garden, and design is free in an open country, even in a natural garden, as is thought.

The hallmarks of order do not have to be conspicuous: landscape architects are often recognized for designs that look like natural landscapes in which plants have formed a harmonious alliance before they grow.

A lawn edge can help to create this impression of special harmony, it can also be designed to suit any garden, because you have the choice between a wide variety of designs:

• A metal lawn edge can create formal, elegant borders
• Nice for any garden that needs to calm and relax
• The metal lawn edge can also deliberately stand out and paint an artistic figure on the garden floor
• Which perhaps not only surrounds the lawn, but also beds for flowers and foliage plants
• The PVC lawn edge is now made of recycled PVC, or even more environmentally friendly PP (polypropylene) and PE (polyethylene)
• These lawn edgings can do a lot, from a narrow strip to an anchored profile to securing the edge between the paved area and the lawn
• Most of these systems are intended to be barely visible and adhere to this claim
• The lawn edge made of concrete fits in a very solid design
• Or narrow and curved, they form a romantic dream garden with creative pathways
• If the dream garden should not only appear romantic but also a little wild, the natural stone lawn edging is ideal

Lay metal lawn edges

With regard to the installation, there are three decisively different variants of metal lawn edges, which also influence the laying:

1. The invisible ones

The invisible ones actually become invisible, namely laid 1 – 2 mm below the cutting edge of the lawnmower. These are aluminum profiles, resistant to corrosion and mechanical loads and weather, so not the cheapest solution. On the other hand, they can be installed quickly and in any shape without special tools and they do not rot, break or rust, so there is little to pay attention to when installing:

• The profile is driven into the ground
• If necessary, anchored in the ground or in a concrete bed with pegs/profile angles
• You can connect the profiles by plugging them into each other or by butt connectors/profile brackets, but you don’t necessarily have to do this
• If the edge is to be visible, a visually appealing front can be designed with butt connectors
• The profile can be incorporated exactly as the cutting height of your lawn mower requires

2. The barely visible

The lawn edging made of galvanized steel or stainless steel is deliberately simple, dividing the individual garden areas with fine straight lines, elegant, calm and soothing. The thin steel strip is really easy to lay, here is an overview of the advantages and disadvantages and what to consider:

• The flat stainless steel band is embedded in the ground using integrated ground anchors
• So you don’t need more than a strong rubber mallet
• Not much can be seen of the finished tape, only a narrow, inconspicuous edge
• Because the lawn edge goes into the ground and steel is strong, it also provides “a little root barrier”.
• A little because the band doesn’t go very far into the ground, determined rhizomes won’t slow you down with it
• When it comes to material, it is important that you purchase the right steel for outdoor use
• The common V2A stainless steel carries z. B. the material number 1.4301 + the short name X5CrNi18-10
• Only buy steel lawn edging that tells you how the material is named in the steel naming system
• This gives you the opportunity to ask the seller questions or find out for yourself how long your lawn edging will last

3. The consciously visible

There are also cast iron lawn edges, which are brought in as a decorative element and should be visible. Advantages and disadvantages and laying:

• These lawn edges are basically tiny fence elements
• They are also laid like fences, post by post
• Or post by post, they can usually be simply stuck into the ground with the ground plugs
• You only need a hammer to install this lawn edging
• With sharpened, stable posts, installation is probably quicker than with any other lawn edge
• However, these lawn edges are not in the least suitable as a root barrier
• They are sold in different designs, such a lawn edging can make the garden look romantic or like a real park
• Cast iron lawn edges are durable, but are not among the cheapest lawn edges

Lay PVC or other plastics

When things need to be done quickly and inexpensively, plastic lawn edges are often used. Possible, especially in the inexpensive versions only recommended under certain conditions:

• Simple plastic lawn edging sold for pennies can be made from quite problematic materials
• In particular, offers that do not mention what plastic is involved should be viewed with increased caution
• Any gardener with a spark of environmental conscience no longer buys newly manufactured plastic products
• Instead, it relies on recycled plastic (no problem, even if you have more detailed information)

The plastic lawn edges show their strengths elsewhere: there are so-called lawn strips, which are made of recycled PVC and are laid very quickly with a material thickness of only 7 mm. They have the advantage that they are stable and flexible at the same time, such lawn edges prove their worth when an edge is to be laid that swings across and cheerfully around corners through the garden.

Lawn edges or profiles made of plastic can also be used if a surface is to be separated from the lawn. This plastic profile then replaces the curb stone, which is installed with a concrete foundation and back support. The plastic profile, on the other hand, causes only a very small amount of work, it can be laid quickly and without additional building materials and is also comparatively inexpensive.

Laying the simple plastic lawn edges is usually more than uncomplicated, most models are simply stuck into the ground. So many different systems have been devised for laying high-performance plastic profile edges that it is not even possible or useful to give an overview in one article. Rather, the following applies here: Do not buy the first plastic system that you like, but look at several, including installation instructions. If you’re not sure how the installation works, ask the dealer if you can try a piece fitted (which requires in-store purchase and not online ordering). This is the only way to protect yourself from being confronted with true marvels of system solutions,

The all-rounder: The German zoo book

Tiergartenband is a very simple band that has been produced for a long time and is widely used in horticulture. It is available in various materials, bright-rolled (stainless) steel, hot-dip galvanized steel, Corten steel, aluminum and highly heat-resistant, UV-stabilized polyethylene (physiologically harmless, even has food law approval).

The Tiergarten tape is hardly noticeable in all offered heights between 60-300 mm and thicknesses of 2-20 mm, the installation requires little effort:

• A channel is dug along the laying line with a spade
• The Tiergarten ribbon is inserted into it and tapped tight
• The ground anchors for this are firmly anchored to the Tiergarten band
• You can use a block of wood and a hammer for tapping
• You can completely submerge Tiergartenband or leave a little out of the ground

Lay concrete lawn edges

Concrete lawn edging stones are offered in many design variants, the greatest effort here causes the selection of stones that go well with the house and garden design. In return, they result in a durable lawn edge that is easy to lay, but requires some muscle work:

• Dig a mini-ditch around the lawn the size and depth of the lawn curbs
• Measure the depth so that the edge later protrudes about one centimeter from the ground
• best solution for the normal curb and the lawnmower
• You can also design small decorative walls with concrete lawn edges
• Then you need quite wide curbs, only these are deep enough to stabilize mini-walls
• In the case of wide edging strips, place a layer of gravel/sand in the trench for attachment
• When the bed is ready, insert stones and tap with a laying hammer
• Then fill the cracks with soil and tap down with a wooden block and hammer

Lay natural stone lawn edges

The absolutely most durable lawn edges are made of natural stone, and this also includes the variant that is absolutely the easiest to lay: This means many small boulders that are laid in a nice row around the lawn. Made of a stone that belongs in your region, not necessarily lined up too neatly, “lawn edge pure nature”. Such a natural stone border is no longer quite as natural, but can be driven on with a lawnmower if you sink the stones into a small foundation at a height suitable for a lawnmower.

Natural stones are also available in moulds, which are then laid as described above for concrete lawn edges.

Conclusion
Lawn edges can make sense, especially in the gardens of working people who want to be as easy to care for as possible. There is such a selection of different lawn edgings that it might take some time to decide on the desired lawn edging, but the right lawn edging for a specific garden ambience can definitely be found. They’re all fairly easy to install unless you happen upon a cheap plastic import.