64 Flower Bed Edging Ideas

So you have spent loads of time and effort designing a beautiful flower bed. In summer it is in full bloom and looks absolutely perfect. But something is missing? The perfect edging perhaps? Well let us give you some great flower bed edging ideas.

There are many different types of edging – each with their own set of pros and cons, making them suitable for different people in different situations. In this article we go over all of the best types of flower bed edging in detail and give you 64 ideas for the perfect flower bed.

Concrete Flower Bed Edging

Concrete flower bed edging has been around for some time now. It allows quite a few possibilities that other materials do not.

The main advantage of concrete edging is the fact that it is very low maintenance. It will not rot or deteriorate and does not need yearly maintenance and staining like wood.

However it is much more expensive than other types of edging and if you have a particularly large flower bed it can get quite expensive.

This being said the concrete will last 20 years or more and in the long run will probably not cost all that much more than say wood or stone edging.

Concrete flower bed edging is a little harder to install than other types of edging due to the fact that you will needed to use concrete to embed them in the ground. Due to their weight it is simply not possible to dig a hole and compact it in with dirt – it would simply fall over.

If you have any experience with concrete at all then there is a good chance you can install the edging yourself, it is not a particularly hard job. But many people do not have any experience at all – and as such you may need to get a builder to come to your garden and do it for you.

Concrete edges can be made to fit in with any garden type and come in a wide range of colors and styles. You can get wavy borders, diagonal borders, flat borders – or anything in between.

Overall concrete edging is a great choice if you have a reasonable budget to spend, if you are trying to edge your flowerbeds on the cheap – there may be better options.

Brick Flower Bed Edging

Brick flower bed edging is one of the oldest and most traditional types of edging. There are two main types of brick edging. They go by many different names, but basically they boil down to the installation method. (if you need cement or not)

Non cemented brick flowerbed edging is exactly what it sounds like. A hole or a trench will be dug – and reasonably thin bricks are then laid in and compacted with the dirt and soil that have been removed.

You don’t need any experience to do this and you can get the job done in an afternoon providing your flower bed is not huge.

It Is not uncommon to have the bricks at right angles to each other. What this means is that you will lay one brick flat in the dirt and then you will tilt one on its side to create a raised edge to your flower bed. You will use double the amount of bricks this way – but the effect is quite striking.

Brick flower bed edging is very low maintenance and will serve you well for 20 years or more. Every few years you may need to clean them with a pressure washer to remove and moss or lichen that have grown on them – but the process is quite easy and will make your edging look like new.

You may need to also remove weeds from the bricks each year. As they are simply laid in the dirt without any concrete foundation – the growth of weeds is inevitable.

Occasionally the bricks can come loose as they are held in only by the compacted dirt around them. It is quite an easy fix as you just pop the brick back in and compact it with dirt again. However if you have dogs or kids that could knock them accidentally – then you may be better off getting a more sturdy type of edging.

You can get bricks in a wide range of colors and styles ranging from natural stone colors all the way through to blues and greens.

The second type of brick flower bed edging is cemented. This basically involves creating a miniature wall around your flowerbed. There is no difference in the construction method of a brick flower bed edge and a normal brick wall.

You will need to use concrete and make a foundation, and will need to know how to lay bricks level. Which is out of the skill range of most people. Getting a bricklayer in to do the job should not be that expensive – but will obviously add a cost onto the edging that you would not have if you could install it yourself.

The actual bricks themselves are very cheap which brings the overall cost down slightly – this means that even with the additional cost of hiring a bricklayer – they are still a reasonably viable option.

They will not need any maintenance (apart from the occasional pressure washing as mentioned before) and will not allow any growth of weeds.

Natural Stone Flower Bed Edging

Natural stone flowerbed edging is very very popular these days.

It creates a very natural look to any garden and is quite timeless. They are not cemented or secured in anyway. This means it is very easy for you to install them yourself. Simply place the stones where you would like them to be, their inherent weight will stop them from moving.

They are quite low maintenance – but you may need to occasionally move a brick that has been knocked out of place back into the correct position.

Again – you will find that weeds love to grow in between the cracks of the stones and weeding will be a yearly task if you want to keep your flower bed looking great. Pressure washing of the stones will also be needed every few years or so to make sure they remain clean.

Natural stone edging can literally last you a lifetime with minimal care so they are a great investment for those of us who would rather do other things with our time!

They are also very cheap to buy – by far the cheapest type of brick or stone you can use for your edging. Flagstone, cobble stone, and limestone flower bed edgings are all popular choices here.

Plant And Bush Flower Bed Edging

It sounds a little silly but you can actually edge your flowerbeds with plants. Something that is often overlooked by many people it remains an excellent choice for those with a little time to spare.

Dense shrubbery – usually evergreen, will be planted around the edge of the flowerbed. There are many different types of shrub that can be used for this and they will be stocked by any good DIY store.

It is reasonably expensive to do it this way as you will need to buy pre grown shrubs. You can obviously try to grow the edging from seed if you wish – but it will take a few years.

Even if you buy your shrubs partially pre grown you will have to wait a year for them to properly fill out and create a uniformed appearance.

The maintenance of bush edging is also reasonably intensive. While most will not require any kind of nutrients or watering – they will require pruning and cutting every year. They are designed to grow quite quick and can get out of hand if you do not look after them.

This being said – the end result of all this effort is really quite impressive. It creates a very flowing and natural effect to any garden. It will be a place of piece and serenity (after you have done the maintenance!) It looks especially good if you are looking for edging to a vegetable garden.

Wooden flower bed edging.

Wooden edging is a great choice for anyone who wants to keep the costs down and keep a natural look to their garden.

There are two main types of wooden edging. One type is manufactured and designed edging that is almost like a mini fence for your flower bed, and the other is natural wood like sleepers and logs.

The benefits of both mainly lie in their ease of installation and cost. Both types will simply require you to dig a trench and insert the wood. Then compact the earth around it and you are done. Some large logs and sleepers do not even require this – and you can simply lay them on the ground.

However the main drawback with wooden edging is that you will have to perform a fair bit of maintenance on it. Wooden fence style edging will require staining each year to keep them looking good. Natural sleepers and logs can be stained too – however this creates an effect that many people do not like.

They also both have a finite lifespan – which means while they will be cheaper than stone or concrete edging to buy and install initially, they will possibly provide a false economy in the long run when they need to be replaced.

Metal Flower Bed Edging

Metal is a reasonably new concept in flower bed edging and its popularity remains quite low. This is mainly due to its contemporary and unique look – which is not what many people want from their garden.

Metal edging is reasonably priced and will cost you a little bit less than pre case concrete edging – but more than wood. It lasts 20 years or more and requires little maintenance.

The method of installing metal flower bed edging can vary upon design. And some will need to be cast in concrete – others will be able to be compacted in with earth.

Metal edging requires very little maintenance, and will simply need washing by hand to remove any algae that may form on it.

While every effort is made to make it safe – the edges of metal flower bed edging can be quite sharp and cause injury if someone falls over onto it. For this reason it is not really the best choice if you have kids or pets which could increase the chance of an accident happening.