Define your garden with metal lawn edging: garden edging ideas

corten steel garden edging placed between gravel and long green grass

When it comes to gardening, the devil is in the detail. Untidy, bushy lawn edges can be a real nightmare and destroy all of the hard work you put into your garden design. Although many DIY edging ideas can be appealing – such as using old bottles or worn-out tyres – the end result can tend to look amateurish and even messier. Here are some tips to make your lawn looking crisp and neat using metal lawn edging and why you should choose it. If you’re interested in other types of lawn edging here’s some great info on The Daily Gardener: 5 Common Types of Garden Bed Edging

Perfect lawn edging – STEP 1: Tidy the grass up

Using a sharp spade or half-moon edging iron, define the edges of the lawn. You can use a strong rope or a water hose as your guide to edges.

Perfect lawn edging – STEP 2: Choose your edging

If you do not have edging, the weeds and grass will eventually change your desired line. There are many options for lawn edging: ready-made plastic or wooden edges, as well as more reliable metal borders.

Plastic and wood are not the best options for your garden edging. Plastic can warp with time, often coming out of the ground just after one season, and wooden edging is not the most durable option. On the other hand, metal borders are a great investment as they are long-lasting and can really define the space. They help retain the edging design and make lawn maintenance easier which cuts down on future costs. Metal edging also allows you to use a mower right up to the edge which – again – makes future maintenance much easier.

Metal lawn borders

Metal borders are not only long-lasting and easy to maintain, they can also create a stunning visual feature in your garden. Corten edging (weathered steel garden borders) can be used to give a romantic, rustic feel with its warm, orange hue. As corten is in one of the favourite metals of contemporary designers and architects, composing sharp and neat lines of corten edging can give your lawn a more modern feel.

corten steel edging used as raised bed

Read more about corten and its anti-corrosial properties

If you prefer a cooler shade of metal, galvanised steel edging is also a great idea. Just like corten, galvanised steel is durable and corrosion-resistant which makes it a perfect choice for outdoor projects. It will give your garden a modern look that will turn heads. Complement this contemporary design with original metal planters or bespoke corten letters.

 

The best part of corten edging and galvanised steel borders is that their maintenance is so easy – they are corrosion-resistant, do not need extra treatment, and look great as the years go by. They can be also used on a sloped lawn where using other materials could be much more challenging. Even as a very thin sheet, a metal garden edging is foldable, easily shaped, and the perfect idea for stylishly upgrading your garden.