Edging has a multitude of benefits in garden landscapes. It can effectively blend different elements within the design, define specific areas, ensure a neat border, and improve the space’s overall aesthetic. It also has practical advantages by providing a barrier between lawns and flower, gravel, or mulch border and helps stop weeds from creeping into flower beds.
There are many different types of landscape edging, and design possibilities are endless. What you select will depend on your desired aesthetic, practical applications, and budget. Check out these creative garden edging ideas if you’re looking for inspiration.
1. Corten Steel Curves
Corten steel is arguably the most on-trend, contemporary garden edging option right now. It’s durable, low-maintenance, and eye-catching. Aga Tomaszek (@thishousewemade) uses it to great effect in her impressive self-made, cozy, tropical-vibes backyard. The curved, sweeping lawn edging also contrasts beautifully with the pebble pathway.
2. Edgy Shade Plants
Camille Paulsen (@tahomaflora) has designed a striking side garden. Shade-loving plants and shrubs with abundant foliage edge the curved pathway. This creates effective contrasting texture and colors.
3. Year-Round Interest With Ornamental Grasses
If you’re looking to add a more natural, softer feel to your garden edges, why not consider planting low-maintenance ornamental grasses? And, if you pick wisely, they’ll provide lovely year-round interest. Henry (@henryhoblog) planted around 20 divisions of a single Japanese sweet flag (Acorus gramineus) clump—a few years later, they have filled out perfectly!
4. Hydrangea Hedging
Christiane Zorenkov’s country house garden is elevated by the standout cobbled pathway edging. The large and impressively long-blooming Annabelle hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle‘) can flower for up to two months in the summer and sometimes even bloom again in the fall. The foliage provides year-round interest, and they’re a great choice for partial shade locations. Here they are supported by easy-to-care-for boxwood hedging.
5. Blended Border Edging
The casual, colorful, mix of pollinator-friendly perennials in this border edging from Jo Williams (@pritchy_plants) may look unplanned, but it provides interest throughout the year. The additional pebble edging adds extra contrast against the lush, green lawn. This type of landscape edging requires more planning and maintenance than some, but the rewards make the effort worthwhile.
6. Break Up Your Backyard with Bricks
A brick edging, like this one from Lucy Taylor Garden Design, is a low-maintenance, durable, and uniform option that comes in a variety of finishes. You won’t need to worry about manually finishing your lawn edging, and bricks provide a clear border definition. If you’re looking to garden sustainably, it’s often possible to source reclaimed bricks from salvage yards.
7. Raised Beds
Hannah Wood’s (@atnumbereighteen) stylish renovation of her 1857 Victorian terrace extends to her backyard. The edging combines reclaimed bricks and planters made from old sleepers with standout, tall ornamental alliums that beautifully contrast with the modern, unobtrusive black fencing.
8. Concrete Curves
The clean lines of the rendered wall edging complement the mid-century modern architecture of Helen Wilder’s (@1950s_renovirgin) 1950s renovated semi. In addition, the raised bedding provides depth, texture, and interest against the contrasting fencing. The edging also blends perfectly with the durable, low-maintenance, easy-to-clean porcelain patio pavers.
9. Play Up Your Pathway
The curved center-piece pathway with brick edging in Tania’s (@thepheasantgarden) garden accentuates the lush lawn and mixed borders containing various perennial plants, shrubs, and ornamental grasses beautifully.
10. Eclectic Edges
Taylor-Amey Design Inc has incorporated various edging ideas into this modern landscape design. The clean lines of the boxwood hedges, the depth, and texture of the ornamental grasses, the well-defined lawn borders, and the color from the flowering shrubs all come together cohesively.
11. Keep It Classic
Lawn care specialist Project Tiftuf illustrates why sometimes traditional and simple landscape edging styles work best. This lush expanse of lawn is the star of the show, complemented by unobtrusive, neat wood edging and a pebble border. Some planters and a raised flower bed add additional interest without being unnecessarily flashy.
