Are you wondering if garden edging could elevate your outdoor space? Garden edgings, including cobbles and sleepers, have long been used to give structure and style to garden features, whether that’s separating flowerbeds from lawns, defining pathways, enhancing patios, or outlining driveways.
In this guide, we explain garden edging and its benefits for your space. We then discuss the process of laying garden edging stones and how to maintain them for maximum durability. Plus, we offer aesthetic tips on types of edging and how you can select an edging style that best complements your garden design.
What is Garden Edging?
Garden edging describes a border between different parts of a garden, such as around flowerbeds, surrounding a lawn or around a pond. It’s commonly made from natural stone or porcelain, but wood, metal and even plastic options can be used.
Do You Need Garden Edging?
Edging isn’t a necessity in a garden, but it can be incredibly beneficial in keeping the space orderly and preventing damage to different garden elements.
Because edging creates a barrier between different sections of a garden, it is immensely useful in controlling the spread of weeds and preventing grass from growing into adjacent edges. Flowerbed edging is also a useful barrier when mowing the lawn, as it can help to block the mower from damaging flowerbeds.
Edging also helps to hold looser elements in place, such as mulch, soil and gravel. This can prevent soil erosion during periods of heavy rain, and also serve to preserve gravel or mulch paths.
Lastly, edging has wonderful aesthetic benefits, accentuating garden features and breaking up the space beautifully.
Types of Garden Edging
‘There are many different materials that can be used to edge garden areas. Which material to be used is normally determined by various factors; the piece of the garden being edged, and the type of materials already being used within the garden design.
If it is a paved area, then cobbles are a great option. The cobbles are normally set deeper into the ground, creating an aesthetically pleasing edge, but also creating a ‘flush’ finish to the surface of the paving, and covering unsightly cuts and/or exposed bedding mortar.
Cobbles are often available in the same material as the paving, either matching or complementing the main body of the patio, whether that be natural sandstone hand cut cobbles, calibrated sandstone driveway setts, or a porcelain option. These can be used tocreate curves or straight edges, again, complementing any design.
There are other, more linear options available, like natural stone 1000x200x50mm kerb edgings, which can be set into the ground, creating a border to grassed areas, gravel paths, or paved areas alike. If porcelain is to be used as the paving option, there are also 900x150x20mm porcelain edgings that can be added as a decorative and practical border edging.
Sleepers may also be an option to create edging; these are particularly good if the edges are being used for raised planters or being used to retain an elevated part of the garden. They are available in 2400x200x100mm and can be adjoined to create the desired lengthand height that is required in the structure.’
Andy Mc Laughlin, Sales and Operations Director 
If you’re looking for inspiration on garden edging materials and styles, we have 18 garden edging ideas to get your creative cogs whirring. From driveway stone edging in a contrasting colour for bold definition, to aggregate edging for a rustic, low maintenance style, there are so many ways to create interesting and beautiful borders in your garden.
How to Install Garden Edging
Whether you’re wondering how to do flowerbed edging or how to lay path edging, the process is much the same. You start by choosing your shape – a straight line for neatness and uniformity, or an elegant curve to bring a softer shape into the garden space.
You then mark out the line along which you want your edging to be laid. For a straight line, this should be done with a string line, while more curved lines can be marked out with a flexible plastic edging border . You should then check this shape from a higher-up vantage point to ensure you’re happy and adjust if needed.
Now, use a half moon or a flat spade to cut along the line. Dig this line to the desired length, depth and width and make sure when digging the depth, you factor in for 50mm of crushed stone, a 50mm mortar bed and the depth of your edging stone. Be sure to remove any weeds, roots or stems that might otherwise cause trouble.
For aggregate edging, you can then line this trench with landscaping fabric and fill to the brim with gravel. However, for other edging types, follow the steps below.
- Fill your trench with 50mm of crushed stone and spread out evenly all the way along
- Compact the crushed stone down with a tamping tool and lay an even 50mm mortar bed along your trench before installing your stone edgings.
- Start to lay your edgings ensuring that you give them a light tap down with a rubber mallet and you keep checking them with a spirit level to make sure that they are all at the same height and level. Make sure that the spacing in between the cobbles stays consistent all the way along the trench.
- Leave overnight, clean off then apply a suitable jointing compound.
How to Maintain Cobblestone Edging
Whether you’ve chosen natural stone or porcelain for your cobblestone edging, maintenance shouldn’t be much of a concern. If they need the occasional refresh, that can easily be done with our stone cleaners or porcelain cleaners, depending on which is most applicable.
For more guidance, we have a helpful paving aftercare guide.
Whether you’re interested in natural stone edgings, porcelain options or wooden sleepers, RF Paving has an excellent selection of cobbles and edgings for you.
To receive personalised guidance on driveway edging stones, path edging stones and more, don’t hesitate to contact us. You can also find plenty more practical landscaping advice and garden design inspiration on our blog.
