Edging for flower bed...

Janie B

Have just had a large flower bed cut into my lawn, it runs alongside a long beech hedge, with a lawn path between the hedge and the bed, and am looking for suitable edging... any tips, please? I quite like the idea of bricks, but then again, should they go vertical? horizontal? be mortared in, or just laid on the soil? Only objective is for it to look good (obviously), not to be tooooooo expensive, and to allow strimming lawn up to the bed. Any pics of edging in situ would be most appreciated. Thanks. 

Fairygirl

Hi Janie - you can use brick on its end, laid at an angle. That's quite popular, but you'll need more than you would if simply laying them flat, or on their edge.
I have granite blocks along two of my borders. They were in the garden, in various places, including underground! I think you can buy them at builder's merchants, but I expect they might be expensive. They tend to be random in size, not uniform like paviours or bricks, so you'd need to work out the dimensions of the bed, and buy them accordingly.
Mine are mortared in, which wasn't too difficult to do. You just need a string line and a spirit level, and you can buy ready to use mortar, or dry mix to which you add water in any DIY store. 

I also have timber edging which is fixed to some battens hammered in behind them. Most are done with fencing timber which is inexpensive, and I also have 3 inch timber posts edging a bed in the front garden. Fixed in the same way. Don't have a pic of the finished edge, but this was when I'd just placed them in situ

hogweed

Just make sure that whatever you use is just under the level of the grass. That way you can just run the mower over it rather than get the strimmer out. 

Janie B

Good point @hogweed!

I love the look of the granite blocks, @Fairygirl. Think I'll look into how expensive they'l be... *gulp*!

GWRS

Hello , just put some 3  concrete edging slabs in from B & Q and some block pavers I all ready had , with a bit of sand and ready mixed concrete , not to expensive 

Hotchocolatelover

We had these rope stone edging installed under concrete but they £8 each in Homebase York stone they look good but are fragile not sure it be first choice next time