Garden
Edging Ideas.
Garden edging ideas are the cheapest way to make a garden look finished. It stops grass creeping into beds, holds mulch where you put it, and frames planting the way a frame finishes a picture. Here: materials with real cost per metre, how hard each one is to fit, how long it lasts, and which style of garden it suits.
Curated by Nina Calloway · Fact-checked by Tom Bexley · Updated Oct 2026
The cheapest finishing touch
Costs from
£3/m · lasts 5–50+ years
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03 · Coming soon
Stone, Steel or Gravel? Edging Costs Compared Metre by Metre
Cost guide · in progress
9 years, 2 gardens
It’s not the material. It’s the re-edging.
Edging stops grass creeping into beds, holds mulch where you put it, and frames planting the way a frame finishes a picture. But the job that makes the biggest visible difference to any garden isn’t choosing stone over steel — it’s re-edging twice a year with a half-moon edger. Mark curves with a garden hose, straight runs with a string line, and keep the trench 8–15 cm deep.
Every Edging Guide.
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Edging Material Picker
How much do you want to spend per metre? Pick one and we’ll show the edging materials that fit — with how hard they are to fit and how long they last.
Your budget
Reclaimed materials — bottles, tiles, pebbles — cost next to nothing and are the most-pinned edging of all.
Browse every edging guide →Popular in Garden Edging.
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Loose cottage planting needs a crisp line to spill over — roses, wildflowers and winding paths.
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What Can You Use to Edge a Garden Bed?
Garden edging uses 10 main materials: corten steel, thin metal, composite, timber, ornate metal, stone, brick, rocks, rubber and a mown lawn edge. Landscape edging ideas for flower beds, paths and driveways pick from this list by style, cost and install time.
- Corten steel edging forms a rust-brown line that lasts 20 to 50 years and suits modern landscape design.
- Thin metal edging in steel or aluminum bends into curves and lasts 15 to 25 years.
- Composite edging of recycled plastic and wood fibers resists rot for 15 to 25 years.
- Timber edging in treated wood or sleepers lasts 10 to 15 years and suits rustic and cottage garden design.
- Ornate edging in miniature metal fence panels suits formal and English garden style.
- Stone edging in river rocks or cut stone lasts 50 years or longer.
- Brick edging lasts 25 to 50 years and softens with moss.
- Rocks and boulders lay a natural border. See gardens with boulders.
- Rubber edging from recycled tires installs in minutes and lasts 10 to 20 years.
- A lawn edge costs nothing and needs a flat shovel and a monthly trim.
What Is the Easiest Garden Edging to Install?
Rubber, plastic and thin metal strips are the easiest garden edging to install. Each needs a trench 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) deep, a rubber mallet and stakes every 60 to 90 cm (2 to 3 ft). Brick and stone take longer, and the brick garden paths guide covers the base layers.
How to Choose the Right Garden Edging
Choose edging by 4 factors: garden style, curve, budget and mowing. Modern gardens suit steel, cottage gardens suit brick and stone, rustic gardens suit timber and Zen gardens suit raked gravel with flat stone. Flexible metal and rubber follow curves, while brick and timber suit straight runs.
Cheap, DIY and Low Maintenance Garden Edging Ideas
Cheap garden edging ideas use rocks gathered on site, bricks reclaimed from a demolition yard, upcycled glass bottles pushed neck-down, timber offcuts and a trenched lawn edge. DIY garden edging needs a flat shovel and a string line. Low maintenance garden edging means steel, composite or stone, which need no repainting.
Garden Edging for Raised Beds, Gravel, Slopes and Driveways
- Raised beds: timber, steel or brick walls 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in) tall hold soil.
- Gravel: steel or stone edging 10 cm (4 in) deep stops gravel spreading onto the lawn.
- Slopes: stepped timber or stone edging holds each level.
- Driveways: paver or concrete edging takes tire load.
- Around trees: a wide circle of mulch with a stone or steel ring protects the trunk from mowers.
To keep grass out of beds, set the edge 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) deep, which blocks lawn runners. Low voltage lights along the edge mark paths at night.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best garden edging?
Corten steel is the best garden edging for a modern garden, and brick or stone is the best for cottage gardens. Both last 25 years or longer.
How deep should garden edging be?
Garden edging should go 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) into the ground to block grass roots.
What is the cheapest garden edging?
A trenched lawn edge is the cheapest garden edging at no cost, followed by gathered rocks and plastic strips.
Does garden edging stop weeds?
Yes, edging stops grass and weed runners at the bed line, and mulch inside the edge cuts weed growth.