DIY

3 Types of Landscape Edging

If your garden needs a boost, perhaps it’s time to rethink your edges. Installing new edging is one of the easiest, fastest ways to improve the overall appearance of your garden. Whether you want to dress up a swath of perennials, draw attention to a bench in the distance, or simply keep gravel contained, freshening up your edges often does the trick.

You can install some materials, such as metal or composite bender board, in an afternoon. Others, such as poured in place concrete and boulders, require a weekend or longer to complete and may challenge you to learn some new skills.

Edging materials provide a stable framework for walkways and patios, while creating a contrast between two distinct areas. Visually it provides a crisp, clean manicured look, while physically creating a functional separation. Landscape edging can be applied to the lawn perimeter, bed edges and borders — anywhere hardscape materials, plants and grass spill over where they shouldn’t.

Here are 3 common types of edging:

1. Masonry

Concrete, brick and stone provide a solid edging in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Upright soldiers, a common name for bricks that are stood on end, rest on a porous base for proper draining. When bricks are tilted, the design is called tilted soldiers. The bricks are tilted against each other, then back-filled with sand and tamped down. Another long-lasting edging material is concrete, which provides a neat, clean and durable edge, particularly for high-traffic areas. If the edging is made wide enough, it can double as a mow strip.

Brick edging

Concrete Paver Edging

Stone edging

Concrete edging

2. Strip Edging

Strip edging made of steel, aluminum or plastic is held in place with metal or plastic stakes and works well for curves and shapes. This type of edging is less work intensive than most other materials, as the edging can be hammered into place, no trenching required. Plastic edging is generally the weakest and may crack and lose its shape over time. It has a tendency to wiggle under pressure or when the ground is wet and the hardscape beside it is unstable, such as gravel or river rock.

Aluminum edging

Rubber edging

Composite Bender Board

3. Wood Edging

Wood edging includes railroad and landscaping timbers, pressure-treated and composite products that provide a strong, long-lasting edging, but require a little ground work for installation. For added strength, wood edging is often braced with 16-inch spikes which hold up even under the toughest weather conditions; it won’t crack, break or wiggle if properly installed. Cedar, cypress and redwood naturally resist rot, while other types of wood need to be chemically treated.

Railroad Ties

Treated Timbers

Wood Bender Board

Landscaping Trends: Permeable Pavers

An excellent option for homeowners concerned with sustainability and water conservation are permeable pavers. Permeable pavers allow water to pass through small openings and re-enter the ground water. There are a variety of permeable materials that offer the best of both worlds: a porous patio or driveway surface that is also very attractive.

Permeable Paver Benefits:

Manage storm-water
Prevent runoff and pollution
Replenish the groundwater supply
Many unique permeable design options

Permeable paving is not a new concept – hundreds, possibly even thousands of years ago, people were making roads and paths by setting stones in sand. Many of these ancient creations have survived to present day, proving that permeable pavements are strong and durable. However, during the 20th Century’s rapid development impervious pavements became the norm.

With the recent push towards sustainability and the concern over the water supply eco-minded people have begun to challenge this norm. Many homeowners are looking to create sustainable landscapes and permeable paving helps achieve that goal. In fact as an incentive, many cities, especially here in California, are offering sustainable landscaping rebates. As we hear about water shortages and increased levels of pollution, the benefits of installing a patio, path or driveway that allows rainwater to filter through to the earth below are very appealing.

Paving stones are very popular landscaping elements. They are versatile and can be used in almost any outdoor setting. You can choose between stone, brick and concrete pavers and they all are strong and durable too.

Today, people are becoming very environment conscious and when they get any home improvement or landscaping work done; they look for environment friendly solutions that will also benefit their landscaping. In this respect permeable pavers are an excellent option.

What Are They?

They are made from a mix of sustainable building materials
They have a base & a sub-base, both of which allow runoff water to seep through into the ground underneath
When you use only normal pavers or have concrete outdoor flooring, the water is unable to seep through and it just gets diverted towards the storm water drains which is nothing but a waste of water
Contrastingly, this porous paving permits rain water and the water that you hose onto it, into the ground
This helps replenish the levels of ground water
These paving stones also filter the dust and pollutants from the water and there is no contamination of the groundwater
Today, these installations are becoming popular on residential and commercial properties

Who do we sell?

Every major paver manufacturer makes a line of permeable pavers. We work with:

DIY Projects: Left Over Pallets

I get a few calls a week from customers asking me: “what can I do with these left over wooden pallets we got from you?”

The simple answer is to throw them away or bring them back to us and we can always reuse them.

But the fun and creative answer for those of you with a little bit of skill and since of adventure is turn those pallets into a fun DIY project.

If you look online or on Pinterest, you’ll see tons of creative uses for these pallets.

First, determine what type of pallet you have. Then it will be easier to figure out a good use for them.

Once you’ve established the type, you can get to work dismantling and reassembling them. All you need is a hammer, some paint and nails, construction adhesive and an imagination.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Pallet bench

Pallet desk

Pallet planter

Pallet Shelf

Pallet swing

Pallet work bench

Different Types of Plants and Ground Cover

When choosing the right ground cover to use around pavers or flagstone, you want them to meet a few criteria:

Look for plants that are tough so you don’t have to tiptoe around them.
Choose short plants that won’t obstruct your path, and plants that are suited to the area’s light exposure (is the area sunny or shady).
Find plants that spread to fill the space around them make growing plants between pavers easier.

And living in California, drought is also a major concern. However, it’s very possible to grow a gorgeous, water-wise garden. You can find drought tolerant plants for nearly any situation, including heat-loving ground cover plants and ground covers that withstand drought.

The best drought tolerant ground covers share several common characteristics. For example, drought-tolerant plants often have small or narrow leaves with a smaller surface area and reduced moisture loss. Similarly, plants with leaves that are waxy, curled or deeply veined retain moisture. Many drought tolerant plants are covered with fine grey or white hairs, which help the plant reflect heat.

Here are a few great options:

Irish Moss: Irish moss adds soft, spongy texture to paths in shady areas. Only a couple of inches tall, it doesn’t create an obstruction. It’s usually sold in flats like sod. Just cut it to fit and lay it where you want it to grow. It is sometimes sold as Scottish moss.

Creeping Thyme: .Creeping Thyme grows only an inch or two tall, and you’ll enjoy its pleasant fragrance. You can plant it in the sun, where it grows flat, or in the shade where it forms little hills. It bounces back after short periods of dry weather, but you’ll need to water it if the dry weather lasts very long.

Baby’s Tears: Baby’s tears is another selection for shady locations. They are often sold as houseplants, but they also make wonderful little plants to grow within pavers. It isn’t for everyone because it only grows in USDA zones 9 and warmer. The pretty foliage forms mounds about 5 inches tall.

Blue Star Creeper: Creepers are perfect as a lawn substitute, excellent between stepping stones, under roses, around ponds, patios and decks. Isotoma fluviatilis is a show stopper in a topiary and is amazing over flower bulbs. Super easy to grow and can bloom spring through summer if conditions are right.

Creeping Sedum: Sedums do their best in lean soils and not much water – because in those conditions the weeds DON’T do well. In other words, in the world of groundcovers it’s all about the competition – can a plant out-compete the weeds or not? So first, making your site inhospitable to weeds before planting gives sedums greatly reduces the long-term maintenance from then on (less weeding).

DIY Projects: Left Over Cinder Block

I’ve been asked by more than one customer: “what can I do with all those left over cinder block we bought for our wall?” ( as well as brick, or flagstone, or pallets, but we’ll cover those in other posts).

Aside from returning them to one of our 4 locations or paying for a dumpster or someone to haul them to the local waste management site, why not use them in a fun and creative DIY project.

Other than the cinder block, you might need a few other items: 2×4’s, some mortar or block adhesive and paint, and we can take those construction leftovers and make something cool to spruce up the yard.

Here are a few ideas: