One of the many important elements of garden design is edging. Whether straight, curved or irregular, an edge defines space and form and draws the eye to different garden features. Edging is also a technique that can help keep weeds and turf grass from creeping into your garden beds. There are a number of methods for edging covering an array of looks and styles as well as a range of difficulty and expense. Edges and borders can also be enhanced with plants in many different ways.

What Is Garden Edging?

Edging refers to the methods and/or materials used to divide garden beds from a feature to which it is adjacent (like lawn, driveway, walkway or patio). Garden edging can be subtle or obvious and can be designed with a variety of methods and/or materials ranging from hardscaping to plants.

While many home gardeners believe a hardscape approach to edging is best, there really are many other options beyond using physical barriers made of stone, plastic or metal (but these have their usefulness, too). Deciding which kind of edging to use will depend on your needs and tastes. Do you want your edging to help hold back mulch? Do you prefer a formal or informal look? What is your budget? How much maintenance are you willing to do? The following ideas might help guide your decision making.

01 of 20 Straight Natural Lines

There are so many shapes and textures in this wonderful garden in Yorkshire, England. From the lush herbaceous border to the potted tree-form hydrangeas to the lines of round boxwoods, the variety of plants looks balanced yet complex. Having simple, straight edges pulls all these elements together, and it can be done easily with common garden tools. This kind of dug edge usually needs refreshing every year, but it’s worth a little effort for this clean, sharp look.

02 of 20 Cottage Garden Color

The freewheeling and organic edges created by cottage garden plantings can be a vibrant cacophony of color. These palettes can change throughout the season, too. This garden is blooming in summer with lovely pink foxgloves, blue perennial geraniums and purple creeping phlox. Cottage gardens never fail to please with their ever-changing parade of colorful blooms.

03 of 20 Shifting with the Seasons

Sometimes the edge of the garden explodes with seasonal blooms, like these frothy blue forget-me-nots. Once these flowers die back, they can be deadheaded or pulled up (they’re famous for re-seeding themselves freely), allowing other perennials to fill in or making room for annuals.

04 of 20 Gravel Walkway as Divider

This sleek garden design features straight clean lines balanced with flowing, feathery plant shapes. The basic surfaces of lawn, gravel walkway and patio form the main structure and are clean, low-maintenance options. The container plantings allow for flexible design possibilities.

05 of 20 Lavender Hedge

If you are gardening in a suitable USDA cold hardiness zone, lavender can create an attractive and fragrant low hedge that attracts pollinators. There are a number of varieties of lavender in colors ranging from white to blue to pink to purple. Lavender likes plenty of sun, sandy loamy soil, and dry conditions.

06 of 20 Clean Curved Edges

The full lushness of this garden border needs nothing more than a clean, simple trench edge that can be achieved with a shovel or another garden tool. Creating a sloping trench creates a dividing line between lawn and flower bed.

07 of 20 Hostas at the Deck Edge

Decking is a great backyard feature for comfortable walking and making use of space that isn’t ideal for planting. But how to create an attractive and functional edge for the deck? These hostas leaf out in spring and last through late autumn, providing a full, lush accent for the clean lines of the deck, and complementing the shape and texture of the hedges and ornamental grasses opposite.

08 of 20 Brick and Mortar

Vintage bricks are a favorite material for creating garden borders. You can make a stable and neat edge by using mortar to attach the bricks to each other. The soft colors of these bricks are a nice contrast to the smooth river rocks in this succulent bed.

09 of 20 A Curving Stone Border

This charming stone border is wide and sturdy enough to serve as a walkway for this curvy shade garden. The meandering edges are a good design choice for this large property that contains a number of separate planting areas with lawn in between them.

10 of 20 Gravel and Containers

Many gardeners are choosing to fill in large areas with gravel, which can cut back on maintenance and offer plenty of area for walking or entertaining. But that doesn’t mean there has to be fewer flowers! Bloom-filled containers add color and texture to the edge of this walkway: these stoneware pots full of colorful agapanthus can also be moved wherever color is needed, even indoors.

11 of 20 Seashell Border

Sometimes using unexpected objects in the garden can go beyond decorative and become functional. These large seashells make a striking and effective border material for this garden bed.

12 of 20 Late Summer Annuals

This simple garden edge bursts into vibrant color in late summer when these cosmos in shades of bright pink start flowering. Cosmos often re-seed from the previous year and can also be started from seed after the last frost. They bloom for weeks and need only gentle deadheading to stay full and luscious. A similar effect can be created with zinnias.

13 of 20 Stone Edge Times Three

This small grove of trees has an attractive and functional edge design that includes inlaid bricks, gravel, and rough cut larger stones built into a low wall. The three sizes and shapes of stone create a pleasing interplay of textures and color.

14 of 20 arying Heights at the Garden Edge

Having a mix of plant heights alongside your walkways lends drama, beauty and a sense of the unexpected. This large English garden has flowering perennials both tall and small along its traditional paver paths, edged with small stones.

15 of 20 Evening Blues

if you have a large garden, spending time in it as day turns to evening can be a magical time to walk or just sit. Plants with blue foliage look especially beautiful at dusk and draw the eye as the late sunlight moves across the garden. Blue foliage plants can include juniper, firs, hosta, fothergilla, dianthus, and many others.

16 of 20 Metal and Stone

Flexible metal edging is becoming a welcome alternative to plastic edging. It is more durable and has a more solid presence in the garden, and over time, the weathered look and light layer of rust gives an organic, vintage look. This Swedish garden has metal edges bordering the beds with gravel walkways setting off the many shades of green shade perennials. The round rainwater basin balances straight and irregular edges with a perfect circle.

17 of 20 Drystone Wall

if you have a sloping yard and need to build a retaining wall for edging and support, consider a drystone wall. This involves fitting stones together in a close-fitting way without using mortar. Not only do these walls look great, they are sturdy and long-lasting and can be easier to repair than walls made with mortar.

18 of 20 Faux Railroad Ties

Many gardeners are aware that using old railroad ties in the garden can leach toxic chemicals into the soil. But you can get that same look with these concrete molded pavers made to look just like vintage railroad ties. They can be used for pathway pavers as pictured here or for edging garden beds.

19 of 20 Repeating Shapes

The edge of this narrow garden bed is bursting with color and also has a pleasant repeating pattern of daisy-like shapes in the dainty feverfew and different varieties of echinacea.

20 of 20 Spring Palette

In temperate climate gardens, the spring border is doubly significant: it’s the first bright spot of color of the season, and it’s also the beginning of the cycle of perennials until winter comes again. Little wonder so many gardeners enjoy planting many colorful bulbs to start the show! These bright orange and magenta tulips light up the edge of this garden next to a trimmed yellow-green boxwood hedge, creating a brilliant palette of bright colors.