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Lawn and Garden Edging, Borders, Planters, and Sleepers — A garden is a desirable feature of any home, and creating a beautiful space is just as important as owning it.
A garden can come in many styles and sizes and there are no hard or fast rules about which you should opt for.
Lawn and Garden Edging, Borders, Planters and Sleepers
A lot of the garden’s design and features will depend on the size of the space available to you. One of the most contemporary and traditional styles found in gardens across the world is symmetry and straight, clean borders.
Grass Borders and Flower Bed Edging
Creating borders in your garden can help separate the space into different zones with different feels to them.
When you create a flower bed it can be difficult to maintain and separate the grass from the bed itself.
Over time the grass can encroach on the flowerbed and start to disrupt the defined borders you created.
A great way to deal with this problem is with the use of lawn edging. Lawn edging can help keep the border crisp and clear and prevent grass from merging with flower beds.
By utilizing specially constructed lawn edging you can save both time and effort with maintenance. At this point, you may be wondering ‘what exactly is lawn edging?’
Lawn edging consists of specially made interlocking plastic units that build a clean and crisp border in the area that you wish to create a division.
These allow for a long-lasting effect that can be custom built to the size and shape that you need. Think of them like mechano, they lock into place via connectors and form a strong bond that can withstand many weather conditions such as frost, ice, rain, wind, and sunlight.
Flexible Plastic Lawn Edging
The next type of border edgings consists of a flexible plastic that comes on a roll and can be cut to size to fit the space you need it for.
Simply dig out a trench along the perimeter of the border and insert the plastic border, follow this on with backfilling the trench to secure it into position.
Plastic roll borders are strimmer proof making them an excellent option for gardens that require regular mowing.
Corrugated Plastic Edging
Another type of lawn and garden edging is corrugated plastic edging that is strong and durable and will help create clean and defined borders between lawns and flower beds.
This type of garden and lawn edging can be raised above ground level and with the use of specially designed pegs can prove to be a strong and weather-resistant option.
By installing lawn and garden edging you can save many hours of digging and trimming lawn edges that have spilled over the border and they can be used to create highly attractive and symmetrical zones throughout the garden.
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The time saved allows you to focus on other areas of the garden such as planting, harvesting, and growing, and makes maintaining the garden a breeze.
Garden and lawn edgings are designed to be able to withstand harsh weather conditions and strimmer’s and they will not rot or rust over time, this makes them an economical option for garden lovers who want to spend less time maintaining and more time enjoying their outdoor space.
Making Use of Planters and Raised Beds
Planters are an ideal option for those who like to grow different types of plants in set places.
They also allow the avid gardener to utilize space that perhaps was not previously available, such as hanging baskets and PVC window boxes.
Planters also prove to be useful for creating raised flower beds and vegetable patches which can be beneficial for those who struggle to get down low to the ground.
When it comes to planting root vegetables such as carrots, radishes, parsnips, and sweet potatoes, a raised planter can help create longer and straighter vegetables as the condition of the soil can be decided by the gardener.
Many gardens contain soil that is less than ideal for growing vegetables in due to large amounts of clay or rocks, this can lead to stunted growth, misshapen vegetables, and even the death of the plant.
When you can employ the use of a planter you can adjust the growing medium, the ph levels, and the drainage as per your requirements.
Planters can also provide an ideal growing medium for fruits, vegetables, and flowers by allowing optimal drainage and protection from extremes in weather.
For example, a raised planter can be warmed from all sides and not only from above to help create a warmer environment that is suitable for growing semi-hardy and tropical plants such as Canna Indica, Ensete banana plants, and colocasia.
The added heat also helps with evaporation leading to better drainage and raised humidity levels around the plants growing in them which will help them to thrive. On the other hand, when colder weather sets in the exposed edges can lead to a cooling of the soil.
This can be remedied by making use of insulating materials such as a 2 to 3-inch layer of straw placed in between the planter walls and the soil, this will allow for you to be able to grow all year round no matter the season and can help you produce better quality flowers, fruits and vegetables compared to ground growing where you can only protect to surface and nowhere else.
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Planters can come in all shapes and sizes and can be made from a variety of different materials. It is not uncommon to see a planter built from recycled house bricks, railway sleepers, old wooden pallets or corrugated iron.
In fact, some people are being creative and using empty 2-litre drinks bottles in the construction of the planters to build a fully insulated wall. The bottles are connected with the use of twine and then a wooden frame is built around them to conceal them creating optimal insulating properties and putting an otherwise useless object to good use.
When constructing a planter it is important to ensure that adequate drainage is provided to allow water to pass through without becoming trapped. Trapped water will turn a planter into a swirling, smelly sludge bath and anything other than pond plants would fail to survive.
A planter is absolutely perfect for people who suffer back problems, arthritis or other mobility limiting conditions and allows them to garden at leisure and without hindrance. Raised planters make for ideal herb gardens and hot beds for growing more exotic strains in a cooler climate. Depending on the space you have available, planters can prove to be an asset for every garden.
Using Sleepers in the Garden
Sleepers are one of the most desirable additions that can be used in the garden and have a multitude of uses ranging from decking’s, pathways and raised beds.
Sleepers bring a certain charm to the garden and help create a more wildlife-friendly space. When using sleepers in the garden, one of the most popular uses is to create raised garden decking with them that is both attractive and sturdy. Sleepers are large and thick enough to last a lifetime if the correct care is given and can be a money saving option for garden design.
When using sleepers for creating raised beds they are placed on top of each other to give height. The weight of the sleepers enables them to be self-supporting and adds to the strength of the beds helping create a safe, strong and attractive planting space.
The natural wood lends itself to making the garden look and feels more organic in nature. It also provides an Eco-friendly space for wildlife such as certain insects and reptiles that are beneficial for the garden by pollinating plants and keeping the numbers of harmful insects down.
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When using sleepers for raised beds you can take advantage of the small gaps in between by planting wall flowers in them which will thrive. It is also good to know that sleepers provide excellent drainage for raised beds and allow for more oxygen to permeate the soil inside.
Sleepers can also be used for building pathways through the garden and make for a quick and easy way to do so.
A trench needs to be dug that is level and then a layer of sand placed inside it before the sleepers are laid into position. Slate chips make for the perfect complement to sleepers by keeping the natural feel of the environment while providing protection from grass and weeds encroaching on it.
Sleepers should be cared for to prevent the growth of excessive moss, algae and lichen which can become slippery when wet, making them a hazard to walk on. Care is simple and requires a basic waterproofing once every few years, followed on with a good brush down with a hard-bristled broom at least twice a year.
Sleepers are the perfect choice for those who prefer more natural looking gardens that make use of recycled materials. They are strong and resistant to adverse weather conditions, can be sealed and weatherproofed to increase their lifespan and can be used in many creative ways to bring charm and character to a garden.
Creating a beautiful garden doesn’t have to be time consuming nor expensive. With the use of a few simple garden accessories such as lawn and border edging and making use of organic materials such as sleepers and natural stone, creating a desirable space is easy. The garden should be for enjoying and if you see it as a chore then you won’t appreciate all the beauty it has to offer nearly as much.
Author Bio
About Fergus @MatsGrids
MatsGrids are suppliers of Ground reinforcement systems, grass reinforcement and protection mesh for domestic and commercial landscaping projects. Our business mission is to become the UK’s leading supplier of groundworks, civils and landscaping products. Over the last few years, our company has grown to become one of the UK’s most reputable suppliers to these sectors and today we supply our range of products to thousands of businesses and end users within the UK and overseas.
2 comments
Just what I need. I was looking for unique ideas that I can share with my sister. A simple garden around her gazebo. I’m excited to share this to her.
Don’t worry about the ambiguous future, just work hard for the sake of clarity