Garden Edging: Beyond the Brick

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Eye-catching garden borders don't have to be ordinary. These ideas are packed with personality. Which would you try?

Pavers, bricks, railroad ties, rocks...go to any landscape designer and these are the edging options you'll find. Where oh where has all the creativity gone? While lush lawns and gorgeous landscaping are sure to raise the resell value of your home, a little whimsy could go a long way while you are actually living there.

Think about it. What does your yard say about you? What do you want it to say? If you were to harness your passions and personality into your flowerbeds, what would be the result? Give it up for the folks that created these landscape edgings. They were definitely in touch with their inner artiste -- expressions of hobbies, of eco-consciousness, of an eclectic side all abound. Be inspired with these crafty ideas. Here, some things you might want to try in the garden:

Sea shells: Rim your beds with your seashore finds. To keep them from toppling in a heavy rain, dig narrow, 4-inch-deep trenches and fill them with cement. Before the cement sets, place the shells in your desired pattern.


Bowling balls: The Big Lebowski would be all over this garden lane. Using retired bowling balls as a landscape border yields striking results. While probably best if displayed in moderation, don't spare any of the psychedelic swirling colors from the mix.

Perhaps cars rev your engine more than throwing strikes. Junk yard hub caps have been lining fences for years. Why not update and polish up the look by burying them halfway down along the garden edge?



Broken plates: If your favorite plates are beyond repair, fashion a mosaic trim. It's truly special when the borders are made from something with a bit of kitsch 'n history, like Great Aunt Maggie's old china.

Bottles: Forgo the 5 cent return and take your drinks to a whole new level. Recycle bottles by inverting them and burrowing the necks at least halfway into the ground. Whether you work in orderly rows or along a meandering path, the colored glass bottles catch the light and send lovely reflected light onto your garden.



Chipped plates: Chipped vintage ceramic plates and tag sale bargains are wonderful expressions for a cottage garden. Unify the look with matching plates, or go eclectic with a mix of patterns and colors. Be sure to secure plates by embedding them at least half way into the dirt, or setting them in a narrow cement trench.

If fashion plays a bigger role in your life than food, opt for a quirky display of shoes or garden boots instead. Shop thrift stores and tag sales, and fill them with cement to line you beds, otherwise your decorative trims may end up on your neighbors' lawn.


Willow branches: For a more traditional approach that is anything but run-of-the-mill, try shaping willow branches in a lovely crisscrossing pattern and setting them in the soil. Secure each intersection with wire. The overall effect is free-spirited, yet contained.

Don't have the patience to craft your own garden path trellis? Woven willow edging can be found at better garden shops and online.

Roping: A homeowner wanting to meld her vegetable garden with the nautical theme of her child's play pirate ship used heavy-duty marine roping and wooden posts to line the edge. The look can easily be incorporated in a more grown-up location situation.

Skis: Mountain cabins don't need fences. Trim down old skis and bury them alternating the tips and the bottoms to accentuate landscaped beds. Are you more of a boarder? Try outcast or broken snow boards instead.



Wagon wheels: Feeling like taking a walk on the wild side? The wild wild west that is. Well, start swinging the ropes, pull out the wagon and line your trails with old wagon wheels. Secured to a wire backing they act more as a fence. But cut in half and buried in the ground, they're a show stopper.
Swap the wagon wheels for bicycle wheels if cycling is more your speed. With radiating spokes and shiny rims your yard will be riding high.

Whatever your style, whatever your quirk, channel the spirit and express it in garden borders and trims that say something more than standard. Strive for spectacular.

 

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