Almost all of my beds are adjacent to lawn. I started with raised beds, edged with free sawmill ends (curved with bark still on). This was a rustic look which worked well for many years. They eventually rotted or fell apart to the point it just became a big mess. I've also tried a couple types of plastic edging - the small pieces that link together pounded into the ground, and the rolled edge that is buried. I didn't care for the look of either of those. River rocks or used bricks have been employed, which is a nice look, but difficult to keep neat and tidy, the weeds insisted on sprouting in all the cracks. What I have settled into is just a simple cut-in edge, using a square spade, cutting straight down about 6" and then mounding the soil back into the bed to keep the grass roots somewhat challenged to colonize my flower beds. I cut the edge during spring cleanup, and often again in the fall. During growing season, I will often hand-cut the grass edge while weeding, although my husband also will use the weedwacker to neaten up the edge (not my favorite look, it ends up being a bit haphazard). I also try to be sure each bed is easy to maneuver around with our riding mower, so the edges get at least a cursory weekly trim during mowing season. What methods have you found that work well (or not)?
