Landscaping suggestions, if you please? (pic included)

[LeftyFingerPop]

I have a rather large mulched area around half of my home. Every year, I have to spend about a month getting it to look good.

Clean up from the winter, trimming the bushes, cutting a new edge, and re-mulching. It looks really nice when it is done, but every year that goes by, this task gets more difficult for me to do. Also, every year that I edge, it increases the width of the mulched area by a few inches. It has now gotten to the point where it is too big (wide).

So, my question really relates to the edging...I am looking to put a permanent edge on this area so I don't have to cut a new one every year. It also should be noted that this edge would not be flat...some of the mulched area is slightly hilly.

Anyone have any good recommendations on a permanent edging I could use? Something that would hold the mulch away from the lawn, and something I would be able to just trim up to with the weed whacker?

Here's a pic of just one small section of the area. Thanks!

[Parche]

1. I Say

Just rip it all up and put in 'Pube Grass'

:woohoo: :woohoo:

Looks fine as is....:hi:

[LeftyFingerPop]

2. Goddamnit Parche! I'm posting something serious for once...

:rofl:

Freakin' pube grass :eyes: :rofl: :hug:

[siligut]

3. Nice yard.

Are those Asiatic lilies, the red and yellow flowers, closest to the basement windows? Where do you live? I am in the NW and mine are just about ready. They are my favorites when they bloom.

Rocks buried slightly and bender board works for us. You could use broken flagstone, to go with your pathway, if you want consistency. Your yard looks good; I understand the problems with maintenance.

[LeftyFingerPop]

4. Thank you...yes I believe those are lillies...pic is a few years old...

What is bender board?

Also, you stand the flagstone on edge and bury it partially?

Thanks!
:hi:

[siligut]

5. I want my lilies to bloom!

Lilies always make it feel more like spring. You can find bender board at garden stores; it is sold specifically for borders. The stuff we used is brown, a little darker than mulch and less reddish. However I think I have seen gray.

Yes the broken flagstone would go on edge and be buried slightly. We weed whack our stones and bender board without any problems.

:hi:

[EstimatedProphet]

6. You should be able to find edging at Lowe's

It's plastic/rubber, about 4" wide. Drive it vertically down where the grass meets the mulch. That should do the trick.

[LeftyFingerPop]

10. Thanks EP....

I've tried this stuff before, but I was not happy with it. However, I may have bought the real cheap stuff...it would be worth it to check this stuff out again and maybe get a better quality than what I bought before. :hi:

[Hell Hath No Fury]

7. Plastic lawn edging is made exactly for that -

you should be able to find it at any Home Depot or Lowes. It is usually brown, a quarter of an inch thick, is flexible, and comes in a few widths. You dig a narrow, 4" + deep trench (or whatever depth your edging requires) along your grass line, sink the lawn edging and then backfill your dirt. Make sure the edging sits around 1/2" abouve the ground so that the lawn doesn't make it's way over to your mulch area. It's a very easy do-it-yourself project.

Here's a pic:

[LeftyFingerPop]

11. Thank you HHNF...

See my response to Estimated Prophet....

I think this may be worth checking out again, and thank you for posting the pic. The stuff in the pic looks a lot better than the cheap crap I tried some years back....:hi:

[Call Me Wesley]

8. I see it was suggested upthread.

This is very easy to do and looks neat, unless you're looking for a more natural solution like a little stone wall:

http://www.edgn.com.au/

[LeftyFingerPop]

9. Thanks Wesley....I LOVE the looks of this...

for a lot of reasons....color choice, no seams, durable, etc.

I just went out and walked off the distance...it is around 80 feet.

Each section is 1.5 ft, so 80 div by 1.5 = 53 sections x $12 per section = $636.

I've tried the cheaper plastic before, and I did not like it so well...I'd really like to try this stuff, but I can't afford it. It is perfect for what I need because of some other variables I did not mention in my OP....maybe I'll try it and just do a little each year.

Thanks Wesley... :hi: :thumbsup:

[KSinTX]

12. Recycled rubber *permanent mulch*

Might be something you might look into. It comes in rolls of varying colors and widths. Since your area is hilly and uneven, you just lay it along the border and it keeps weeds and grass from encroaching.


(A little hard to differentiate between mulch and border here, but the outer edge is just a bit redder)


In black (edit link):
http://www.gardeners.com/Recycled%20Rubber%20Mulch/34-413,default,pd.html

[LeftyFingerPop]

13. This looks perfect....do you have another link?

Unfortunately, both the small and the large widths are no longer carried by this company as per this link. Do you happen to have another link for a different supplier?

Thanks a lot! :hi:

[KSinTX]

14. Gotta keep that picture lookin' purty

You just experienced "lazy Googling" there. I actually have some that I'd gotten at Lowe's (might even have been Home Depot) but didn't go right to the site. They do carry it and if your local one doesn't you can order it online. Let me know how it works for you (mine has both helped stop a bunch of erosion on an inclined pathway and helped reduce spills of people walking it). :toast:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=122590-80847-10455&lpage=none

[LeftyFingerPop]

15. Outstanding...thanks so much...and one more question...

Do you stake it down, or just lay it on the ground?

This looks really good, and it is cheap!

[KSinTX]

18. I just laid mine on the ground and mulched around it

The grade wasn't that bad. Between the mulch and the grass (that apparently just likes my mulch as a growth stimulant :)) it's held for two four years now. Top that with the fact that I got it to anchor a very muddy and shaded spot at the side of the house and it's held on that mud. Your area looks much more level so it shouldn't slip. That coupled with the fact that it doesn't look as though it'd get much foot traffic.

I couldn't help but give it a shot because the price was just so right! I think it'll do ya just perfectly. Let me know how it goes!

[underpants]

16. MIRROR BALL!! think MIRROR BALL!!!!

it says "class" to the whole neighborhood

[Maddy McCall]

17. Monkey grass works great!

[Coyote_Bandit]

19. I like

metal edging. Easy to install and the stuff stays put.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100132322