I have used bricks, logs and tree limbs, pavers, rocks, cedar shingles hammered in the ground, cobblestones, etc. Anything I liked and that was free. Of course, if I start edging with one material, I stick with that one for that garden. The only exception is that in one garden I have used big rocks and cobblestones together which actually look great.

Having said that, I have to admit that the best edging is none at all. One of the biggest gardens we have has a small 'gutter' dug around it. Where the grass is, the 'gutter' goes straight down preventing the grass from growing in the direction of the garden. The 'gutter' is about 3 to 4 inches deep and has no real width at the bottom. Gives the appearance of a raised bed. It's easy to maintain - just cut the grass along the edge with a trimmer. This is the easiest 'edge' I have in terms of maintainance.

Hi Tiffy,
Thanks for all the info and your help. I like the idea of the small gutter dug around for a big bed I have.
Thanks
Mary-Jane

The trench method is a good one - especially if you have large garden space. This must be a large enough in width and deep enough (below grass root levels). This is something you will need to maintain every few months, using an edging tool.

However for those among us who have relatively smaller space, we rely on plastic black plastic edging(or aluminum edgers) set 5 inches below grade. It prevents grass roots from getting into the bed. The trick is that the edger top is at level with the grass so that it blends in. YOu can top dress the edges with mulch to further disguise the plastic.

I had used bricks before w/ minimal success because the grass roots managed to invade the beds. While it does look great, alone as an edger, it wasn't too effective. However when combined with the black plastic edgers, it not only looked great, it became very effective.

Ianna

You can get fancier more expensive edging, but I also use the basic black (or green) plastic edging, the type that is sort of 'rippled' and comes in a 15 or 20 foot roll for $3 or $4. I try to place mine so it's even to a bit above the top of the soil. It blends in fairly well and if not placed too high up, the edge of the lawn mower can run over it without cutting or damaging it.

I know there is more expensive (thicker) edging that claims not to heave and push out of the soil (during winter) but to be honest I find the basic model works just fine.

Glen

I "gutter" then use my own homemade hypertufa rocks for edging. I like the look, and they're easy to roll around to whippersnip the grass out. Here's a couple of shots.
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