Saturday, August 20, 2011
Garden Edging Techniques - Creating Beautiful Landscape Designs With Edging
Garden edging is a great way to make your landscape designs pop. You can achieve many clean and decorative looks with various edging techniques. Garden edging will open up a world of landscape design opportunities in your yard because you can choose from a multitude of designs, edging materials, and edging techniques.
If you are not familiar with edging, it is a term used to describe a landscaping technique used to create "edges" around various landscape elements. You can place an edge around trees, shrubs, flowers, and hardscape elements like light posts and mailboxes. Creating an edge around elements in a landscape gives them a clean look and sets them apart from other elements in the yard.
Depending on the style you want to achieve with this technique you might want to choose certain materials over others. For example, cement can give a more modern look and brick can be used to create a more traditional look. Stone and brick are the easiest materials for homeowners to work with on their own. To begin you can try any one of these simple but beautiful techniques that use stone and brick.
Boulder Technique -- This is a very simple landscaping technique to start with. All you need are large sized rocks. Anywhere from 8 inches to a foot in height. Then you place them around your selected garden bed. You can use rocks that slightly vary in shape and color. This technique gives gardens an organic look.
Flagstone Technique -- Flagstone is a popular stone to use in landscapes. It has a distinctive look that most people recognize--a flat, wide surface with uneven edges. Because it is so flat it should be placed in small stacks to give it height. To create a simple edging with flagstone, take small stacks of the stone and place them side-by-side around a garden bed.
Diagonal Brick -- This landscaping idea gives a beautiful old-world look to landscapes. You can create the diagonal brick look by building a small trench around a select garden bed (minding plant roots, of course). Then, set your bricks in the trench so that they are laying on top of each other at a diagonal angle. Fill the trench back up so that most of each brick is covered. When you are done it should look like there are little pyramids of brick sticking out of the ground in a row.
You can create garden edging on your own or you can consult with a residential landscape designer who can create edging designs for you. However, creating your own beautiful edging only requires that you have an eye for detail, a steady hand, and a few materials. You can literally edge with anything that inspires you (sea shells, old bottles, etc.), but some traditional garden edging materials include wood, metal, brick, stone, cement, plastic, and aluminum. You can find pre-made edging materials at your local home improvement store that can easily be put together. You can also buy brick or any variety of stone to create you edging. This is most common. Professional landscape designers typically create cement edges but you can also buy pre-cast cement or faux cement edges that are easy to put together.
For help with your landscape design you should contact professional Phoenix landscapers for expert tips and advice. Professional assistance is especially useful from Phoenix landscaping professionals because the desert can present many challenges to homeowners. No matter what type of landscape you have a professional landscape designer can help you create the landscape of your dreams.
Bamboo Edging - The Perfect Addition to Any Yard
There are many benefits choosing bamboo edging for your next landscaping project. Bamboo is considered an eco-friendly building material for many projects. It offers a very lightweight paired with excellent strength. It would be an attractive addition to any garden.
Bamboo is a fast growing grass that is hardy and resilient. The speed of its growth makes it a renewable source of building or landscape material. Harvested bamboo can completely re-grow in as little as three years. While there are many options for landscape material using different types of wood; only bamboo can make the claim of being a renewable source.
The lightweight of bamboo makes it very easy to work with in the garden. This feature makes it easy to move around in the yard and even easier to install. One section of edging four feet long and twelve inches tall will weigh less than eight pounds.
Bamboo features the tensile strength of steel and the compressive strength of concrete. This makes it an excellent choice for keeping your plants contained in the garden or preventing grass from taking over your sidewalk. Bamboo is also mold resistant, moisture resistant and is not prone to drying out. These features make it an excellent, durable choice for most landscaping projects.
Bamboo edging is constructed by connecting lengths of bamboo side by side using wire. These tubes are then capped to help the interior section stay dry and maintain the strength and durability of the fence. The fencing can be constructed so all the tubes are the same height, typically 12" tall. It is also available in staggered sections with the fencing sections ranging in height from 8" to 12". Edging is available in a natural, light tan finish or a darker, speckled finish. The finish has a glossy appearance that is very attractive in gardens and landscaping.
This edging can be purchased through larger retailers like Home Depot and Lowe's. It can be found at local hardware stores. A keyword search online will yield dozens of retailers offering bamboo edging at very reasonable prices. The lightweight will also help keep shipping costs low if you choose to order your edging and have it shipped.
Bamboo edging can be used for many different projects in your yard. Fences and driveways can be neatly and attractively lined using it. The borders of your flower beds can be more clearly defined. Ground covers can be effectively contained behind this edging. Whatever project you use bamboo edging on you are sure to be pleased with the attractive appearance and the durability of the edging.
For more landscaping edging ideas, please be sure to visit http://www.landscapeedgingart.com today.
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