Wood is a popular building material. It can be used for many things like siding, decking, and trim. Wood is a common material for creating garden borders. If you want to use it for your garden, here are some things to know:
Wood Edging Pros
Warmth
Wood makes your garden look cozy and welcoming. It has a nice texture and pattern that makes your yard look great. The variation in wood grain provides a appearance that blends well with other natural materials and patterns. This is why wood is known as an all-purpose material for many projects.
Bamboo edging looks very unusual and bold, and paired with black pebbles and dark stone paths, it will give a Zen feel to your garden.
This stylish veggie garden features raised garden beds with stained edging, white gravel and some vegetables and blooms.
A row of creative mini flower beds styled with branch edging will add interest and eye-catchiness to your front yard or entrance.
Rough branches used as garden bed edging will give your garden a woodland or rustic feel.
Dark-stained wood stands out in the green grass and makes a bold combo for this little veggie garden.
Light-stained flat wooden edging makes the space look more formal and stylish and defines the border of the garden bed.
Structure
Wood provides strong support, perfect for raised garden beds and sloped lawns. It helps prevent soil erosion and keeps your landscaping in place. Next rain won’t be a problem.
This grey timber edging matches the pathway perfectly. The edging is processed with some special water-resistant finish that will make it more durable.
You may paint your wooden edging any shade that you want, here it's painted graphite grey to match the fence and the gravel.
An oversized garden bed for trees that wil be used as a privacy fence is styled with large wooden logs as borders to pull off a rustic look.
The fence is lined up with a long and narrow garden bed with light-stained edging that perfectly matches the fence stain.
You can leave your wood edging uncovered but remember that it can rot faster than coated.
Naturalness
Many people prefer a natural look for their garden spaces. Wood is an excellent choice because it maintains its natural appearance, even when cut into smaller pieces like pavers or shingles. This makes it easy to blend wood borders into your landscaping without being too noticeable.
Light-stained wood is always a good idea for a veggie garden, it looks nice with stone pathways.
To make your garden bed look more rustic, consider using pieces of logs instead of more traditional edging, it will be very unusual.
Low light-stained wooden edging and white pebbles create a super modern combo for any garden or outdoor space.
A fence dressed up with a matching garden bed with the same wood edging looks better.
If you want a bit of fun, consider using reclaimed wooden planks painted various shades, and voila, your garden bed looks playful.
Sustainability
When sourced responsibly, wood is environmentally friendly. It’s renewable and requires less processing compared to other materials. There are some concerns about the practices of some lumber mills. Just make sure your landscaping team sources wood from a reliable source.
Shape
Wood is versatile and can be cut into various sizes and shapes to fit your garden’s needs. Small beams, uniform planks, or shingles would all work to quickly create garden edging.
Rustic wooden planks with a bark edge can be used in a rustic or cottage garden to highlight its style.
Polished timber edging with metal details allows creating more unusual garden bed shapes and not just going straight.
Upcycling some wood you can make garden bed edging yourself, and it will define the landscape a lot.
A beautiful veggie garden styled with white gravel, rich-stained wood edging, various blooms and veggies, looks nice.
A cottage veggie garden with grey gravel, garden beds with stained edging, a trellis and a decorative stone pathway.
A creative garden with a wooden path, a garden bed accented with rough branch edging and some trellises.
Rough logs will be a nice fit for a flower bed with a rock garden or a scenery like that, all-natural and with some hardscaping.
Budget-friendly
Wood edging can be very budget-friendly. Using reclaimed wood or pallets, can significantly reduce costs. Additionally, wood is often cheaper than other edging materials like stone or metal.
Different styles
Wood edging comes in a variety of styles to suit any garden design. Whether you prefer a rustic look with natural logs, a sleek modern appearance with smooth planks, or a decorative style with painted or carved wood, there is always an option for you.
Wood Edging Cons
Durability
Wood needs maintenance to last long, especially outdoors. Regular checks for rot and waterproof treatments are essential. That would protect it for many years, even decades. Without proper care, wood can decay over time. Keep it free from dirt and debris to prevent mold and rot. Regular inspections are crucial to prevent unexpected collapses during heavy rain.
Reclaimed wood pieces as garden bed edging allow you to add a natural touch to your garden.
Such comfortable in using plank edging will do for a cottage garden, though this edging isn't really durable.
Rustic stained wood edging and whitewashed brick are a great combo for a rustic or farmhouse garden.
A vegetable garden with a lot of garden beds and wood edging, black mulch and neutral gravel looks pretty and stylish.
A curved garden bed with stained wood edging, white gravel and some greenery is a catchy and stylish decor feature.
A beautiful cottage garden done with a stained fence and wood garden bed edging, a large trellis arch and gravel hardscaping.
Rich-stained wood for garden bed edging will make your space more stylish and cool, adding a rustic feel to it.
Sturdiness
Long pieces of wood can be hard to fit into curves. Smaller pieces might not be strong enough for retaining walls, so larger sections are usually better for durability and protection. Use small wood segments to create a lawn border or for a flower bed. Although large pieces of wood could be protected more easily.
Color fading
Over time, wood can fade due to UV exposure. Regular staining or painting is necessary to maintain its appearance.
A tall raised garden bed along the fence is a bold way to dress it up, and hay on the soil brings a strong rustic feel to the space.
Tall wood edges are always a good idea for growing some veggies and herbs in a garden, they are easy to DIY and install yourself.
These thin wood garden bed edges create a more delicate look, upcycle some old wood into such edging yourself.
These light-stained uneven planks break up the formal look of the garden with pebbles, a living wall and flowers adding a bit of spice.
This lush garden with a lot of greenery and blooms looks natural and a bit wild, so a wooden edge makes it a bit more defined.
If you have a wooden deck or paths, pair them with wooden flower bed edges for a more cohesive look.
Light-stained wood is complimented with neutral gravel for a more cohesive and peaceful look.
Such metal details allow you creating flower beds of more unusual shapes as you can move the parts wherever you need.
A vegetable garden with a green lawn, raised garden beds with wooden edges, a large trellis arch with climbers is welcoming.
A very well-organized vegetable garden with garden beds and wooden edging, gravel for hardscaping looks very clean and neat.
Wood logs are all-natural and super creative garden bed edges to rock, they are all about rustic decor.
Rich-stained wooden slabs will prevent erosion and keep your plants and blooms in place, here they also soften the look of the metal fence.
How to Install Wood Edging
- Use stakes and string to outline where you want the border.
- Create a shallow trench along the marked line, about 2 inches deep.
- Cut the wood to the desired size and place it in the trench.
- Use stakes or nails to hold the wood in place.
- Fill the trench with soil and pack it down firmly to secure the wood.