Lawn edge material choice

Moin Moin everyone,

We want to build a new pathway as part of our "front yard project" (maybe I will add that later).

After some discussion we decided on a curved pathway, around 7 meters long and filled with bark mulch. In order to make it neat and tidy we want to give it a nice border.

I know the pros and cons of different materials in theory, but for it to last a decade, some real-life experience would be appreciated. Especially for systems that come in one piece/roll and don't need to be clicked together.

Basically our choices are:

1. Plastic - cheap but easy to degrade and break over time and hard to remove all the splinters when it does.

2. Galvanized steel - huge differences in price and durability in this group. Might work out well, but I'm not sure if I want to gamble.

3. Stainless steel - very high priced but durable.

4. Weathering-/Corten-Steel - I like the rusty look, but does it hold up against time?

5. Aluminium - my personal favourite since it is rust-free and easy to work with. But does it bend a lot ?

Thanks for your ideas in advance


Edit: pictures didn't belong here + grammar

 

Aluminium will bend if it's long and slow bend, sharp bends the aluminium will crack but still hold together
Best if you can get it rolled to what you want, if you can get that done

 

@Jiffy
I was more concerned about denting due to constant use oder the years. You know, taking a step back, stepping onto the edge and *bam* - dented for life. But maybe that's just a horror scenario playing in my brain.

Path is planned to be around 7 m long and doing a quarter of a circle in that course. Since I convinced my wive to give it a more "organic" look I don't have to deliver perfect work any more

Thanks @shiney , but I think I might pass. Those plastic thingies mostly trigger bad memories when cleaning up my mother's strawberry plot and finding tons of sharp pieces of broken down plastic barriers.

 

Thought about it but doesn't give a good barrier. And if it does, it's a lot of work to implement - wife is rather picky when it comes to stone colouring and perfect alignment.
That's why I thought two metal bands would make it a lot easier give her something that's pleasant to look at.

 

In those places I use edging, I've gone for corten plate. IMHO its the best.

 

Just a thought, but what's wrong with log roll edging?

Blooma Pine Edging roll, (H)150mm (L)1.8m | DIY at B&Q

The metal tying the roll together isn't very pretty, but you won't see it once the whole thing is sunk into the ground. And of course it's completely in keeping with a wood chip path.

Perhaps more importantly too for lawn edging, it won't destroy your mower blade if the lawn sinks slightly and you catch the edging.

 

Thanks for the reply @Graham B
This really is an interesting idea and surely nice to look at. Our main concern would be durability though. Do you have any experience values how long it will take for it to rot?
We don't plan on planting a lawn. It's supposed to be more of a pathway though some shrubs and perennials with lots of small plants to keep the ground covered.

 

Not from my own use, I'm afraid. Stuff that other people have put in though, it's gone at least 5 years without rotting. And with it being stuck in the ground, even when it rots, there's still some structure to keep the path there.

 

Years ago, I used to use the pine edging rolls in my garden here. From personal experience, they are simply not worth the money! After a few years they had rotted below ground, and had to be removed and replaced. One worry I always had was that the pressure treatment would leech out, and doing some damage to the nearby plants.

 

Sorry the pics upside down... not sure what happened there! But you can see the edging. It's very bendy and made from recycled tyres. Can't see it rotting this side of the next millennium.

 

That's an interesting one, Sandy - thanks. I'll keep an eye out for that myself.

 

That would be my choice, if you can weld?

You can buy pre-formed lengths (at considerable expense) that have "hook and eye" joiners of some sort, and integral pegs ... but I spoke to a groundworker before choosing mine and he very helpfully said they are a problem because if the spot where you want to put the fixed-peg in has a stone you are snookered. His approach is to cut a suitable length of rebar, at 45-degrees to make a "point", bang that in ... if you hit a stone move along a bit and try again ... and then tack-weld that to the steel.

Can't remember the thickness offhand, but we have thicker along the drive in expectation that someone will nudge it or drive up onto it, and thinner for the borders.

Steel (from a steel-stockholder) always seems fairly cheap to me. I use steel rod for plant supports (bent around a tree, something that Monty Don demonstrated on Gardeners World some years back ...)

This is the sort of pre-formed edging I was thinking of

https://www.thetraditionalco.co.uk/...how-to-install-your-legacy-steel-lawn-edging/

Some pictures of mine in another thread

 

Thanks @Kristen , that is really helpful. Sadly I don't have the welding equipment (or the skill ) so I guess we will try our best with aluminium. It comes at lengths of up to 20m which is more than enough, while also being affordable. Since it won't be in an exposed place and doesn't have to endure heavy punishment we will give it a try.
Thanks for your input everyone