8 Landscape Edging Ideas That Look High-End on Any Budget

Landscape edging is used to add a decorative border round an area of hard landscaping or planting, or to separate two areas that would otherwise merge such as a planted area and a gravel path. The best edging ideas combine both these elements, offering practical benefits as well as aesthetic appeal.

A wide range of materials are available for landscape edging, from affordable pressure-treated timber and salvaged bricks to luxury stone and sleek corten steel. This makes it simple to find one to match your garden style, and edging a patio, path, flowerbed or lawn will give your backyard a professional finish.

You can easily install many types of landscape edging yourself, even if you have no DIY experience, making this a great weekend project. Which of these ideas will suit your garden best?

1. Decorative Paver Inlays

A popular edging option uses the same type of paver as your patio or path, but in a contrasting color or design. This is a subtle but stylish way to add a distinctive edge to a walkway or other hardscaped area, defining the edges but designed in the same material for a cohesive look.

"Landscape edging can make a significant impact on the look of your garden, and the materials you choose can ensure a polished, high-end look," says Joe Raboine, Vice President of Design at Oldcastle APG. "There are many options to add the right kind of edging that looks great and suits your space.

"If you want to add more visual appeal to your outdoor space, look at creative ways to use pavers. Adding two-dimensional separation, paver inlays can be used to create a visual border around a patio or other area, helping to define the space, in addition to offering color and texture to enhance the look."

2. Classic Granite Cobbles

"Granite cobbles create a substantial, high-end border edge that’s timeless," says landscape architect Tina Flint-Huffman of greenhousestudio.co. "They add a few inches of vertical reveal, which is especially useful for containing loose materials like bark or pea gravel that tend to migrate."

Elevating the cobbles adds visual impact in addition to structure. Beyond function, the weight and texture of real stone immediately signals permanence and quality. Granite cobbles can be used to define driveways, patios, paths and lawns for a high-end look. They are also one of the strongest options if you're looking for more traditional and permanent hardscaping ideas to make a garden look more mature.

3. On-Trend Curved Corten

Corten edging creates a very clean line that contrasts beautifully with natural landscaping including soft planting or loose materials like gravel or mulch. As it weathers, corten gets better, too, acquiring an attractive rust-colored patina over time. It needs minimal maintenance and is easily bent to create curves and custom shapes.

"Utilize edging to reinforce aesthetic themes established elsewhere in your garden design," says Kevin Lenhart, Design Director at Yardzen. "In dry regions or areas where warm tones are visible in native soil and stone, corten steel edging can look gorgeous."

The flexible nature of corten edging makes it ideal for defining clean lines around turf areas, shaping flowerbeds, edging curving pathways. Corten steel is strong enough to be used to create raised beds, too. While this material may have higher initial costs compared to plastic alternatives, corten steel's exceptional durability and longevity make it a cost-effective long-term investment.

A budget-friendly alternative is regular mild steel that is artificially rusted or chemically treated to create a patina that resembles corten.

Affordable Alternatives to Corten Steel

4. Composite Bender Board

Many of us work hard on choosing and placing the right plants for an area of the garden but often forget to frame them with an effective border. And a planted area without a border is like a picture without a frame.

"Borders for planted areas and lawn are often forgotten," says Jeromie Roberts, Turf Coach at Waterloo Turf. "Appropriate borders create separation between hardscape and turf or planted areas. They also prevent migration of materials from one space to another."

A popular and affordable option is composite bender board. "This type of product is made for longevity in the elements, and never warps or splinters," says Jeromie. "While being low profile and blending in, it also allows for freeform curves and shapes. It does the job without overpowering the landscape."

5. Contemporary Recessed Lights

Recessed lights dropped into decking planks to edge lawn or flowerbeds is a great way to add distinctive edging to a modern outdoor space. It's one of the easiest landscape edging ideas if you're on a budget, offering an fast solution to create a decorative border. You can also create garden lighting ideas like this in paved designs.

"Installing LEDs as part of a contemporary lawn edging idea will add a warm glow and have a stylish effect on curb appeal in the front yard or lift the overall look in the backyard," says Joe Raboine. "The latest LEDs offer designer looks, including lights that can change color, and systems that can be controlled via phone."

Find outdoor LED Ground Lights here at Wayfair, and similar Bright Blue Solar Pathway Lights here at Amazon to match the design in the photo.

6. Crisp Steel Edging

Steel edging lends a more architectural finish to a backyard landscape, one that offers longevity too. It virtually disappears once installed, leaving behind a crisp edge that feels intentional.

"If you want a polished, expensive look without spending thousands, go with thin metal edging," says JoAnne Loftus, President and Owner of Archival Designs. "Steel or aluminum edging gives you the razor-sharp lines you see in high-end landscaping magazines at a fraction of the cost."

Metal edging is nearly flush with the ground, so gives a nice line between a gravel walkway and flowerbeds for a sleek vibe. The material is easy to bend around curves, meaning that you can follow the natural flow of your yard rather than having to force everything into straight lines. This flexibility makes it look custom rather than DIY.

"You can use it anywhere, including lawn, patio edging and flowerbed edging, as well as mulched garden beds," says JoAnne. "It works equally well both for hardscaping and softscaping projects because the metal disappears visually while still doing its job."

7. Sustainable Reclaimed Bricks

Reclaimed bricks offer a heritage look that lets you get creative, as well as being easy on the budget. Salvaged brick edging can be slotted into contemporary landscaping designs or more traditional gardens, and both will look like a natural fit.

If you live in a hot climate like the SouthWest, pair bricks with gravel, river rocks and pavers for modern xeriscape design ideas to frame a display of succulents and cacti, as well as being mindful of firescaping schemes.

Find reclaimed bricks that have been cleaned and sorted from specialist dealers like these Old Detroit Reds from Historical Bricks, who ship nationwide and will help you find the perfect material for your project.

8. Cost-Effective Timber Boards

Wooden boards add a crisp edge and natural-looking finish and can be used to define lawns, flowerbeds and pathways. Pressure-treated timber is a practical and affordable alternative to brick or paving and is easily cut to size, offering a cost-effective and flexible solution for customised landscaping projects.

"Opting for simple edging helps to keep costs in control. I’m a fan of timber edging for the texture and warm coloring it brings to a garden design," says Yardzen's Kevin Lenhart. "As design trends move toward a greater embrace of warm neutrals, wood edging offers an easy way to add targeted warm accents to a design."

There are other landscape edging ideas in wood too, including timber stakes like this solid teak wooden edging from Wayfair, and decorative log borders like this one from Amazon for a natural, rustic look.

Find more inspiration with gravel garden ideas and using river rock mulch, as well as rock landscaping design to elevate your landscape edging ideas.