A bed edging made of stone is not always necessary for flower or vegetable beds, but it is often useful. Curbs are very helpful, for example, if you want to separate your bed from a lawn or a paved path.
Fieldstones are an attractive, inexpensive option for bed borders
What is the purpose of curbs?
The curbs are often used purely for visual purposes. It just looks nicer when beds and/or paths are visibly demarcated. But they also prevent the covering of your garden paths, such as gravel or bark mulch, from getting into the bed. If you have vigorously growing plants in your bed, edging stones that are deep enough can prevent them from growing into the neighboring bed.
Such curbs serve, among other things, as a rhizome barrier or root barrier. You need this, for example, if you have planted bamboo. Otherwise, it will spread throughout your garden through underground rhizomes. Then the so attractive plant will eventually become a real nuisance.
How do I set curbs correctly?
Curbs do not necessarily have to be set in concrete. However, if you want to prevent your lawn from spreading into the flower bed or if you want the stones to curb the growth of your bamboo, then concrete is definitely recommended, as this closes all the cracks between the individual stones.
Even without using concrete, you should ensure that your curbs are set firmly and securely. A substructure made of sand, grit (€46.95) or gravel may be necessary. Above all, make sure that the curbs are straight. A string can help you align.
Setting curbs - brief instructions:
- Mark the setting edge
- Dig a trench about 5 to 10 cm deeper than the stones are to be placed
- Fill in approx. 5 cm of sand
- Mix mortar with relatively little water
- Fill the finished mortar about 5 cm deep into the trench
- Set curbs in the mortar
- Align stones and tap into place with a rubber mallet
- Pour some more mortar in front of and behind the curbs
- Let the mortar dry (also works after filling with soil)
- Fill in the trench with soil
tips
Not every bed needs a concrete border, but for plants with strong root growth or rhizomes, deep curbs are often the easiest to care for.