Garden paving edging

[Jeff Layman]

We are having a fair amount of garden path paving laid to replace old and cracked paving which was laid straight onto the soil! It will be done with 600 mm x 600 mm slabs (concrete) laid as a double width on a proper base - compacted 100 mm MOT 1 with a strong, full-width (no spot bedding!) mortar mix. It is on a natural slope of around 4 or 5%, and used for foot traffic only.

The builder has asked what edging I want between the paving and flower beds or lawn. But I am inclined to have none at all. I've had a look at the Marshalls brochure and

webpage, but none of it appeals, and I really can't see the need for it if the path paving has been constructed properly. Of the half-dozen reasons given in the Introduction on The Paving Expert page, only one might apply - "To allow garden soil and/or turf to be kept separate from the paving". I think my main objection is that most of it is too thick; why is the standard 50 mm? Half that would be reasonable. The builder has suggested cutting some of the paving stones in half and using those on edge, but that would leave the "unfinished" side of the slab showing.

Any views? Anyone had paving laid without edging?

[tabbypurr]

I've seen it many times. Grass tends to grow over the edge, but it's not really a problem. It looks less formal. You want to lay the slab edges onto mortar, stone can come out over time otherwise.

NT

[Andy Burns]

Bullnose edging? e.g.

[Martin Brown]

Yes. The main problem you get is muddy paths with soil up against a path when it rains as birds and voles scatter soil onto the path. It is worst when you have just added a layer of composted mulch in winter.

The path through my veg plot has no edging - which is fine where it is but would be a real nuisance on a well travelled path nearer the house.

Lawn right up against a path is no problem at all - except that it will slowly spread out over it but that is easily trimmed once a year.

[Brian Gaff]

I would go for edging as no matter what you may think the lawn particularly will get established at the first join between slabs and start to move them about with the roots. Brian

[John Rumm]

Part of the reason is the need to retain the sub base at the edges. If the path is sunk into the ground this may be less necessary. You could also do it with concrete haunches that don't come right up tot he finished paving level. How important this is will depend on the local soil conditions.

I did inset paving across my lawn - compacted sub base and then slabs laid on a weak mix of blinding (sharp sand and cement - buy just laid damp and allowed to "crisp"). Generally has worked well apart from where I have hit them with the ride on mower (although on the bright side, it allows the slab to shift in preference to ripping the deck off the bottom of the mower!)

[Huge]

[28 lines snipped]

I found that they slowly submerged into the lawn. Every couple of years I had to dig the slabs up and add more sand ...

[Adrian Caspersz]

We've got a path of single slabs laid down the garden on a bed of dry sand and miserly cement positioned next to a flowerbed. Over time some of that poor mix has washed out under the slabs, and some are starting to tip and move sideways making walking a bit exciting. A concreted buffer strip would have been a great move on both sides to stop both material and slab leaving, but probably a proper 'sticky' base mix would have worked without.

[Adrian Caspersz]

On 02/02/17 12:48, Adrian Caspersz wrote: en a great move on both sides to stop both

Opps, my snipping ability is failing. Sorry for the extra bytes...

[fred]

A controlled spray of Roundup at the junction of the pathe and the grass will help control the grassy over growth. Just don't do it on a windy day.I'll leave the aestetics to others.

[Huge]

Stock up. You may not be able to get it much longer.

[The Natural Philosopher]

At least we can lobby MPs to get the ban rescinded post Brexit.

[Judith in England]

I had some laid with edging "bricks" which look very good - they protrude about three inches higher than the paving itself - bedded in cement.

Part of the paving butts up to a garden. I did not want the edging there and a bed of cement was put under the edge of each slab next to the garden. It is not as high as the top edge of the paving and is covered with just a couple of inches of topsoil. Very secure and looks good.

[Tim Watts]

Presumably we can have ammonium suphamate and sodium chlorate back at the same time?

[John Rumm]

I have the reverse problem... the slabs stay put height wise (the sub based is probably 100 - 150mm thick well compacted type 1 MoT, and the inclusion of the cement in the screeding sand stops that migrating. However our clay soil results in shrinkage when it gets very dry so the effective level of the slab rises and the ground around it drops away a bit. Which on a number of occasions has resulted in the edge catching the bottom of the mower deck causing one to come to a very abrupt halt!

I don't want to set the slabs any lower since they are right at the level where water sits in the winter when the ground gets waterlogged. So I need to build up the lawn height a bit either side... I suspect that spreading a thin layer of compost on the grass ever so often may do it in time.

[Martin Brown]

Never found that to be a problem. You always get some grass and weeds growing in the cracks between flags. The only thing is that the lawn will gradually spread out over the edges but an edging tool (or at a push a spade) will sort that out once ever year or so.

I edge lawn to flower border transitions as they really will get out of hand if the grass is free to colonise open soil.

[PeterC]

All of mine. Does need some maintenance, as others say, but my main priority is to be able to mow over the parh without encountering concrete! Bullnose kerb could be hand - one path was OK until the resident mole went to and fro, bring out a lot of sand.

[Graeme]

In message , Jeff Layman writes

Our front garden path runs between lawns without edging and yes, the grass does slowly encroach. However, the ease of running the mower straight over the path outweighs the disadvantage. I use an old fashioned lawn edger once a year, to keep it tidy.

[Jeff Layman]

(snip - see my OP for details)

Many thanks for all the replies. Much food for thought!.

[Stuart Noble]

No edging generally works well with hover mowers, but the grass creeps with insufficient height for the mower to catch it. Hands and knees with shears once a year