👋Hi There
So....
For years I put off re-siding our cute little blue shed. But this Fall I caught a dirt cheap sale on mums at a garden center and the idea to create a flower bed in front of the shed entered my head and wouldn't leave.
What captured my imagination was installing landscape edging around the flower bed that would match the shed. After all, I'd have to paint the new siding; why not use some of that paint on the flowerbed borders and create something truly unique?
Sitting on the deck, gazing at the shed, a vision of the finished project came into view. I watched a chipmunk hop out of the shed through a hole in the siding and thought: this is the year.
Re-siding the shed and breaking up super compacted dirt to make the flower bed were labor intensive tasks. Installing the garden border? That was fast and easy.
If you're thinking about adding garden beds to your own garden or outdoor space and want to make flower beds the easy way, this post is for you.
Read on!
Plan the Flower Bed Edging Before You Start
Before breaking ground, it helps to take a few minutes to plan the edging layout. Even for a small flower bed, this step makes installation smoother and helps avoid rework later.
At this stage of a DIY flower bed edging project, focus on:
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Defining the shape and length of the border so you know how much lumber you'll need
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Marking the layout with a hose, rope, or spray paint to visualize the flower bed in the space
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Deciding board height based on how much soil or mulch the bed will contain
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Measuring total linear footage so materials can be calculated accurately
This planning step sets the foundation for a clean installation and reduces guesswork once you start working with lumber and fasteners.
In The Beginning....
The siding on the south side of our shed was badly deteriorated. It gets hours and hours of full sun (great for a flower garden; not so great for wood siding) and so it was flaking, cracking, and breaking down.
The siding job was straight forward: demolish the old siding, install the new siding, caulk, paint. That took a Saturday afternoon.
With the siding done, I turned my attention to the new bed I needed to create.
Breaking (Super Hard) Ground
The ground where I planned to make my flower bed was hard. Like - super hard!
I couldn't work a pitchfork or a spade even an inch into the soil. So I grabbed my pick-axe - ⛏️! - and got to work.
I planned to install flower bed edges so that the bed ran the twelve-foot length of the shed and came out about two-feet. Breaking up the ground and digging down about six to eight inches took about an hour including plenty of breaks (it was hot and I'm no spring chicken...).
The clay soil broke apart in large clumps. I walked over it, stomping as I went to crush the clumps. Then I used a rock rake to further break up the clumps and smooth and even out the bed.
Because the ground was so barren, a weed barrier - eg., landscape fabric, cardboard, etc. - wasn't necessary.
With the bed smoothed out it was time to prep and install my garden edging. Yay!
Making the Flower Garden Border
Choosing Lumber and Fasteners for a Stable Flower Bed Border
The materials you choose directly affect how well a flower bed border holds up over time. Two-by lumber works well for DIY edging projects, but stability depends on using lumber and fasteners appropriately.
Key considerations at this stage include:
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Lumber type and treatment - pressure-treated or naturally rot-resistant wood lasts longer in ground-contact conditions
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Board thickness and height - taller boards contain deeper beds but require more secure anchoring
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Fastener spacing - consistent spacing helps prevent flex along long runs and at joints
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Fit at joints and corners - clean cuts and tight alignment reduce weak points
Making these decisions before installation helps ensure the edging stays straight and secure once it’s in place.
Untreated Lumber ➡️ Colorful Border
To add visual interest my edging design included painting the garden borders to match the shed.
I couldn't pull that off with typical edging materials so plastic edging, rubber edging, brick edging, concrete edging, stone edging - all were a no-go. Paintable, stainable wooden edging was the ticket!
I had some untreated 2x4 lumber on hand. Typically I would use lumber suitable for ground contact to create wood edging. But since I was painting the edging with the same exterior-grade paint I used on the shed, I was curious to see how the painted untreated lumber would hold up over time. So I used it.
I've read that you can get several years of useful life out of untreated wood used in exterior projects. It'll be interesting to see how long the painted untreated lumber lasts. I'll keep you posted!
With all of the prep done, it was time to install my flower bed borders.
Two-By Edging Installation
Siding the shed, breaking up the soil - so far this project has been hard work!
Finally though, I'm on the downhill. And the wind is at my back because I'm using 2xEDGE (two-by edge) Staples to install my flower bed garden edges. The staples require just a 16-ounce rubber mallet for installation.
Two-by (2x) lumber makes great looking garden spaces that feature clean lines and offer a modern look. No need to dig a shallow trench - or a deep one, and no need to drill holes in the wood for screws or make holes in the wood with nails - which would weaken the wood and decrease its useful life even if it were pressure treated.
Available in a variety of colors (for this project I'm pairing Forest Green staples with my painted two-by-four lumber) you can feel free to go color crazy with your landscape design in ways that you just can't with other edging products.
Depending on the landscape beds you're creating you might need additional tools.
For instance, if you're installing lawn edging you may need to use your lawn mower and/or half-moon edger pre-installation.
If you're installing edging in an area that's full of weeds you may need to grab your string trimmer to clear the way for edging.
Final Step: Planting & Mulching (Or Vice Versa)
I'm not sure which is my favorite part - tapping in the 2xEDGE Staples which is super satisfying, or finally getting my hands in the dirt to put in the plants and add mulch. Or - wait - grabbing the garden hose for the inaugural watering in. Hard call....
Why Use Mulch?
Anyway, as I mentioned, I grabbed mums from a garden center attached to a home improvement store. I also picked up organic cedar mulch.
I didn't need much mulch for this flower bed. I used about two-thirds of a 3-cubic foot bag of mulch.
I wanted to use organic mulch for a few reasons.
While the compacted soil that I started with looked a bit more hopeful once I loosened it up, I wanted to boost the nutrients available to the plants by adding organic mulch.
Over the years, adding natural material such as mulch, wood chips, and other organic matter, will help to amend and build up the soil - a long-term win for the plants.
The new flower bed is a full sun planting area. Mulch will help keep the plant roots cooler and also keep moisture in the soil.
Finish the Installation So the Edging Stays Put
Installing the wood border is only part of the job. Whether the edging holds its shape over time depends on how the lumber, fasteners, and surrounding soil interact once everything is set.
At this stage of the installation, pay attention to:
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Board height relative to finished fill - Soil and mulch should finish slightly below the top of the lumber. Overfilling increases lateral pressure, which can cause boards to bow or lift over time.
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Support under the lumber - Long or repeated unsupported sections concentrate stress on the fasteners. Consistent contact - especially near joints and corners - helps reduce movement as soil settles or shifts.
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Staple spacing and embedment - Staples should be driven fully and spaced closely enough to limit flex between anchor points. Wider spacing increases leverage on individual staples, particularly along longer runs.
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Corners and transitions - Changes in direction experience more stress than straight sections. Inside and outside corners benefit from tighter spacing and careful alignment during installation.
If edging looks good initially but shifts after a season, it's usually because one or more of these installation details weren’t addressed — not because the material itself failed.
Ready to Build Your Own Flower Bed Edging?
If you're planning your own flower bed border - or want to make sure you're installing edging the right way - our step-by-step guide shows you how to install landscape and garden edging correctly.
Inside the How-To hub, you'll find:
- Clear installation instructions
- Project planning guidance
- Lumber sizing help for two-by edging
- Common installation mistakes to avoid
This is the best place to start if you want a clean, durable flower bed edge that stays put.
So, Now You Know👍🏼
I love the way this little DIY flower bed turned out. The garden borders painted the same color as the shed, makes the garden edges feel like they're wrapping around the plants and giving them a hug.🤗
After tackling all of the tough work to replace the siding on the shed and swinging a pick-axe to break up the soil, the quick and easy installation of the garden borders was a welcome change of pace - and fun to do.
If you're going for a contemporary look in your garden, using two-by lumber is an excellent way to create smooth lines and clean edges.
If the size of your garden is vast or you need to add landscape edging to a large area, two by lumber is also a great way to create affordable edging.
The ability to paint or stain wooden edging opens up a world of color that isn't available when using typical edging options like plastic, brick pavers, concrete, railroad ties, etc.
And, of course, you can skip the paint or stain and to create a rustic look with two-by lumber (you have many lumber options to choose from to create a natural-looking border).
Photo Credit📸
Photos included in this article were taken by 2xEDGE and are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International.
Related Links You Might Like🎁
How To Install Landscape and Garden Edging (DIY)
How To Make a Mulch Bed in Your Garden (Easy DIY Guide)
Best Wood For Landscape Edging? Two-by (2x) Lumber
The Best Lumber For Garden Edging: Compare Pros & Cons
