šš¼Hi there.
Collected here are a variety of garden edging projects accomplished with the 2xEDGE Staples solution.
2xEDGE Staples make it easy to transform the two-by lumber of your choice into garden and landscape edging that looks great and lasts a long time.
No digging or drilling is needed and just one tool, a 16-ounce rubber mallet, is required for installation.
Unique metal and (man-made or natural) wood edging
Made in the USA out of 16 gauge steel, use 2xEDGE to create unique wood and metal edging. As one verified customer put it,
"I kept googling ideas for simple wood and metal garden edging and this is exactly what I was thinking of. They are the only product like this out there!"
All but one of the projects highlighted here use pressure treated lumber (PTL), an affordable option thatās easy to get at a home improvement store (Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, etc.), hardware store, or lumber yard.
But you're not limited to PTL. Choose from natural materials such as cedar, redwood, untreated pine (we share a flower bed project below that includes painted untreated 2x4 lumber), or man-made materials like composite wood and recycled plastic lumber. As long as itās 2x lumber up to 2x6, it will work with 2xEDGE Staples.
š Need more info about 2x lumber? We've got a guide for that! Check out Garden Edging with Two-by (2x) Lumber: The Complete Guide and find out why 2x wood is a great option for edging.
Customize your edging - because you can!
You canāt paint or stain plastic edging or rubber edging, but you can paint or stain wood. Garden edges made with 2xEDGE and 2x lumber opens up a world of customization.
2xEDGE Staples come in a variety of different colors making it easy to create the look you want in your outdoor space. Choose 2xEDGE in Satin Black or Satin Silver to create a classic look.
Or choose the original Rustic Steel Staple, which gains a rust patina, and install it with natural wood that weathers over time to create a rustic look.
If youāre drawn to a more formal look, 2xEDGE Picket Fence White Staples installed on wood thatās been painted or stained white or on white plastic lumber is the perfect way to create a crisp, clean look.
Different colors, different materials, different looks. Whatever aesthetic youāre trying to accomplish, 2xEDGE Staples offer plenty of options. They're a great way to bring your vision to life, from industrial chic to modern to a rustic design.
Types of garden & landscape edging projects
As you'll see as you scroll down, you can accomplish all types of edging projects with 2xEDGE. Whether youāre designing a large or small garden space, creating flower beds or a vegetable garden, establishing a new garden area or rebuilding garden beds, you can make it happen with relative ease.
Small Backyard Garden Design With 2xEDGE
Watch as an urban backyard gets a complete garden makeover.
- 2xEDGE Staples: Mint Green
- Lumber Size: 2x2
- Lumber Type: Pressure treated lumber
- Finish: Stain
The goal of this garden design project was to expand the space available for a flower garden.
To bring this design to life grass was dug up and removed, 2x2 lumber was installed, and two types of mulch - cedar wood chips on the path, shredded hardwood dyed brown on garden beds - were put down to great dramatic effect.
Project Notes
A clean look.
Removing the grass left bare soil and the soil level was a couple of inches lower than the pre-existing sidewalk. We decided to use 2x2 lumber as the wood edging between the two contrasting mulches bringing the top of the wood edging level with the sidewalk. Essentially, the sidewalk serves as concrete edging along one side of this small garden space.
A design challenge becomes a garden feature.
The garden design had to incorporate a large, elevated catch basin in the middle of the backyard. There was no getting rid of this large cement structure. A friend and neighbor offered up a small cement planter to top off the catch basin, instantly turning an eyesore into a focal point. The planter could host a tall planting that mimics a fountain, be turned into a water feature, or? Over to the gardener!
Inorganic or organic mulch - your choice.
This design was executed with organic mulches. However, inorganic mulch such as gravel or river rocks would be a great option to define the small garden path.
Contrast as a design element.
The two mulches (both easy to obtain at a garden center) and the Mint Green Staples on lumber stained a dark brown offer a lot of contrast in this small flower garden. But the real show stopper will be the garden itself which has twice as much space and more organization due to the newly defined beds.
DIY Flower Bed: Easily Make Beautiful Garden Borders
Painted wood edging that's both playful and functional.
- 2xEDGE Staples: Forest Green
- Lumber Size: 2x4
- Lumber Type: Untreated Pine
- Finish: Paint
Project Notes
Set your plants up for success.
As you'll see in the video, while this is a small flower bed a lot of hard work went into soil preparation due to the ground having never been disturbed before. Breaking up the soil required a pick axe! All of the ground prep led to a flower bed that was ready to receive plants and offered good drainage - important for plant health.
Let your project be your guide.
The bed is approximately 12-feet long and 2-feet wide requiring small pieces of wood edging on each end. We usually suggest using two 2xEDGE Staples on lumber up to 10-feet long. We installed these short pieces of lumber with just one 2xEDGE Staple centered on each board which worked fine, in part because the staples were installed on dense clay soil which helps to hold things in place.
Untreated pine - outside?
The same exterior paint that was used to paint the shed is used on the 2x4 untreated pine. Untreated pine isn't a typical choice for outdoor use, but we thought painting it would be a good experiment - how long will it last? We'll let you know!
Play with color.
The uniform color of the shed and painted edging helps set the stage, creating a calming backdrop for the flower show to come. The Forest Green Staples do double duty:Ā functional edging and garden accent.
How To Install Landscape and Garden Edging With Stained Wood!
- 2xEDGE Staples: Robins Egg Blue
- Lumber Size: 2x4
- Lumber Type: Pressure Treated Lumber
- Finish: Stain
Project Notes
The edging is the easiest part.
This easy DIY project included cutting and staining pressure treated lumber. Installing the lumber as wood edging with 2xEDGE Staples took just over 2 minutes to complete (shown in elapsed time in the video).
Rustic meets modern.
To keep things uniform, we used the same stain on the lumber as was used on the small deck. The stain gives the edging a rustic touch.
We went with Robins Egg Blue Staples for a high level of contrast. The crisp, vibrant Robins Egg Blue and stained lumber are a great choice. Together they create a unique rustic meets modern vibe.
Accents are the extra.
Bonus! The staples serve as garden accents once the ferns that will be housed in this new garden bed come in.
DIY Patio Edging Ideas: Stunning Wood Garden Borders
Keep your patio tidy while boosting it's character and feeding your plants.
- 2xEDGE Staples: Forest Green and Rose Pink
- Lumber Size: 2x4 and 2x2
- Lumber Type: Pressure Treated Lumber
- Finish: Cedar-stain (off the shelf)
Adding garden beds around a patio can invite soil, mulch, gravel, or rocks to make their way onto your bricks, pavers, or concrete slab and hang out where you don't want it to. One more clean up task for you.
It doesn't have to be this way!
Here's a project where wooden edging was installed between a red brick patio and garden beds. You can relax now, everything stays in its place.
š Need to contain mulch or gravel? Help is here! Check out How To Keep Mulch In Place: Garden Edging For The Win! and explore your options.
Project Notes
A mix of 2x lumber.
A climbing hydrangea's bed didn't need tall garden edging because it required just a light dressing of organic mulch. 2x2 lumber andĀ Rose Pink 2xEDGE Staples were used to create lower profile edging.
A bed located in full sun that features a garden sculpture needed more mulch to help keep plant roots cool and soil moist in summer. 2x4 lumber and Forest Green Staples were used so that several inches of mulch could applied.
A mix of colors.
Using both Rose Pink and Forest Green Staples adds color to the garden, and adds a playfulness to this outdoor space.
A winning contrast in textures.
Whether it's made with old bricks, stone slabs, pavers or concrete blocks, a patio is a hardscape element. Wooden edging is a contrasting texture that complements aĀ hardscaped space.
How To Make a Mulch Bed in Your Garden (Easy DIY Guide)
- 2xEDGE Staples: Rustic Steel
- Lumber Size: 2x4
- Lumber Type: Pressure Treated Lumber
- Finish: Natural
This DIY mulch bed video is one of the more popular videos available through the 2xEDGE Youtube channel.
Project notes
Let's talk about cardboard.
In this video we create a brand new garden space where there were only weeds and grass. We did this by building out the garden edging and then laying out cardboard that we covered with soil and wood chips.
Since completing this project we've learned that using cardboard as a weed/grass barrier - a popular practice - is problematic. So problematic that we no longer use cardboard in any of our projects. There's a lot to know; it's all in our cardboard sheet mulching blog post.
Wood chips: the new cardboard!
For those specific areas that require managing weeds or grass as part of a new raised bed, consider spreading a thick layer of organic material like wood chips. In "Bagged vs Bulk Mulch vs FREE: Which is Best and Why?" we share ways to get wood chips for free.
White Garden Edging Made with Metal & Wood
An earth-friendly option for classy, timeless landscape edging.
- 2xEDGE Staples: White
- Lumber Size: 2x4
- Lumber Type: Pressure Treated Lumber
- Finish: Stain
Project notes
Skip the plastic.
White garden edging offers clean, crisp lines along paths, around flower gardens, alongside a fence. Typical options are white plastic garden edging or white stone (including faux - plastic - stone).
Instead, create durable, long lasting white garden borders with metal - 2xEDGE Staples in Picket Fence White - and wood - 2x4 pressure treated lumber stained white. The planet will thank you.
About the stain.
It looks like the wood edging in this video has been painted white. Actually we used a water-based exterior grade stain - SharkSkin Solid Color Deck & Siding Stain - by Rodda Paint.
Hellstrip Garden: Put An Edge Around It (the Easy Way)
A challenging garden project is made a little easier.
- 2xEDGE Staples: Satin Black
- Lumber Size: 2x4
- Lumber Type: Pressure Treated Lumber
- Finish: Natural
Hellstrip gardening can present a ton of work. If just one task can be made easier don't pass up on that opportunity!
Project notes
Been there/done that - tips and cautions.
Two intrepid senior DIYers take on their urban parking strip and turn a boring patch of grass into a garden oasis. This gracious gardening duo talks about their experience and shares tips for handling sidewalk garden gotchas in this customer interview.
Creating healthy garden space.
The soil in parking strips typically needs a bit of help to create an optimal planting space. For this project, edging made with 2x4 lumber allows for the addition of several inches of mulch which will build up the soil over time, protect and supply nutrients to plant roots, and help retain moisture.
š Questions about mulch? Check out What Does Mulch Do? Basics, Benefits & Best Practices and find out the why, what, and how behind using mulch to create a thriving garden.
And more tips.
Check out "Parking Strip Gardens: Tips for Landscape Edging Success" and get all the details on turning your parking strip into a talk-of-the-town garden.Ā
Landscape Edging Around a Deck
A floating deck gets a wrap-around garden.
- 2xEDGE Staples: Rustic Steel
- Lumber Size: 2x4
- Lumber Type: Pressure Treated Lumber
- Finish: Natural
This video captures the first-ever 2xEDGE project.
Project notes
Custom edging in no time.
Turning 2x lumber into functional landscape edging is easy to do with simple tools and 2xEDGE.
Completing this edging project required just three tools: a 16 ounce rubber mallet, a circular saw (could have used a hand saw or a miter saw), and a speed square.
It all came together in a couple of hours - and continues to look and function great years later.Ā
Large Pollinator Garden in a 6-Sided Flower Bed
A pollinator-ready garden space done in an hour. Bring on the bees and the butterflies!
- 2xEDGE Staples: Monarch Orange
- Lumber Size: 2x6
- Lumber Type: Pressure Treated Lumber
- Finish: Natural
The 6-sided hexagon can be found all over nature. For this pollinator garden project, the hexagon makes us think of bees and honeycomb. And the Monarch Orange StaplesĀ are a nod to butterflies.
Project notes
A 166 square foot garden bed.
This hexagon shaped flower bed was fun to make, adding a unique shape in our backyard and 166 square feet of new planting area. That's a lot of garden space!
Wood chips to the rescue.
To snuff out weeds and grass in this new garden bed we followed the advice shared by The Garden Professors and piled on inches and inches of wood chips. The 2x6 lumber used to create the edging keeps all of that organic mulch contained.
Angle cuts explained.
Curious about making angled cuts? This video includes a segment that walks you through what to do to easily make angle cuts with a circular saw.Ā
How To Build a Flower Bed Around a Tree
A unique tree ring feature that adds form and function.
- 2xEDGE Staples: Rustic Steel
- Lumber Size: 2x4
- Lumber Type: Pressure Treated Lumber
- Finish: Natural
The hexagon is such a pleasing shape, creating an instant feature in the garden.
Project notes
Quick angle cuts.
For this project we used a miter ("chop") saw to make 30-degree angle cuts at each end of each board. We could have also used a hand saw or a circular saw.
If you're curious about how to make angle cuts, check out our pollinator garden video (above) which includes a segment on this topic.
So, Now You Know
If you've made it this far you've likely seen a number of garden edging projects come to life and get that 2xEDGE Staples are a simple and creative way to edge your outdoor spaces.
Easy to use, highly customizable - consider 2xEDGE Staples for your next edging project. As one customer put it in a verified review:
I was extremely happy with how well they worked. Really easy to use and the project went quickly. I would purchase these again without hesitation."
Related Links You Might Likeš
10 Reasons To Choose 2xEDGE (Hint: It's Better By Design)
Landscape Edging: An Apples-to-Apples Price Comparison
How To Figure Out How Many 2xEDGE Staples You Need