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If you're considering wood garden edging, you've probably already heard a few warnings:
- "Wood will rot."
- "It'll shift after the first winter."
- "Just wait - it won't stay where you put it."
Here's the truth: all garden edging moves.
Wood edging moves. Plastic edging moves. Rubber edging moves. Even thin steel edging that's driven deep into the ground can pop up here and there after a freeze/thaw cycle.
There are many reasons for this. Soil shifts. Moisture changes. Ground expands and contracts. There is no edging material that stays exactly where you put it forever.
This article isn't about how to make wood edging permanent - that's not realistic.
Instead, it's about how to manage movement so your edging stays aligned and easy to adjust over time.
If you've already decided on wood or are seriously considering it, this guide will help you understand:
- why wood edging shifts;
- what "staying put" really means in a landscape; and
- which anchoring methods work best within those realities
This guide will also help you decide whether wood edging is the right choice for you.
First, a Reality Check: All Garden Edging Moves
Before we get into anchoring methods, it's important to set expectations.
Edging moves out of its original, intended alignment due to environmental factors.
Why no edging stays exactly where you put it
Garden edging exists in an environment that is constantly changing. Soil absorbs water and dries out. Temperatures rise and fall. Humidity comes and goes. Organic material decomposes. Roots grow.
All of these conditions create pressure - upward, downward, and sideways - on anything installed at ground level.
That's why even "permanent" edging systems eventually show signs of movement:
- edges lift in spots;
- corners drift out of alignment;
- sections settle lower than others.
This doesn't mean the edging has failed. It means it's interacting with the landscape it lives in.
Frost, soil movement, and seasonal change
In colder climates, freeze/thaw cycles are one of the biggest drivers of movement.
When the ground freezes, moisture in the soil expands. As it thaws, that soil settles again - rarely in exactly the same position. This freeze/thaw process can lift edging materials upward or push them out of alignment.
Freeze/thaw isn't the only natural factor causing movement. Heavy rain, erosion, and soil compaction all contribute to gradual shifting, even in warmer regions.
This is why no edging material - wood, steel, plastic, brick.... - is immune to movement.
Why "a little movement" is not failure
One of the biggest sources of frustration with garden edging comes from expecting zero change.
In reality, edging is doing its job if it:
- stays generally aligned;
- maintains consistent height;
- continues to define a clean boundary; and
- can be adjusted when needed.
Seasonal adjustments are normal, not a weakness. The ability to make adjustments is what makes an edging system practical long-term.
Why Garden Edging Shifts - and What's Different About Wood
The same forces that act on steel, plastic, and masonry edging also act on wood. Soil movement, moisture, freeze/thaw cycles, and gravity don't discriminate by material.
What does differ is how various materials respond to these forces - and how visible that movement becomes over time.
Soil pressure, moisture, and freeze/thaw cycles
Garden edging exists at the boundary between soil and open air, which means it experiences constant environmental change.
As moisture levels rise and fall, soil expands and contracts. During freeze/thaw cycles, that movement becomes more pronounced. Over time, repeated pressure can cause edging materials of all kinds to lift, settle, and drift out of alignment.
Wood is not unique in this respect. Unlike edging made of, say, plastic, wood is rigid. That rigidity allows wood edging to create crisp, well-defined borders - and it makes movement easier to see even when it's minor.
Sideways pressure from soil, mulch, and roots
Natural elements push on garden edging from more than one direction.
Soil expansion, mulch buildup, and plant roots all apply sideways pressure against edging over time. How that pressure shows up depends on the material.
With pavers, movement often appears as one or two units shifting while the rest stay in place. With flexible plastic edging, the material can bend or distort in spots while remaining aligned elsewhere.
Wood behaves differently. Because lumber is rigid and continuous, that same pressure often causes the entire section to move.
This is why some installations look fine at first but change over time. Methods that focus only on keeping edging from lifting or sinking don't always prevent rotation or sideways creep, especially when pressure builds unevenly along the edge.
Wood movement vs structural failure
It's important to separate natural material movement from actual failure.
Wood expands and contracts with changes in moisture. It may develop surface cracks or slight warping as it ages and weathers. None of this automatically means the edging has failed.
Structural failure happens when:
- lumber pulls away from anchors;
- fasteners loosen or tear into the wood; or
- sections tip or rotate enough to lose their intended function.
The role of proper anchoring isn’t to stop movement altogether (which we now understand is impossible). It’s to mitigate movement and, when possible, guide it into forms that don’t lead to rotation, separation, or loss of alignment.
What "Staying Put" Actually Means for Wood Edging
Once you accept that all garden edging moves, the more useful question becomes:
What happens when it does?
Different edging materials respond to movement in different ways. Some fail by breaking, some deform, others shift in ways that are difficult to undo.
Wood edging shifts too - but the way it fails is often simpler to correct.
Movement you can correct vs failure you have to replace
When plastic edging moves, it often bends, cracks, or snaps. UV exposure and cold temperatures can make it brittle over time, which means a single misstep or lawn mower tire can turn minor movement into permanent damage.
With pavers or brick edging, movement often shows up as a single unit shifting out of alignment. Fixing that one brick usually means disturbing the surrounding ones to restore the line.
Wood behaves differently. When it moves, it usually:
- lifts slightly
- settles unevenly
- rotates or leans
Those changes aren't ideal, but they're typically visible, accessible, and fixable without replacing the material.
Wood still shifts - but it doesn't usually break
Wood edging can, and usually does, experience movement, especially after winter or heavy rain.
The difference is that wood rarely fails catastrophically. It doesn't shatter, tear, or permanently deform under normal landscape forces.
Wood edging is rigid and modular. When it's installed above grade it's possible to correct movement - not tearing everything out and starting over - by:
- re-leveling a section;
- re-seating a piece of lumber; or
- reinforcing an anchor.
Choosing a material based on maintenance needs
If you want edging that disappears into the ground and never needs attention, wood may not be the right choice.
If you're comfortable with occasional adjustment - and you want an edging material that can be corrected, reinforced, or partially replaced as conditions change - wood offers a different maintenance experience than plastic, rubber, or masonry options.
| MATERIAL | TYPICAL MOVEMENT | COMMON FAILURE | HOW TO FIX |
| Plastic edging | Flexes, creeps, shifts in soft soil | Cracks, snaps, becomes brittle over time | Replacing broken sections |
| Thin steel edging | Flexes, lifts, or pops up with frost | Kinks or deforms | Re-seating or replacing strips |
| Pavers or brick | Settles unevenly | Individual units shift out of alignment | Lifting and resetting multiple pieces |
| Rubber edging | Creeps or compresses over time | Tears, stretches, or distorts | Replacing damaged sections |
| Wood edging (2x lumber) | Lifts, settles, or rotates slightly | Shifts out of alignment | Re-leveling, re-seating, or reinforcing anchors |
Common Approaches to Anchoring Wood Edging and Their Limits
Most anchoring methods work well in dry, stable conditions. It's only after seasonal change - winter freeze, heavy rain, or a full growing cycle - that their limitations become visible.
That's not because the installation was careless. It's because the anchoring method wasn't designed to manage all the forces acting on the edging over time.
Anchoring isn't about stopping movement. It's about managing it.
Once you start looking closely at how wood edging moves, a pattern emerges: most anchoring methods address one force well and ignore others.
Understanding what each method resists (and what it doesn't) is more useful than trying to rank them from best to worst.
Digging a trench
Digging a trench helps with:
- setting initial height;
- resisting downward movement;
- keeping the bottom edge from drifting.
What it doesn't address well is sideways pressure.
As soil, mulch, and roots push outward, trenched lumber can still rotate or lean over time. In freeze/thaw conditions, trench walls can loosen as soil expands and contracts, reducing their ability to hold the lumber in place.
A trench can be part of a good installation - but on its own, it rarely prevents long-term shifting.
Stakes attached to one side of the lumber
A common approach is driving stakes into the ground and fastening the wood edging to those stakes from one side.
This method can help:
- keep lumber upright during installation;
- resist outward pressure from soil or mulch in the short term.
The limitation is how force is distributed. The lumber is restrained from only one side and movement over time often shows up as rotation or leaning rather than uniform shifting.
Stakes may feel solid at initial installation but can loosen as soil shifts (eg., as frost cycles repeat). Once movement enlarges the hole around a stake, re-driving it often provides less of a snug fit than the original install.
Fasteners driven through the wood also introduce localized stress points and moisture entry paths. As the wood swells and dries seasonally the fasteners can loosen, especially in ground contact conditions.
Stakes can provide useful support but their effectiveness depends heavily on soil conditions, fastener placement, and ongoing maintenance.
Rebar driven through the lumber
Driving rebar through pre-drilled holes in wood can provide strong vertical resistance and good initial holding power, especially in compacted soil.
But drilling through lumber introduces tradeoffs that show up over time.
Each hole becomes a fixed anchoring point, which means the lumber can only move - or be corrected - relative to that location. Once the hole is drilled, you're committed to that placement along the length of lumber even if soil conditions or alignment change later.
Rebar creates a rigid connection between the ground and the wood. As wood naturally expands and contracts with seasonal moisture changes the hole around the rebar can loosen, allowing movement that contributes to shifting, rotation, and misalignment.
Correcting movement is often less flexible with this approach. Rebar may feel snug and secure when first installed but, as soil shifts over time, the surrounding hole in the ground can enlarge. Once that happens, re-seating the rebar rarely recreates the original tight fit, and adjustment may require pulling the rebar out entirely and starting over.
Rebar can hold wood firmly in place, but it does so by locking the material to a fixed point rather than accommodating how wood naturally moves over time.
Nails, screws, and horizontal fasteners
In some installations, lumber is fastened horizontally - either piece to piece or to another structure - using nails or screws.
These fasteners help with alignment and connection, but they don't anchor edging to the ground. They don't resist frost heave or lateral soil pressure, and they rely entirely on the surrounding structure staying put.
They also introduce additional holes in the lumber, which can accelerate moisture intrusion and loosening over time.
Used on their own, nails and screws hold wood to wood rather than anchoring it to the ground. Without a ground anchor, wood edging assembled with horizontal fasteners is highly likely to shift out of alignment over time.
Planning matters more than materials.
Before choosing any anchoring method, it helps to think through soil conditions, edging height, and layout length. Small differences in those factors often explain why one installation shifts and another holds up better.
If you want help estimating spacing and support for a wood edging project, you can use the planning tools in our how-to section.
➡️ How-To Hub / Calculator / Project Planning tools
Anchoring Wood While Accepting That Wood Changes
Wood edging doesn't fail because it changes; it fails when installation methods don't account for the fact that it will change.
Wood will weather, crack, and change - even when it's anchored well
No anchoring method prevents wood from expanding and contracting, developing surface cracks, or changing color over time.
Problems arise when anchoring methods assume wood will remain static - or when stress is concentrated at small attachment points where fasteners enter into and/or pass through the wood.
Good anchoring allows for small, distributed movement without letting the edging as a whole lose its overall shape or function.
Slowing degradation vs trying to stop it
Finishes, stains, and sealers can help slow moisture exchange and UV degradation, but they don't stop it entirely.
They can reduce rapid wet/dry cycling and extend useful life, but even well-sealed wood will move if forces aren't managed.
Thinking of finishes as protective - not preventive - helps keep expectations realistic.
Best lumber for landscape edging
Species, treatment, and ground-contact ratings all influence how wood edging ages over time.
➡️ The Best Lumber For Garden Edging: Compare Pros & Cons
Designing for adjustment, not permanence
One of the advantages of wood edging is that it can be revisited.
When anchored in a way that:
- distributes force along the length of the lumber;
- avoids concentrating stress at small attachment points where fasteners enter into and/or pass through the wood;
- keeps components accessible
maintenance becomes part of ownership, not a failure state.
Who Wood Edging Is Not a Good Fit For
Wood edging isn't right for every project or every expectation.
It may not be a good fit if:
- you want zero maintenance;
- you expect permanence;
- your design depends on smooth curves or circles;
- you don't want to revisit the installation.
Assessing these realities upfront can help prevent frustration later.
When Wood Edging Makes Sense - and Works Beautifully
Wood edging tends to work best when expectations and design choices are aligned.
It's a good fit when:
- the idea of maintaining edging is acceptable;
- clear, defined borders are important;
- sustainability matters.
For people who choose wood, these tradeoffs are often part of the appeal.
Why choose 2x lumber
For people choosing wood edging, the thickness and profile of the lumber matter more than many realize.
➡️ Best Wood For Landscape Edging? Two-by (2x) Lumber
Final Takeaway: Choose the Tradeoffs on Purpose
There isn't a garden edging material that stays exactly where you put it forever.
Like all edging, wood edging will shift over time. It will weather. It will need occasional attention - and can usually be corrected without tearing everything out.
Anchoring doesn't eliminate movement. It determines whether that movement feels manageable or maddening.
If you're choosing wood edging, the goal isn't permanence. It's building something that continues to make sense as the landscape around it changes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why does wood garden edging keep moving?
Wood garden edging moves because it interacts with soil, moisture, freeze–thaw cycles, and lateral pressure from mulch and plant roots. Movement is a natural result of outdoor conditions rather than a sign of failure.
Is it normal for wood edging to shift over time?
Yes. All edging materials shift over time. With wood edging, movement is often more visible because the material is rigid and modular, making changes easier to notice.
Can you anchor wood edging so it never moves?
No anchoring method can completely prevent movement. The goal of anchoring is to manage and limit movement so small shifts don’t lead to rotation, separation, or loss of alignment.
Does frost heave affect all types of garden edging?
Yes. Frost heave can affect wood, plastic, metal, and masonry edging. Freezing soil expands upward, often lifting sections unevenly regardless of material.
Are stakes or rebar better for anchoring wood edging?
Stakes and rebar provide different benefits and limitations. Stakes rely on side-loaded fasteners, while rebar creates rigid vertical anchoring. Both can loosen over time as soil shifts and wood expands or contracts.
What causes wood edging to lift, rotate, or separate at joints?
Uneven soil settling, lateral pressure, moisture changes, and freeze–thaw cycles can cause wood edging to lift, rotate, or pull apart at joints if movement isn’t evenly managed.
What’s the easiest way to fix edging after it shifts?
Wood edging is often easier to correct than other materials. Fixes usually involve re-leveling sections, re-seating lumber, or adjusting anchoring rather than replacing the entire border.
Is wood edging a bad choice if it moves?
Not necessarily. Movement is normal for outdoor materials. Wood edging can be a good choice when adjustability, repairability, and natural materials are priorities.
Photo Credit📸
Many thanks to the fantastic photographer who shared the terrific image featured in this article. All other photos contributed by 2xEDGE LLC.
