Out With Plastic Edging: A More Durable Home Depot Find That's Easy-To-Use

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From pavers and bricks to logs and stone, we are spoiled for choice when it comes to landscape edging materials. However, for gardeners looking for a softer option, particularly those with kids running around, the choice that often comes to mind is plastic. But if you're looking for something that offers the same safety benefits as plastic, more durability, easier installation, and greater design flexibility, there's a commonly overlooked material: rubber, as seen in the EcoBorder 4-Foot Rubber Landscape Edging from Home Depot. 

Rubber is one of the best types of landscape edging. It offers the peace of mind of a soft surface, withstands the elements longer, and takes less effort to set up than plastic edging. Rubber definitely edges out plastic when it comes to durability. While both rubber and plastic can last a very long time, plastic garden edging can become rigid, warp, chip, and even crack after years and years of bathing in the sun and weathering the highs and lows of the seasons. Rubber meets the road with excellent resistance to UV exposure, moisture, heat, and temperature swings.

Ease of installation is another area where rubber edging really shines. Plastic edging is often sold in rolls that need to be unfurled and beaten or staked in place to follow your garden's borders. EcoBorder rubber landscape edging is sold in pre-cut pieces of equal four-foot lengths that interlock together before being staked into the ground one by one. No unfurling necessary. Basically, if you can snap Legos together, you can install rubber landscape edging.

As a note, professional landscape edging installers recommend putting rubber edging down on a warm day, so it's extra flexible. You may want to leave some pieces out in the sun for a bit so they soften up and are easier to bend into shape. Fortunately, you don't need to dig out trenches to install this rubber edging. Just shape and stake your lead piece and follow the border, shaping and staking as you go.

Whether you want your garden beds to sport lots of curves, angular geometric designs, or a combination of both, these rubber borders can bend to fit your design. Because EcoBorder rubber edging is sold in modular sets, each piece can be used as an anchor to flex the next piece in the chain so it aligns with your garden border. These borders are sold in 4-foot lengths, but you could find shorter alternatives if your garden layout features many angular bends or tight curves. But if you get into a very tight spot with rubber edging, you can always cut pieces to fit sections using a hacksaw and a miter box. 

You shouldn't have to compromise on stylish garden edging for safety, durability, and easy installation. EcoBorder's edging is available in black, gray, brown, and red, so you can select a color that complements your home and landscape.