Garden edging for slopes

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Garden edging can have many different functions depending on the specific circumstances of your site. This is no less the case with garden edging for slopes!

Garden edging for sloping gardens must fulfil its primary function and provide separation between varying surfaces. However, with slopes they must be robust enough to resist the forces of gravity.

This means edging for slopes will require having some retaining function. Retaining heavy materials such as aggregates and wet soil on slopes requires only robust edging solutions.

​In this article I will identify the 5 main types of robust garden edging suitable for slopes. 

What is the best garden edging for slopes? 

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The best garden edging for slopes will fulfil a gardens aesthetic aspirations as well as being practical.

​Sloping landscapes exert a greater amount of force onto garden edgings and retaining structures. Therefore, it is vital you choose the very best edging materials for slopes and install them correctly.

​Below we have identified five of the best types of garden edging for slopes. 

Brick edgings

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Bricks have been utilised for building robust structures for hundreds of years. These excellent building blocks come in a huge variety of colours and styles.

All brickwork really needs to be bedded down upon mortar on top of a robust concrete foundation. This makes them perfect for creating robust garden edging on slopes.

How large your brick edging structure will have to be will depend on its function and gradient of the slope. If you are installing brick mow over edging or a mowing strip this will be a simpler installation.

​However, if you are building brick retaining edging or low walls this will require more preparation and labour. 
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Brick mow strips

​Brick mow-over edging on a slope will require more effort than conventional edging but is worth it!

To install a mow strip you will need to concrete a robust and level concrete foundation around your lawn. This foundation needs to be at least 150mm deep and 250mm wide.

This will create a robust anchor to sloping ground. Your bricks can then be tapped level to the top of the lawn with mortar and jointed.

​Brick mowing edges are perfect for maintaining lawns with no extra clipping or strimming. 
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Brick retaining edging

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If brick edgings require a retaining function their construction will depend upon what load is applied to them.

If bricks are retaining only a couple of inches of soil or aggregates a single brick thickness is fine. If you have considerable gradients and retaining large volumes of material, brickwork will need to be much stronger.

​This will typically warrant a robust concrete foundation at least 300mm deep and 300 wide. Brickwork will need to be built two bricks thick and resemble a low retaining wall. 
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Concrete block edgings 

​Concrete blocks can be treated in exactly the same as bricks for edging on slopes. If you are not a skilled bricklayer concrete blocks are much easier and faster to lay.

They also provide the option to clad them in a variety of other materials. Some of these include painted render, cladding, tiling and other materials.

Concrete blocks are very suitable for slopes as they can be built as sturdy, retaining, edges and features.

​This helps to stabilise the ground, create flat terraces and form structure within a garden design. Smaller concrete blocks such as block paving can also make effective mow strips on slopes. 
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Concrete kerb edgings

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Concrete kerb edgings are specifically designed as retaining landscape edgings. These are typically utilised for step and raised bed construction on driveways.

These come in a variety of colours, shapes and styles. Kerb edgings can also make the perfect edging on slopes or for retaining slightly higher levels on undulating ground.

​These edging kerbs need to be bedded down onto a robust concrete base using a strong mortar mix.  
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Timber sleeper edgings

​There is a very wide variety of ways timber can be used for garden edging. For curved garden edging the most typical solution is timber gravel boards fixed to pegs.

For straight garden edging treated 6x2 timber has always been a popular solution. However for slopes these timbers are much less suitable.

​Gravel boards and 6x2 treated timber can be used on slopes if they are flush with the ground level. However, timber edging on gradients with a retaining function must be extremely thick and robust. 
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Consequently, treated sleepers are the best timber edging for slopes.

For straight edging these can be run lengthways set into the landscape. Sleepers can then be securely fixed with timber lock fixings to 4x4 treated timber posts concreted into the ground.

Sleepers also make fantastic curved retaining edging on slopes. They can be cut into smaller sections and concreted vertically into the ground like posts.

​The sleepers can be slightly splayed to create gentle curves within the landscape which is very effective. 

Flexible metal edgings

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Most of the time, thin and flexible edging products on the market are not suitable for slopes. However, some metal edging like Core edge is suitable for edging on slopes if it is based correctly.

This metal edging can be set firmly into concrete so the top edge is proud by a couple of inches. This provides more rigidity and the potential to retain shallow depths of soil and aggregates on gradients.  

​Core edge flexible metal edging is now available to buy on Amazon. 
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Core edge metal edging

​Thank you for reading our article on the best garden edging for slopes.

 If you require edging installation for slopes please do not hesitate to contact us. We cover most of Buckinghamshire with typical project areas including:

Amersham, Aylesbury, Bovingdon, Chalfont, Chesham, Hyde Heath, Great Missenden, Princes Risborough, High Wycombe, Penn, Beaconsfield, Tring, Gerrard's Cross and Denham.

Below I have linked to some other relevant articles you may find useful. 

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