Installing stone edging garden

For a standard plastic border, you will put a spike in every third loop leaving two loops in between every spike. Use a hammer to secure the spikes and keep the plastic border in place. Be sure to use proper safety precautions when using a hammer. You need the concrete to secure the landscaping blocks that you bought for this project. Pour a generous amount of concrete mix at the edge of the plastic border.

The concrete must be condensed after it is poured. Use your hands to make the concrete firm. Do this the entire length of the concrete that you poured.

Now, you need the concrete to be even. Use a wooden board or a shovel to level the concrete. You can determine how far out the concrete should go by using one of the landscaping blocks as a guide. At this point, you should know how many blocks you will need and how to space them. Place the blocks as quickly as possible once you put the concrete down. Using your hands will be enough pressure. To set the concrete, spray the concrete and landscaping blocks with water.

This will allow the concrete to keep the blocks in place. Cut plastic into strips the width of your trench and place them into the bottom of the trench. This step is optional but will inhibit weeds from growing up between your stone edging later.

Pour a layer of sand into the trench. Ideally, the top third of the stone edging should sit above ground, so use this as a guide when adding the sand to the trench.

Lay the first stone into the trench. Tamp the stone down with the rubber mallet until it sits level and at the desired height. Continue laying the stones, one beside the other. Use the height of the first stone as your guide and, using the level, adjust the height of subsequent stones laid.

Lay all stones into the trench, continuing to adjust their height by tamping with the mallet and adding or removing the under laying sand until all stones sit level. Use the level to ensure accuracy. Fill in the trench. Once all the stones have been laid, fill in any gaps in the trench with the soil you previously dug out.

Look for stone edging that is designed to grip the ground underneath it. This helps avoid shifting of the stones later on. Instead of using a level, you can run a line of string along the trench, using the height of the first stone laid, as a guide. Sophia Darby is a former professional hairstylist who has spent the last six years writing hair-related articles for both online and print publications. Her work has appeared in Celebrity Hairstyles Magazine, as well as multiple websites.