garden update: a little on edge

Thanks to the generous gifts from family and friends on our engagement, Kym and I are now able to afford to do some landscaping in the front and back garden. Once we agreed on our garden plan, we got to thinking about what was achievable in the next couple of months (before summer really hits and we're stuck inside wearing wet towels). We've decided to get as much of the ground preparation and non-planting jobs done before the weather heats up, and do all the planting in Autumn next year (but well before the wedding... which is in May!). We decided to start with some edging in the front yard.

As I researched some of the edging manufacturers (due to our short deadline we've decided to go with pre-made edging rather than construct our own), I found most of the edging fell into two categories: treated wood or plastic. My optimistic mind assumed that the plastic manufacturers would be more eco, using recycled materials. I was wrong. Forgive my naivity, but I assumed that in this climate, manufacturers of such products would have more to say than "We are committed to following the legistative requirements" and listing what those requirements were. I found it bizarre seeing as the only reason I considered using plastic in the garden was that it might making good use of waste. Boo indeed.

Anyhoo, I decided to go with Lattice Makers Ezy Edge. We have this in some parts of the garden (from when we moved in) and I liked that it's an Australian, family owned and run business, that as much as possible they work with local tradespeople and that they use sustainable timber sources for their products.This option was more expensive than making the edging ourselves, but matches the existing retaining walls and also saves loads of time!

via Lattice Makers

Ezy Edge comes in three heights, but is only available in three metre lengths. Kym and I bought three of the 150mm height packs and found that our spacial awareness was slightly (code for "a hell of a lot") lacking. Here's what we've done so far.

The 9 metres of edging cost us $60 all up and took me less than an hour! We'll probably need another 12 metres to completely finish the front yard, however have a few spare logs that we can use where the edges are straight. While financially we consider this a big investment, it sure is simple and effective. It's also necessary. We live on a slight hill and without edging, all our mulching and enriching soil plans will be swept away onto the street!

I'll keep you posted on updates, but in the meantime, how's your garden growing?

Kate xxx