Guide to Installing Landscape Timber Edging

Landscape timbers create an appealing boundary for the edges of your garden or flower beds.

Project Summary

• Hours of Operation: 8 hours
• Overall Duration: 8 hours
• Output: A single boundary.

• Proficiency Level: Novice
• Projected Expense: $1 for each linear foot

Using timber for landscaping is a simple method to establish a visually appealing, natural-looking border for a flower garden or perennial bed. Landscape timbers, commonly utilized for edging, are elongated sections of solid, pressure-treated wood. These timbers range from 3 to 8 inches in width and feature edges specifically designed for landscaping applications. Unlike railroad ties, which are bulkier, heavier, and generally not pressure-treated, some individuals choose to incorporate them into their landscaping designs.

Prior to Getting Started

Ensure that you choose the appropriate landscape timber and design that suits your needs, whether you are constructing a raised garden bed, planter, seating area, retaining wall, or shaping the ground. Additional landscape edging options include outlining the driveway. Landscape timbers are available in both basic and more ornate styles.

• Square-shaped, resembling a fence post intended for versatile applications.
• Shaped like an oval, featuring two broad flat surfaces and two slender curved edges.
• The sides are curved, yet the overall shape is more square.
• Flat bottom edges with a curved top.

Safety Factors to Keep in Mind

All landscape timbers must be rated for ground contact and treated under pressure to avoid early decay. Pressure-treated landscape timbers are safe and will not leach harmful substances into the soil.

Requirements

Devices / Instruments

• Stakes
• Mason’s cord or twine
• Manual sledge or mallet
• Manual lawn edger
• Shovel
• Garden cultivator or metal rake
• Flat or straight plank
• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Saw
• Drilling tools and accessories
• Protractor

Materials

• Landscape lumber
• Garden fabric and optional stakes
• Zinc-coated corner supports
• Zinc-coated repair plates
• 2-inch galvanized decking screws
• #3 reinforcing bar (optional)

Instructions

Designate the Boundary Trail

• Secure one end of a mason’s line to a stake.
• Insert the stake into the soil at one end of the border planting or grassy area.
• Proceed to the opposite end of the border planting and secure the string to a different stake.
• Tighten the string and position it precisely along the desired edge, then secure the second stake into the soil.

Slice Through the Grass

• Utilize a hand edger or a flat spade to cut through the grass or other vegetation just beneath the string, beginning at one end and progressing to the opposite end.
• Use a shovel to lift the sod. If the turf is in good condition, consider relocating it to a different spot. If not, remove as much soil as you can from the roots to reduce weight, then either compost the grass or throw it away.
• Clear the bed area of all weeds and any organic debris.

Even out and compact the soil.

Clear the area along the border where the planting will occur to ensure it is primed for the installation of landscape timber edging. Follow these steps:

• Utilize a shovel, a metal rake, or a garden hoe to remove stones, roots, and any other barriers that may be in the way of the edging.
• Step onto the disturbed earth to compress it.
• Incorporate additional soil as necessary to achieve the correct elevation, then compact it once more. Ensure the soil is tightly compressed to avoid any settling.
• As you progress, ensure you verify the level using a carpenter’s level or a straight edge. The terrain doesn’t need to be perfectly levelit should be flat and aligned with the adjacent landscape.

Incorporate Landscape Fabric (optional)

• Spread the fabric across the ground and align it to match the level of the mason’s line.
• Fasten the material using landscape fabric staples, applying a hand sledge or hammer for installation.

Tip

To ensure the longevity of your landscape fabric and its effectiveness in weed control, opt for a commercial-grade spun fabric. These fabrics are significantly more durable than plastic and permit the passage of water and air, promoting soil aeration.

Set up the timber pieces.

• Position the straight timbers along the entire length of the edging, ensuring their ends are aligned and touching.

Tip

If the last section of the row measures less than approximately 2 feet, adjust the entire row of timbers to ensure that the two ends consist of cut pieces that are approximately the same length.

• Align the full-length beams precisely along the boundary line.
• Connect adjacent pieces of wood using sets of galvanized mending plates along with 2-inch deck screws. Utilize a drill equipped with a screwdriver bit to insert the screws. If you encounter resistance while driving the screws, consider creating pilot holes prior to their installation.
• Upon arriving at one end of the edging run, indicate the final piece for trimming to the specified length. Use a miter saw to cut the marked wood to size, if availableif not, a hand saw or a reciprocating saw will suffice.
• Attach the cut section to the end of the row using mending plates, just like you did previously.
• Carry out the identical procedure at the opposite end of the straight line.

Build the Corners

• Create additional straight segments as required to achieve 90-degree angles.
• Connect the corners using galvanized corner braces and screws, similar to the method used with the mending plates. Ensure that the braces are positioned on the interior side of the corners.

Tip

Utilize galvanized fittings for all connection points to avoid hardware corrosion.

Trim Angles for Turning

Utilize a protractor to mark the angle cuts for turns in your edging that deviate from 90 degrees. Follow these steps:

• Position the protractor over the wood and ensure that the baseline of the protractor is in line with the wood’s edge. Then, make a mark on the wood at the center point of the protractor.
• Identify the target angle for the finished turn and divide it by two. Next, make a mark on the timber at the top of the protractor corresponding to the calculated angle. For instance, if the edge will turn at 120 degrees, which is an obtuse angle, you would mark the timber at the 60-degree line on the protractor. Then, draw a straight line connecting the 60-degree mark to the center mark to establish an angled cutting line. Proceed to cut the timber along this line.
• Follow the same procedure to identify and trim the joining wood, ensuring that each piece is cut at a 60-degree angle, with the angles oriented in opposite directions.
• By joining the angled ends, you will create a 120-degree angle. To fasten the components, you can use screws inserted at an angle through both parts (be sure to drill pilot holes beforehand), or you can shape a 90-degree corner brace to align with the specific angle and attach it using screws.

Secure the timbers using rebar (optional).

• Create 3/8-inch holes at the center of the beams, ensuring the holes are approximately 4 feet apart.
• Secure the wooden beams to the ground using 12-inch pieces of #3 rebar (3/8-inch diameter) hammered in with a hand sledge.
• Align the rebar so that it is level with the surface of the timber, then take an additional piece of rebar and use it as a tool to push the installed rebar a bit below the wood surface. This is important for safety, as it prevents any metal from protruding above the wood.

Warning

Exercise caution when driving rebar in areas where underground sprinkler lines might be present.

When to Seek Professional Assistance

Certain projects necessitate particular kinds of landscape timbers. If you’re uncertain about the appropriate material for your undertaking, it’s advisable to consult a professional landscaper. Furthermore, if your project demands landscape timbers to be shaped with unconventional curves or angles, it’s best to seek the expertise of a professional.

Frequency of Replacing Landscape Timbers

You might start to observe signs of decay in treated landscape timbers after approximately seven years, but this doesn’t necessarily indicate that they require immediate replacement. In contrast, untreated landscape timbers typically start to rot much sooner, around the two-year mark.

Which type of wood is best for garden borders?

For edging purposes, redwood or cedar is the ideal choice when utilizing landscape timber. These wood varieties possess natural resistance to insects and decay, ensuring they maintain their appearance over time.

What methods can be used to anchor landscape timbers securely?

Secure wood edging using rebar as outlined previously, or opt for landscape timber spikes, which are essentially long nails. For retaining walls, implement a T-shaped deadman’s anchor, which should be buried in the soil to stabilize landscape timbers, and this method can also be applied to stone retaining walls.

What is the lifespan of landscape timbers when buried in the soil?

Pressure-treated landscape timbers can endure for 15 to 20 years, unlike untreated wood, which can start to decay within just a few years. In fact, certain landscape timbers have been reported to last for more than 20 years.

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