They way I edge my lawns is to make a V-shaped groove at the edge as shown below. I was nervous about adding mulch to the beds without edging but the cedar mulch I use does a good job of staying in place and I don't have any problems. For years I didn't even mulch the beds but I got tired of weeding as much. My flower beds and shrub beds never had a problem with my grass growing into it. You know, I really feel stupid for even considering installing landscape edging in the first place.

Not as cheap as I thought if I wanted to do it right, but not that expensive either if you really like the look. Figured I could do the project cheap in a few hours. I got lured down this path when I saw some cheap edging for $20 for 50'. The three landscape edgings I felt would be the best choice were Black Diamond Edging, Valley View PRO-20 and Master Mark Deep Edge. It should be the type that needs to sit out in the sun for a little bit to warm it up so that you can manage it easier. You also want to use the 8-Inch Metal Garden Stakes not the plastic ones.You need a landscape edging that has a flange to help prevent it from lifting up.If there's no talking you out of it this is what I learned If You Insist On Installing Landscape Edging I'm a bit compulsive when it comes to buying and installing things that are meant to be in place for years so I read everything I could about landscape edging, went out to look at different brands and models and learned how to properly install it. While that little black strip looked good to me, seeing a big black, grey, brown, torn strip of plastic sticking out from the lawn after the frost heaved it up doesn't quite have the same appeal. The problem with almost any type of landscape edging in areas that experience cold winters is that it can pull up if not properly installed. It made sense, it would keep the grass from growing in the beds and it would keep the mulch from spilling over into the lawn. For some reason that little tube of black separating the green lawn from the mulch just looked right to me. I don't know what came over me but a few years ago I got it stuck in my head that I had to have plastic lawn edging.

Best plastic edging for landscaping