Plastic bed edging: the advantages and disadvantages of the bed border

In the creative garden design, a well thought-out bed border deserves just as much attention as the arrangement of the plants. After all, the floral protagonists in the bed only really come into their own with the right setting. In the wide range of suitable materials, plastic has long been one of the most popular options. This guide uses the eminent advantages and disadvantages to highlight whether the decision to use a plastic bed edging is still up-to-date.

Benefits - list with explanations

House gardeners with limited time capacity for garden maintenance keep a targeted lookout for a rational bed border. It should be practical and time-saving as well as inexpensive to purchase. When it comes to modern garden design, criteria such as optical clarity and prosaic styling come into focus when selecting a bed edging. With numerous advantages, plastic has long been considered the ultimate in meeting these requirements perfectly. The following overview summarizes essential pro-arguments:

• inexpensive
• weather and UV resistant
• easy-care
• distinctly durable
• ideal for separating lawn edges and bedding plants

With a price per meter of less than 1 euro, the plastic bed edging is unbeatably cheap to buy. The low weight does not increase the transport and delivery costs, as is the case with building materials such as concrete, natural stone or wood. Industrial production in large quantities and the simple chemical manufacturing process also depress the price level. Home gardeners particularly appreciate that a plastic bed border is insensitive to moisture and sunlight. In contrast to natural materials such as wood or boxwood, maintenance requires little time. Regular impregnation falls under the table, as does a repeated shape cut.

In terms of longevity, ecological building materials are also at a disadvantage compared to plastic. Despite its lower density than, for example, ceramic or metal, plastic has a distinctive durability and resistance to breakage. The material is almost indestructible and does not decompose even after decades, even if it is permanently exposed to moist soil as a bed edging.

The properties and advantages of plastic mentioned above make plastic the ideal material for separating beds and lawns. With plastic as a barrier, plants will no longer grow in the lawn. Furthermore, the tiresome parting of lawn edges has come to an end.

Disadvantages - overview with explanations

Regardless of the superficially convincing advantages, plastic has lost its position as a pioneer for bed edging. Sensitization for nature and the environment was decisive for the change of heart among home gardeners. Since the trend towards natural gardens has picked up speed, chemical-artificial materials have been frowned upon - primarily plastic. The following overview summarizes all fundamental contra-arguments:

• unnatural appearance
• unstable, wobbly attachment
• Harmful to the environment because it is not biodegradable

These three contra-arguments are enough to finally catapult plastic for bed borders to the sidelines. With a border made of plastic, all efforts to create a stylish and natural bed design are in vain. The manufacturers' efforts to simulate a wood or stone look with plastic frames do not change this. One of the primary tasks of a bed edging is to emphasize the bed as a separate garden space and at the same time to embed it harmoniously in the overall picture. The optical break between dead plastic as a frame and living nature inside the bed is too serious for a successful consensus in terms of appearance.

Since the cheap price is considered the main motive for buyers, there are savings in production in every respect. The result is feather-light modules that slip in stronger winds or with light contact with feet or work equipment. Skewed bed edgings are therefore commonplace when gardeners opt for plastic.

The distinctive weather resistance of plastic is based on chemical components. Therefore, the material is almost indestructible and not biodegradable. The consequences for people and nature are fatal. Our unreflected enthusiasm for the advantages of the material has led to the fact that around 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced worldwide over the past 65 years. That's more than 1 ton of plastic per capita of the world's population. Half of this gigantic amount of non-rotting matter comes from the last 15 years. Only 9 percent was recycled and 12 percent was incinerated. A staggering 79 percent are dumped in landfills, floating in the world's oceans, or have otherwise accumulated in the environment. The first plastic particles have been detected in the human body. By doing without plastic bed edging as a home gardener, you are making a valuable contribution to protecting the environment.

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