Onemoreplant,

I use it, I like it, it is very effective. If you peg it down to the ground tightly using landscape pegs or fabric staples, it does a pretty good job of keeping the weeds out. You will need to keep some kind of mulch on top of it, obviously, because exposure to sunlight degrades it.

You still may have a minor issue with bermuda trying to grow into the mulch, but it is easy to pull the invading bermuda grass runners out of the mulch if you check the beds regularly and keep an eye on the bermuda.

I hope y'all are putting something in between the bermuda lawn and the rose bed.....my favorite barrier is green steel edging. You hardly notice it once it is in the ground and it helps you edge a clean line without hitting the synthetic barrier and the mulch that is on top of it.

Dawn

Where does the synthetic barrier go? I'm having trouble picturing where it goes compared to the edging...

Kelly,

The edging, of course, is hammered into the ground to separate the turf area from the bed area and its purpose is to stop the grass from infiltrating the bed.

Since bermuda grass is so aggressive, though, edging alone is not enough and that is where the synthetic barrier comes into play. The barrier is laid on top of the prepared bed. You use landscape pegs or staples to hold it down firmly. Think of the fabric as a "table cloth" on top of the "table" of prepared soil in your planting bed. Then, in the same way that a tablecloth hangs over the edge of a table, you want your synethic barrier to extend down over the soil where the bed meets the edging. You want to "tuck" the edge of the barrier down between the soil bed and the barrier. Take that barrier down several inches--preferably as deep as the edging goes into the ground. The combination of the edging and the firmly tucked-in synthetic barrier will help keep grass from creeping over the top of the edging and climbing under the barrier.

Dawn

Dawn, How tall is the steel edging and where do you get it. I haven't seen that stuff in years.

Thanks Okiedawn, You have come thru again.

The bed is adjacent to my gravel driveway. I plan to use those building blocks one finds at Lowe's for a border. I am trying to block the gravel along with any bermuda or weeds that sometimes take up residence in the gravel.

Would it be overkill to use the steel edging inside the building blocks border, using the barrier under the edging and the blocks. If I only use the steel edging, I am concerned that people may drive over it.

Carol,

Sometimes you can find it in Lowe's or Home Depot, although I have better luck finding it in the stores in bigger areas--like Dallas-Fort Worth. You also can get it, sometimes, through local landscaping contractors who sell supplies directly to the public.

If your local Lowe's doesn't routinely carry it, you can order it through them and have it shipped to you, I think.

The one I see in stores is either 4" or 5", and they sometimes have it in a nice brown shade that pretty much matches most bark mulch pretty well. If you get it through a landscaping contractor or a landscape supply company, you may be able to get some of the commercial grade that is taller--6" or 8" is usually available through them.

Onemoreplant,

You're welcome. I don't think it would be overkill at all if this is a residence in which you plan to remain for some time and you don't mind investing the money. I, too, think people might drive over steel edging alone and think the building blocks would give a nice finished look to the project.

It might cost a little more money up front to put in the steel edging, the building block border, and the barrier, but you'll have a very well-executed project that should hold up well over time and that is always a plus.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Steel Edging at Lowe's