How Metal Landscape Edging is Shaping Parks and Estates
Creating beautiful, functional landscapes in parks and estates requires thoughtful planning, strategic design and durable materials
One element that plays a crucial role in defining and enhancing these spaces is metal landscape edging. Whether you're managing a large public park or an extensive private estate, metal edging products can help create clean lines, retain soil and add a modern aesthetic while being low-maintenance and environmentally sustainable.
Why Choose Metal Landscape Edging?
Durability and Longevity
One of the standout benefits of metal edging, especially when using materials like steel and aluminium, is its durability. Unlike plastic or wood, metal edging can withstand the elements, whether it’s constant foot traffic in a busy public park or exposure to the weather on a sprawling estate. Even concrete edging can fall victim to cracking following frost or physical impact.
Products such as Fort and Urban are designed to offer long-lasting strength, ensuring that your landscape edging remains in place and looking sharp for years.
Ease of Installation
If you’ve ever laid concrete edging, you’ll find installing metal landscape edging is a walk in the park.
- Metal edging is considerably lighter than concrete and can easily be laid by one person.
- In most cases, only a firm, level bed of soil or aggregate is required, whereas concrete requires a wet concrete foundation.
- Metal spikes or fixings are sufficient to hold metal edging securely in place without concrete haunching – another labour-intensive and time-consuming task, which is also a common cause of grass dieback.
- Hard and soft landscaping materials can be laid as soon as the edging is installed, with no waiting for concrete to cure.
Clean and Modern Aesthetics
For estate landscape managers and park managers, maintaining an appealing visual aesthetic is paramount. Metal landscape edging provides a sleek, modern appearance that complements a variety of landscapes, from manicured lawns to flower beds or gravel pathways.
Borderline is perfect for this, offering a visually subtle yet effective barrier that blends seamlessly with natural surroundings. Its slimline profile enhances the landscape without distracting from the beauty of the garden.
Sustainability and Environmental Benefits
Sustainability is a growing concern for many park managers and estate landscapers. Choosing a product such as AluExcel aluminium edging is an eco-friendly solution due to its recyclable properties.
Aluminium is a highly sustainable material, offering longevity while having a smaller environmental footprint compared to non-recyclable alternatives. For those looking to implement greener practices, AluExcel is the ideal product to consider.
Minimising Maintenance Costs
In large public parks or estates, maintenance can be costly, and metal edging significantly reduces the need for constant upkeep. Both Fort and Urban metal edging products are designed for durability and robust use.
For head groundsmen managing teams of groundskeepers, this means fewer repairs and less time spent on maintaining pathways, borders and plant beds, allowing for more focus on other critical tasks such as tree care or irrigation systems.
Applications of Metal Landscape Edging
Defining Pathways and Walkways
In public parks, clearly defined pathways are essential for guiding foot traffic and protecting delicate plant beds. Metal edging is a practical solution for this. Urban landscape edging is specifically designed to provide robust edge restraint in hard landscaping, making it ideal for defining walkways or separating paved areas from soft landscaping features.
Enhancing Garden Beds and Green Spaces
For estate landscape managers, maintaining the visual appeal of flower beds and lawns is crucial. Borderline steel edging is perfect for cleanly separating garden beds from grass or gravel, giving a neat and professional finish. This helps in controlling soil erosion and preventing plants from spreading beyond their designated areas.
Securing Gravel Driveways and Pathways
Gravel pathways and driveways add a rustic charm to any park or estate, but they can quickly become messy without proper containment. Fort steel edging provides a heavy-duty solution for securing these areas, ensuring that gravel remains in place and the pathways stay well-defined.
Choosing the Right Metal Edging for Your Landscape
When selecting metal landscape edging, it’s essential to choose the right product for your specific needs. Each of Kinley’s products offers unique advantages depending on the landscape:
- For high-traffic public parks: The Urban range is designed for heavy-duty use, making it perfect for defining borders around walkways, playgrounds and communal spaces.
- For estate gardens and lawns: Borderline steel edging offers the refined look necessary to maintain elegant garden designs.
- For modern sustainability-conscious designs: AluExcel is an aluminium option that supports environmental goals while still delivering excellent durability.
Metal landscape edging is an excellent investment for parks and estates alike, where its combination of durability, aesthetic appeal and sustainability makes it a practical and stylish solution for managing landscapes.
Whether you’re an estate manager looking to enhance the beauty of your gardens or a park manager focused on creating functional, accessible spaces, Kinley’s range of metal edging products is designed to meet your needs with long-lasting, high-quality results. For more information and technical advice on the Kinley range of metal landscape edging, give us a call on 01580 830688 or email us at sales@kinley.co.uk.
