Contents
- №1.Plastic border
- №2.Concrete curb
- №3.Metal border
- №4.Wooden border
- №5.Brick border
- №6.Stone Border
- №7.“Green” border
- №8.Border from the materials at hand
Garden paths, in the creation of which every owner of a country site invests a lot of time and money, will be short-lived and incomplete without a curb. The garden curb is necessary to protect the paths from pollution, to prevent them from spreading and overgrowing with grass, to prevent soil blurring and to support a given track geometry. In addition, the curb often performs a purely decorative function, and sometimes fencing garden paths and flower beds make the same, maintaining the overall style of the site. Border for garden paths can be made using ready-made purchased materials, and can be created from scrap items. There is something to choose from.
№1.Plastic Border
Plastic Border can be called a universal solution for any area, since it can be both completely discreet and inconspicuous, and decorative. The main advantages of the plastic curb for the garden path:
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low price, which has become the main factor of wide popularity; - resistance to temperature extremes, frost, moisture, chemicals that may be included in the composition for spraying the beds adjacent to the track;
- the ability to fix the garden path of any geometry;
- low weight, which simplifies transportation and installation;
- good strength and durability;
- ease of installation, because to carry out labor-intensive work is not necessary;
- minimum maintenance;
- variety of colors, shapes, sizes.
There is only one lack of - it is a synthetic material, but there will be no harm to humans and farmed plants. Plastic is naturally inferior to concrete and stone in terms of strength and durability.
Plastic borders presented at the moment in construction shops can be divided into such types of :
- is a continuous flexible roll , most of which will be in the ground. Such a border will be almost imperceptible, which means that it can become a framing of the path on a section made in any style. It copes with its direct tasks: it does not allow the path to creep away and prevents the germination of lawn grass. Such a ribbon can frame the paths of the most winding forms, but the border will not perform a decorative function;
- borders-sections .Each section has special elements that facilitate installation. Of these, you can collect in the end a nice decorative border;
- ready-made fencing of a certain form. can imitate a board, tile or other materials.
The installation of plastic curbs is a simple process and usually involves the use of special anchor pins. The latter for different types of soil should be different: for soft soil suitable for wood, for rocky - metal. It is better not to use a plastic border for framing stone paths.
№2.Concrete curb
In most areas, garden paths are framed with a concrete curb. Such popularity he owes to the strength characteristics and relative cheapness, as well as the possibility of its manufacture with his own hands. Concrete curb will be an excellent option for framing tracks made of concrete, stone, paving slabs, paving stones and asphalt.
Main advantages:
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durability and strength; - resistance to high and low temperatures, moisture;
- neat appearance;
- low cost;
- easy care;
- possibility of self-production.
Among the deficiencies of the , there is a lot of weight and a meager selection of ready-made curbs, as well as relatively labor-intensive work on preparing the soil for mounting such a curb. Finished products are sold in several sizes, they can be laid on the edge or on the wide side. If the dimensions, shape or appearance of the finished concrete blocks are not satisfactory, can be made to curb the itself using ready-made or homemade forms. You will need to prepare the solution and pour it into the workpiece, and after waiting for complete solidification, use the resulting product for its intended purpose. Concrete can be painted in the mass in the desired color or decorate with pebbles, shells, small stones, glass, prints, to give the boring material a unique appearance. 
Concrete curb, bought or made by hand, has a lot of weight, so should be given due attention to the preparatory work of - the durability of the structure depends on them. You will need to dig a trench about 20 cm deep, cover it with rubble, tamp it down and cover it with sand. The latter is poured with water and also carefully rammed, after which the cement mortar is poured, into which the curb elements are immersed. With the help of a rubber hammer, they are leveled at the required level, the remains of cement can be poured into the joints. Concrete curb can be installed in parallel with the creation of a garden path. 
Another option for arranging a concrete curb is pouring concrete with formwork. The process resembles the preparation of strip foundations, saves time, but the curb obtained in this way will have low decorative qualities. Work begins with digging a trench of the desired depth and width, then formwork is installed. A polished board will fit for its production, but if you plan to create a path with bends, it is better to use plastic, MDF or steel. The formwork is fixed with a peg, and then filled with cement mortar, prepared in a concrete mixer or independently using any suitable container. It now remains to level the surface, and after the concrete has hardened, you can remove the formwork and cut expansion joints in increments of 100-150 cm to prevent cracking. During curing, the concrete can be decorated with pebbles, pieces of ceramic tiles or mosaics. Such borders can be used for bulk, asphalt or made from scrap materials tracks.
№3.Metal border
Metal is considered one of the strongest and most durable borders. It can be made of stainless steel, aluminum or copper, and be in the form of ribbons or rods. tapes, like plastic analogs, serve as invisible track fencing. They deepen into the ground by at least 10 cm, from above they can rise no more than 2 cm above the surface. Metal tapes retain the shape of a path, prevent grass from germinating, while remaining invisible. The fencing of metal rods has a more decorative function: forged fence elements, for example, can have common features with forged curbs of tracks, allowing you to perceive the plot as something harmonious and made in the same style. 
Main advantages:
- high strength and durability;
- resistance to a wide range of temperatures;
- excellent preservation of the shape of the track;
- easy installation;
- the ability to use for winding tracks curvaceous shape.
Among cons is only the price, so if necessary to equip invisible curbs more often the choice falls on plastic.
№4.Wooden curb
Wood can be used to create tracks in one of a number of options: boards, bars, stakes or cuts .Finished curbs can be found in the store, they are easy to make yourself, and you can even use the remnants of lumber. A wooden curb is best suited for fencing wooden paths or bulk bark tracks. 
Key benefits:
- excellent appearance and a huge number of design options;
- environmental friendliness;
- strength;
- the ability to use wood remaining from the main construction, which allows you to create a nice curb with minimal cost;
- easy installation.
The wooden curb will perfectly cope with its direct functions, but its is the main disadvantage - the low durability of the .The tree must be treated with protective compounds prior to installation, and then regularly during the operation of the curb, but it will hardly last for more than 10 years. Installation of the will require minimal effort: to make a trench, to organize a drainage pad and to lay a waterproofing material.
We should also mention wicker curbs , which are made of wicker, but they mainly play a decorative role, so it’s better to combine them with plastic or metal tape to maintain the shape of the track. 
№5.Brick Border
Border made of clinker or facing brick will be an excellent option for registration of a path made of stone, tile, paving stones and all the same brick.
Main advantages:
- strength and durability;
- environmental friendliness;
- resistance to temperature extremes and moisture;
- resistance to sunlight, mold and mildew.
Brick can be installed on the edge, tilted, horizontally or in any other way. It is better to lay it on the cement mortar, and in order to get a curb with the same height at all points, you can pre-stretch the rope at the required level, and when laying it be equal to it.
№6.Stone Border
Natural stone - one of the most suitable for the execution of the curb material. It possesses high aesthetic properties and with the functions assigned to the garden curb copes better than many of its analogues. The advantages of include record durability, high strength, resistance to all atmospheric, as well as mechanical stress. Each stone has a unique color and texture, so it will be easy to choose an option that matches the style of the site. 
You can use inexpensive sandstone, limestone or shell rock , or more expensive marble or granite to arrange the border. In any case, the stone curb will be a beautiful decoration of the path of tile, stone and even concrete. Among the disadvantages of this type of curb is the heavy weight and high price of the .To make such a stylish design of garden paths become available to a larger circle of people, some manufacturers offer an artificial stone, designed specifically for the arrangement of paths. 
Installing a stone curb is an easy and quick process. In addition to digging a trench, creating a drainage layer and tamping it, it is necessary to use agrofibre so that grass does not sprout afterwards. The stones are placed close to each other, and a smaller fraction can be used in the gaps.
№7."Green" border
Border paths can be decorated with plants. It will look very beautiful, but when deciding on a similar option, it is worth remembering that great efforts will have to be made both at the stage of creating the curb and in the process of maintaining it to maintain a proper appearance. The “green” border can serve as as an ornament for stone or gravel tracks. It is planted on the same principle as a hedge, but it is better to pick up plants of a small height.
Typically, plants such as boxwood and cotoneaster are used, lavender, bergenia, sage, cloves and some others are also suitable. The height of such a border should not be more than 30 cm, and make a width in the region of 25-30 cm. Caring for a "live" border should be constant, as for all plants in the garden. He will have to be regularly watered, fertilized and pruned. 
№8.Hand-made materials border
If fantasy works, you can do without the with the minimal investment of and build a practical and cute curb for the path of the most common objects that many of us throw away. Old plastic and glass bottles, tires, remnants of slate or tiles can go into the course - weight choices, but the main thing is not to forget that the curb must cope with its basic functions and be more or less durable.
Decide what curbs will be made for garden paths on the site, preferably before the paths are built, at the planning stage. Some types of borders will be much easier to install in parallel with the arrangement of the track itself.
