A garden edged with crisp, clean lines instantly looks neat and purposeful. The edge serves an important function too – it keeps spreading plants under control and separates different garden areas. Choosing the right edging material gives structure and polish to your garden design.
Treated pine is a popular choice for DIY garden edging. Its natural beauty and durability make it ideal for shaping and containing garden beds of all styles. This versatile material blends well with any home landscape.
What Is Treated Pine?
Treated pine lumber has been pressure-treated with preservatives to protect it from rot, fungal decay, and wood-boring insects like termites. The treatment process forces chemical preservatives deep into the wood.
The most common preservative used is chromated copper arsenate (CCA). It contains chromium, copper, and arsenic – chemicals that resist damage from moisture and pests. The treatment provides lifelong protection against termites and fungal rot.
The resulting lumber, known as CCA-treated or “tanalized” pine, takes on a slight green tint. Stamped with construction codes, it’s sold ready for exposure to the elements. Other hues come from alternative treatment chemicals.
Benefits of Using Treated Pine for Gardens
Treated pine is the ideal choice for garden edging and other landscape projects, thanks to these advantages:
Long-lasting – Properly treated pine holds up for decades outdoors. The treatment chemicals ensure the wood resists rot, insects, and fungal decay.
Sturdy – Denser and stronger than untreated pine, treated lumber retains its form without cupping or warping. It stands up to weather and hard knocks.
Versatile – Available in a range of dimensions from boards to timber posts, treated pine works for all types of edging and garden construction projects.
Affordable – Pre-treated pine costs a bit more than untreated, but less than expensive cedar or redwood. It provides excellent value for money.
Easy to work – Treated lumber cuts, drills, and fastens much like untreated softwood. No special tools or skills are needed.
With proper installation and care, treated pine makes garden edging that truly lasts. Its natural beauty gracefully frames gardens and flowerbeds for 20 years or longer.
Plan Your Treated Pine Garden Edging Project
Planning is key to creating treated pine edging that truly finishes your garden design. Take time to map out your plans before lifting a hammer.
Measure Carefully
Accuracy is important when cutting treated pine boards to length. Measure the exact perimeter of your bed or border area. Capture inside and outside corners in your measurements.
Having these measurements correct means you can cut your edging to fit properly with minimal gaps or overlaps.
Choose a Style
Treated pine’s versatility allows for straight or curved edging, even freeform shapes. Think about the look you want to achieve. Rectilinear ranch style? Sweepingly ornate Victorian?
Simple straight boards and classic scalloped or zig-zag patterns suit many home landscapes. For a more custom look, cut freeform curves and shapes.
Consider the dimensions of your treated pine boards too. Deeper edging boards make a bolder statement. Thin strips blend more discreetly into garden beds and borders.
Prepare the Installation Site
Preparing the soil along your intended borderline is time well spent. Rushing into installation across lumpy, overgrown turf will result in an uneven edging line that looks sloppy. Do it right from the start by:
- Removing all vegetation in a 6 to 12-inch wide trench along the borderline
- Leveling and tamping the soil to make an even foundation
- Ensuring proper drainage so water flows away from the garden bed
Clear Plant Growth
Use a flat spade to skim grass and weeds from the trench area. Scrape right down to bare mineral soil. This clearance lets you shape and level the site accurately.
Deal with tree and shrub roots the same way. If large roots cross your trench line, consider shifting the edging to avoid them. Removing big roots risks damaging healthy plants.
Level the Site
An uneven foundation twists edging boards out of alignment. Working across lumps and bumps forces you to warp and kink borderboards to make them fit.
Eliminate this problem by leveling the cleared strip. Use a rake to shape the soil, then tamp it firmly with a hand roller or plate compactor.
Ensure Drainage
Plantings need proper drainage just as much as edging boards. Make sure water can escape freely from the garden bed and border trench.
Test by flooding the trench. The water level should drop uniformly without any boggy spots. If drainage issues exist, install perforated piping before adding edging.
Install Treated Pine Edging
With accurate measurements and a cleared level site, you’re ready to install treated pine edging that neatly defines your garden space.
Secure the First Board
Align your first treated pine board with porch steps, pathways, or other existing hardscapes. Drive starter nails partially into the board 3 feet apart, allowing it to pivot. Level accurately, then drive nails flush.
Burying the board’s bottom edge an inch or two adds stability. Backfill the trench up to this buried section when finished.
Add Subsequent Boards
Butt each additional board tightly against the previous one. Drill pilot holes to prevent wood splitting, then nail into place.
Lay longboards in gentle curves to avoid visible kinks. Allow extra length for trimming flush after installation.
Leave a 1/8-inch gap between board ends for expansion in humid weather. Stagger joints between rows by at least 1 foot.
Secure Curves and Corners
Pin curves by driving nails diagonally through the edging board into the ground. This prevents distortion from soil pressure behind the board.
For inside 90° corners, the miter cut the end of one board at 45° to fit tightly against the other. Reinforce the joint with galvanized angle brackets.
Cap the Ends
Closing off the ends of your treated pine edging keeps the border tidy. Use inverted U-shaped caps that cover the top and end of the final board.
Backfill Both Sides
Shovel soil or mulch right up to both sides of the edging. Compact it well around the boards with the flat side of a shovel. This anchors the edging and prevents shifting.
“Adding treated pine edging along my flowerbeds gave the whole garden a neat, custom look. The finish and stability bring a real sense of order to the landscape.” – Mary T., home gardener
Keep Your Treated Pine Edging Looking Great
Installing treated pine edging is only half the job. To get the service life the treatment should provide, your edging needs some occasional TLC:
Inspect Frequently
Walk your treated pine border seasonally, examining for issues. In spring, reset any boards lifted by winter frost. Fill any low spots underneath.
Refasten as Needed
Nails can work loose over years of freeze/thaw cycles. Re-secure edging boards that become detached or misaligned before problems compound.
Wash Off Winter Salt
In regions where de-icing salt is used on roads and walks, spray your treated pine edging yearly with plain water. This prevents premature surface weathering.
Re-stain Periodically
Though treated lumber doesn’t require staining, reapplying every 2-4 years restores rich color. Use an oil-based transparent stain formulated for treated wood.
Simple vigilance lets your treated pine edging endure while maintaining its crisp borders and beautiful appearance.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Treated pine is one of the easiest and most forgiving materials for garden edging. However, poor planning and installation can still undermine its longevity and function. Avoid these key mistakes:
Rushing the Job
Failing to accurately measure and level the installation area often forces shortcuts that come back to haunt you. Stay organized and prudent before and during installation.
Using Green Lumber
While pressure treated, some surface moisture remains inside fresh pine boards. Fully cured lumber stays straighter and resists early splitting and checking. Allow treated stock to dry for 30-60 days before installation.
Neglecting Drainage
Waterlogged soil against untreated wood guarantees fast rot and fungal damage. Ensure proper moisture drainage under and around the edging boards.
Forgetting Expansion Gaps
Between boards, allow slight gaps for treated pine lumber to expand and contract across seasons. Restricted boards soon buckle and distort.
With attention to detail in design, material selection, and workmanship, none of these issues should mar the lasting service of your treated pine landscape edging.
Enhance Beauty and Function with Extras
Basic treated pine boards provide ample functionality for containing and separating garden plantings. A few simple upgrades make this versatile edging even more valuable:
Add lighting – Spotlights aimed along the edging produce dramatic nighttime shadow lines. Low-voltage LEDs consume minimal electricity for maximum effect.
Stain colorfully – While pressure-treated lumber needs no additional protection, semi-transparent stains in hues from brick red to seafoam green add flair.
Plant ornamental grasses – Low, tidy ornamental grasses make excellent filler between edging and planting beds. Their interesting shapes and textures complement bold borders.
Whether embellished or kept simple, properly planned and installed treated pine edging neatly defines landscape spaces…and makes gardening easier for decades to come.
The Pros and Cons of Treated Pine Garden Edging
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Long lifetime – lasts 20 years or longer | Needs soil prepped and site leveled first |
| Rot, insect, and weather resistant | Visible nails detract from the appearance |
| Versatile board dimensions available | Lumber can sometimes warp or twist |
| Takes paint and stains well | Gives splinters more easily than plastic lumber |
| Easy to cut and install yourself | |
| Natural wood appearance | |
| Affordable compared to stone, block, or composite materials |
Concluding Thoughts
For a durable, landscape-enhancing border that stands the test of time, treated pine is hard to top as a garden edging material. Its beauty, versatility, and longevity grace gardens and planting beds for decades after installation.
With proper planning and installation, you’ll enjoy the neat, decorative definition-treated pine edging that lends to your yard and gardens for years to come. Establishing this useful landscape feature is a worthwhile investment of time and resources.
