Bamboo Garden Edging [How-To Guides, Tips and Pictures]

Bamboo is often overlooked as a garden edging material, yet it offers a unique, Asian-inspired aesthetic. It's versatile and can significantly enhance your garden's appearance.

Bamboo not only adds visual appeal with its natural beauty but also is a fast-growing, renewable resource. This makes it an ideal choice for garden edges, marrying functionality with sustainability.

In this article, we'll explore various ways to use bamboo for garden edging, provide a detailed guide on setting it up, and share some inspiring ideas to beautify your garden borders!

Bamboo Edging is almost always vertical

When it comes to using bamboo as a garden edger, positioning the shoots vertically is most common.

A border made up of same-size bamboo stalks makes a flower bed look clean, orderly, and put together.

This method of bamboo garden edging is ideal if you want to incorporate natural elements into your garden edging while maintaining a sense of order.

Placing your vertical bamboo edge around your garden is an excellent choice. It will help keep the garden elements separated. It provides a clean barrier between your yard and your plants.

Use these edging products for your front yard flowers.

Short Bamboo Sticks are an easy option

These short bamboo sticks are perfect for edging small flower beds.

Types of Bamboo Edging

Bambo edging comes in a surprising variety of shapes and sizes. Types of bamboo edging include -

• Uneven Bamboo
• Criss Cross Panel Bamboo
• Woven Bamboo

Depending on your landscaping needs, you may prefer to use a specific type, so let's begin by reviewing these types. Some of these are available in both long and soft forms—we mention that wherever possible.

Uneven Bamboo

One way to add more visual intrigue to vertically oriented bamboo stalks is to make some of the stakes different lengths.

Cut some of the pieces of bamboo to attain the desired height scheme. Uneven vertically oriented bamboo stalks can be arranged in a specific pattern or no pattern at all!

This method of bamboo garden edging is perfect for you if you want to introduce an element of strategic disorder in your garden. This aesthetic emphasizes the wonder of nature.

The uneven bamboo layout looks marvelous as an edge for your pathway. It easily separates the path from your garden or lawn, giving your spectators an additional garden element to admire.

These long bamboo stalks are perfect for an uneven height scheme; simply cut each one to your desired height.

If you need to cover a long section or just can't be bothered with creating these by hand, you should get pre-made sections.

Sustainable, long-lasting, and beautiful, install this uneven bamboo edging in your garden for a unique appeal. It's already cut and arranged into sections, so installation is easy!

Criss Cross Panel Bamboo

Another creative way to use bamboo as a garden edger is to make it into criss-cross panels.

This method consists of tying perpendicular pieces of bamboo together to create a large criss-cross pattern. The end result is an edger that resembles a bamboo fence.

Crisscross bamboo panels are typically used as edgers for very large gardens, but they can also be used in smaller gardens or flower beds if the sections of bamboo are cut shorter.

With this setup, incorporating both old and fresh bamboo is a great way to mix things up!

Create a zen-inspired garden look with the use of crisscrossed bamboo panels. You can make them in various heights to fit your needs and aesthetics.

These long bamboo stalks are perfect for making a criss-cross panel. They can easily be cut to the desired length.

This organic twine is a great way to secure the joints of criss-cross bamboo panels. It is guaranteed to hold the bamboo tightly together for a long time.

Woven Bamboo

Another creative way to use bamboo as a garden edger is to weave it together. This method may require bamboo that is thinner and more flexible.

For a fun DIY project, try weaving bamboo stalks to customize your garden’s look. Alternatively, pre-woven bamboo sections are available for purchase, which are more practical for edging larger areas.

Incorporate one or more of these panels into your garden space; use them as edgers along a path or anywhere else in your garden landscape.

How Much Does Bamboo Garden Edging Cost?

The price of edging larger flower beds with longer pieces of bamboo varies depending on the design of the edging.

A single panel usually measures at 40-50" and can cost anything between $10 and $40. Assuming you need to edge a length of 60 feet, that would be approximately 20 panels.

In other words, your 60-ft project  would cost you $200-$800, depending on the cost of the bamboo edging panels you choose to use.

Pros and Cons of Bamboo Garden Edging

Bamboo has many things going for it as a garden edger.

One of the great things about bamboo is its strength. Once made into a garden edger, you can rest assured that bamboo will remain rigid and strong for quite some time.

Cost is another area where bamboo shines. Compared to other garden edging options available, bamboo is among the cheapest. This makes it a desirable edging option for gardeners looking to save money.

Lastly, bamboo is a versatile choice for garden edging, offering numerous creative possibilities as a garden edger.

Bamboo only has one downside. Since bamboo is natural, it will not last forever. Although bamboo is known for maintaining its strength and rigidity for a long time, it will eventually give way to decomposition and need to be replaced.

Again, bamboo is long-lasting, but there are other edging options that are more permanent.

How to Install Bamboo Garden Edging

Do you want to install bamboo edging in your garden but are not exactly sure where to begin? Check out this video that explains one of the many options.

We will now briefly go over the steps to create a few different kinds of bamboo garden edging.

Vertical/Uneven Bamboo

• Use a tape measure and a marker to mark the desired length of each section of bamboo to be cut. It is recommended that each piece of bamboo be driven six to eight inches into the ground to ensure stability, so add this to each section's length.
• Cut each piece of bamboo with a saw. Given the small diameter of most bamboo, any saw will do.
• Use a rope to mark the ground where the bamboo will be placed.
• Drive each section of bamboo six to eight inches into the ground using a rubber mallet. If the sections are very thin, simply push them into the ground by hand. Use thin twine or wire to hold the bamboo sections together for added stability.

Criss Cross Bamboo Panel

• Come up with the desired design. When it comes to woven bamboo, the sky is the limit — be creative!
• Use a tape measure to determine how long the pieces need to be that will make up the frame of the edging. The frame is the portion of the edging that will support the section. If the frame will be driven into the ground, be sure to add six to eight inches to the pieces that will be placed in the ground.
• Use a saw to cut the pieces of the frame to the necessary lengths.
• Use twine to assemble the frame together.
• Arrange the pieces of bamboo in the desired pattern and cut any of them if necessary. Use twine to attach the criss-cross sections of bamboo onto the frame. Now the bamboo panel is ready to be placed in the ground. Simply use a rubber mallet to drive the frame into the ground.

Woven Bamboo

• For larger woven bamboo edges, drive some kind of long, rounded wooden stakes into the ground a few feet apart. Be sure that one-third of the length of the stake is in the ground.
• Take a full-length bamboo stick and tie it in front of or behind one of the wooden stakes with twine using a criss-cross pattern. Then, weave it back and forth between the other vertical wooden stakes. At each intersection, tie the bamboo to the wooden stake with twine. Continue this until you have reached the desired level of coverage.

Inspirational Bamboo Garden Edging Photos

Looking for ideas? Still not sure which type of bamboo edging you want to work with? Check out these examples.

Short Vertical Bamboo Edging

This garden showcases the beautiful combination of bamboo and lush green foliage. The short bamboo edging clearly delineates the flower bed without being the dominant focal point of the scene.

Bamboo is an excellent choice for creating clean lines that look stunning and add intrigue.

Sporadic Bamboo Edging

This garden makes use of bamboo in a couple of creative ways. First, the bamboo is sporadically placed at different places in the garden. Secondly, the height of the bamboo sticks is different.

Overall, this concept makes for a creative and aesthetic landscape. Try it in your garden today to create a truly stunning space.

Woven Bamboo Border

In this garden, bamboo has been woven around wooden posts to make a fence. This concept showcases how bamboo can be seamlessly incorporated as a garden edger to create an awe-inspiring landscape.

Using bamboo in this way is also an environmentally conscious choice. It utilizes all organic materials. Since bamboo grows so quickly, it's a highly renewable resource and will quickly be replenished.

Scalloped Bamboo

Who says you can't have fun with both your flower beds and your garden edge? This bamboo has been cut in such a way to create a truly unique and interesting edge design.

The creativity of this concept draws the eye to the flower bed without being too dominant. It's a striking combination with the flower bed.

Large Criss Cross Bamboo Panel

In this garden scene, the large criss-cross bamboo panel is the focal point. This concept is awe-inspiring because it uses all-natural elements that have been combined in such a way to create a scene of order.

A criss-cross bamboo panel can act as a fence in large gardens or landscapes. Using a fence like this one incorporates all-natural elements into your space.

Fences don't have to be boring or an eyesore, so get creative with your use of bamboo.

Small Woven Bamboo Flower Bed Edger

This concept showcases the many creative possibilities of woven bamboo edging. Virtually any pattern or design is attainable.

In this scene, the edging does not cover the entire perimeter; it covers just enough of the corner to delineate it from the rest of the surrounding garden. Bamboo serves as an incredible feature for your garden space.

All-encompassing Vertical Bamboo Border

This setup shows the visual effect of bamboo edging that completely surrounds the flower bed or garden.

It makes the flower bed appear more defined, and the differing heights of the bamboo shoots add aesthetic appeal and intrigue.

Show creative liberty by using bamboo of differing heights; it gives the space an organic look. If you have a water feature in your garden, try using bamboo to highlight it.

Bamboo is also a great way to keep people out of the water, but still maintaining the water feature's beautiful appeal.