[Good guy]

I am seriously considering installing a lawn edging of some kind in order to cut out some of the tedious and backbreaking maintenance.
These are my thoughts so far:
All the beds/borders in my lawn are curved to a greater or lesser degree; mostly, the soil level of the bed is lower than the lawn so the edging won't be visible; much of the garden is very stoney so digging small neat trenches ain't easy! As I will need about 50 metres in all, cost is also going to be important, though I don't mind spending money to get a good result. I would prefer to be able to do all the work myself, for economy's sake - I'm reasonably handy. I am attaching a photo to give an idea of the scale/scope of the job.
One product I've seen advertised that looks as though it might work for me is called Smartedge.
If anyone has done a job like this recently, or knows of a similar project or has any useful advice/info, I'd be very interested.

[tagwex]

Well my twopennyworth is, and if money is no object and doing it once is your target, a lifetime job would be a strip of metal edging with metal bars (300-400mm) driven into the ground every 1-5m say. You could use aluminium, stainless steel or plain steel that has been galvanised. Failing that just use plain untreated steel, it wont rust away for years anyway. Use sheets that are thin enough to bend to your curves obviously. Nice garden by the way, a lot of work done is plain to see there.

[Greengage]

Nice garden well done.I have used Aluminium in my garden at home and it works fine but at work it has been damaged and bent by machinery, If I had an option and money was not a problem I would go for the galvanised steel as mentioned above ill take a pic tomorrow and post to show what it looks like out of the ground and in sit.

[Greengage]

here are two pics as promised, note how the one in sit is bent due to hitting stones while been tapped down, Even with the edge in place you will still have to edge with shears or strimmer edging will not solve your problem although it may stop you re cutting the edge each year, I would suggest buying a mower with the deck wider than the wheels this will help with the edging and prevent the cut edge from collapsing under the wheels.

[Good guy]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. And for the compliments. I think I will probably have to go with some system such as you suggest. My reluctance stems from the stoney ground: except where I've cultivated it, the garden is so full of stone that a spade or fork will not penetrate more than a couple of inches. A mattock or pick axe are the tools to start with!
I like your suggestion about the mower, Greengage - I could probably justify getting a new one soon.

[Greengage]

for stony ground that looks super.

[tagwex]

Sledge a pointed steel bar for a starter hole in the ground a little wider than the bars welded to the metal strips and just drop your edgings in. Easy. Just heel your edgings in.

[kindredspirit]

Lovely garden. Thumbs up.

[Greengage]

RE{Sledge a pointed bar for a starter hole brought a smile to my face, yes a great idea and so we thought along with some clever engineer anyway due to stony ground the holes never lined up and the lenghts between the bars caught up in stones then the whole thing looked wobbly ( Not proper word) The theory is sound but in practice it didn't work, you could try digging up a trench the whole lenght and back fill. A better way to do it is use angle iron dig out a trench buy one side of the angle and leave the other sticking up looks super job Ill check my photo library for pic later.

[tagwex]

The sledge is the answer to everything around here! Cut me some slack, I had just come in from the pub when I wrote that! One would have hoped/presumed that the sheet of metal would just slide into the succulent Donegal topsoil with a few gentle taps, hardly stones in the top 2-3" inches in a lawn like that. Anyway is good guy just laying the metal trim up against an already cut face on the edge of the lawn - so no sledging required,.The pointed bar should displace whatever stones are present out to the sides leaving a clean hole to just simply drop the metal rods into . SIMPLES.

[Good guy]

Succulent Donegal topsoil, my posterior! Where I have added 24 year's worth of mushroom compost, garden compost, autumn leaves, grass clippings, blood, sweat and tears the soil is really good. Note post of Dec 5th! Greengage describes what I fear is likely to be the result of trying to hammer in anything unless I first dig (with mattock/pick) a fifty metre trench, which I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for.

[tippben]

For raised beds, we used scavenged planks. For borders, we went to a local hill full of abandoned slate quarries, and knocked in bits of slate with a rubber mallet. For decorative space divisions and paths, we made foot high "hurdles" out of hazel and willow.

[tagwex]

Jaaaaysus do i have to go up there and do it myself!!!! Of course it's succulent with all that nurturing you have given it, do we call you 'the Bull McCabe' from now on? Could you not finish the rest of it anytime in the last 24 years?javascript:emoticon('')javascript:emoticon('')Think back you must have had the time somewhere.
Seriously though, it looks from your photo that there is an edge that i presumed the metal edging would just lay against. Maybe not.

[Good guy]

Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill! I hadn't thought of simply resting a metal strip against the edges. I might try getting a few metres of mild steel in the new year and see if it works.
Thanks for all the help, everyone. I'll let you know how I get on.

[Good guy]

Nosebleed is looking for info re lawn edging? Here is the thread I started.
You've a good memory, Tagwex!