Healthy Boundaries

You hear the need for boundaries from self-help books and psyhologists--healthy boundaries, violated boundaries, respecting the boundaries. So while your friend is trying to persuade you to be her emotional sponge at all hours of the day and night, you're turning to your garden and viciously yanking out the weeds that threaten your garden's health.

Garden landscape edging is essential for any garden to keep mulch and soil in, weeds and grass out. But strong landscape boundaries are attractive features of raised garden bed design. The problem? How do you draw the boundaries? What materials do you use? The types of boundaries you use depend on your garden's shape. Some healthy garden planning ideas:

• If you're going to have a curved design, say around decks, you may want bender boards for your garden edging. If, however, your boundaries need to be harder and more durable, try landscape edging in painted metal to prevent rust.
• Afraid of being hard-hearted? Plastic is flexible and can withstand the heat--just make sure the plastic from your garden edging doesn't leak. You want to keep in the good emotions, er, plants, and filter out the pests.
• If you're using stone (I am a rock, I am an island), include mortar in your garden planning so you seal those decorative stones tightly--weeds and turf grasses can't penetrate!

Most of all, your boundaries need to be visible and clearly defined. With the peace you get from having a well-protected garden, you might have the confidence to tell your friend you can't skip out on your sister's wedding to hear about your friend's broken nails and latest man-troubles.