Landscape edging apparatus and method

• US 4,831,776 A
• Filed: 09/18/1986
• Issued: 05/23/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fritch, John R.
• Original Assignee: Fritch, John R.
• Inventors: Fritch, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Richard J.
• Application Number:
  US06/908,601
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 47/32, 47/33, 47/25, 47/24, 47/23, 256/32, 256/33, 403/286, 403/293, 403/309, 52/102, 52/288, 52/656, 405/115
• US Class Current: 47/33
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/28 Raised beds; Planting beds; Edging elements for beds, lawn or the like, e.g. tiles

Abstract

An elongated landscape edging strip formed of flexible material comprises an upstanding retainer portion intermediate and integral with a thin gauge, readily deformable mowing strip and a thin gauge, readily deformable anchoring strip. The mowing strip and anchoring strip are both secured in conformity to the ground contour along the edge of a mowed area to separate the mowed area from an unmowed area. In a preferred embodiment, the retainer portion has a channel-shaped cross section.

Claims

1. A landscape edging strip substantially impenetrable by grass for separating a mowed lawn area from an unmowable area comprising a resilient water resistant, elongate, thin gauge, flexible web having a substantially flat planar support surface across the undersurface of the strip adapted to rest upon a horizontal surface, said web defining:

a flat flexible mowing strip along one longitudinal edge of the web constructed and arranged to overlie and to conform to the ground contour adjacent the mowable area, whereby lawnmower wheels may traverse said mowing strip to mow the adjacent mowable area;

a flat flexible anchoring strip along the other longitudinal edge of the web constructed and arranged to overlie and to conform to the ground contour of the unmowable area adjacent the mowable area; and

a retainer portion integral with and intermediate said mowing strip and said anchoring strip;

said mowing strip and said anchoring strip being penetrable at longitudinally spaced intervals by stakes to secure said web to the ground;

said retainer portion including transversely spaced wall portions extending integrally upwardly from said mowing strip and said anchoring strip forming an inverted hollow channel, and the outer longitudinal edges of said mowing strip and said anchoring strip being generally parallel and substantially free.

2. The landscape edging strip of claim 1 wherein said retainer portion of said web has a channel shaped cross section with an open bottom.

3. The landscape edging strip of claim 2 wherein said channel shaped cross section comprises an inverted U shape.

4. The landscape edging strip of claim 2 wherein said channel shaped cross section comprises an open-bottom O shape.

5. The landscape edging strip of claim 2 wherein said channel shaped cross section comprises two generally vertical walls integrally connected by a top wall.

6. The landscape edging strip of claim 1 wherein said retainer portion of said web comprises a generally vertical first wall connected at its bottom edge to the inner edge of said anchoring strip and a second wall connected at its bottom edge to the inner edge of said mowing strip.

7. The landscape edging strip of claim 6 wherein said first and said second walls of said retainer portion have their top edges integrally united.

8. A landscape edging strip substantially impenetrable by grass for separating a lawn area from an area covered by landscaping sheet comprising a resilient elongate, thin gauge, flexible web having a substantially flat planar support surface across the undersurface of the strip adapted to rest upon a horizontal surface;

said web defining;

a flat flexible mowing strip along one longitudinal edge of the web constructed and arranged to overlie and to conform to the ground contour adjacent the lawn area and having sufficient width to permit lawnmower wheels to traverse said mowing strip to mow the adjacent lawn area;

a flat flexible anchoring strip along the other longitudinal edge of the web constructed and arranged to overlie the landscaping sheet and to conform to the ground contour underneath the landscaping sheet; and

a retainer portion integral with and intermediate said mowing strip and said anchoring strip;

said mowing strip and said anchoring strip being penetrable at longitudinally spaced intervals by stakes to secure said web to the ground;

said retainer portion including transversely spaced wall portions extending integrally upwardly from said mowing strip and said anchoring strip forming an inverted hollow channel, and the outer longitudinal edges of said mowing strip and said anchoring strip being generally parallel and substantially free.

9. The landscape edging strip of claim 8 wherein said retainer portion of said web comprises a generally vertical first wall connected at its bottom edge to the inner edge of said anchoring strip and a second wall connected at its bottom edge to the inner edge of said mowing strip.

10. The landscape edging strip of claim 9 wherein said first and said second walls of said retainer portion have their top edges integrally united.

11. The landscape edging strip of claim 8 wherein said retainer portion of said web has channel shaped cross section with an open bottom.

12. The landscape edging strip of claim 11 wherein said channel shaped cross section comprises an open-bottom O shape.

13. The landscape edging strip of claim 11 wherein said channel shaped cross section comprises two generally vertical walls integrally connected by a top wall.

14. The landscape edging strip of claim 11 wherein said channel shaped cross section comprises an inverted U shape.

15. A pair of angularly disposed landscape edging strips substantially impenetrable by grass respectively having end portions disposed in adjoining but angularly related relationship, each landscape edging strip comprising a resilient water resistant, elongated, thin gauge, flexible web having a substantially flat planar support surface across the undersurface of the strip adapted to rest upon a horizontal surface;

said web defining;

a flat flexible mowing strip along one longitudinal edge of the web constructed and arranged to overlie and to conform to the ground contour adjacent the mowable area, whereby lawnmower wheels may traverse said mowing strip to mow the adjacent mowable area,

a flat flexible anchoring strip along the other longitudinal edge of the web constructed and arranged to overlie and to conform to the ground contour of the unmowable area adjacent the mowable area, and

a retainer portion including transversely spaced wall portions integral with and intermediate said mowing strip and said anchoring strip forming an open-bottom, inverted, hollow channel and the outer longitudinal edges of said mowing strip and said anchoring strip being generally parallel and substantially free;

and connector means comprising two short lengths of said landscape edging strip, each short length having an end angled relative to the longitudinal axis of the short length by an angle equal to one half of the angular separation of said strips;

said short lengths being integrally united by said angled ends, whereby said connector means may be disposed in snug overlying relationship to said angularly adjoining ends of said landscape edging strips.

16. The landscape edging strip of claim 15 wherein said retainer portion of said web comprises a generally vertical first wall connected at its bottom edge to the inner edge of said anchoring strip and a second wall connected at its bottom edge to the inner edge of said mowing strip.

17. The landscape edging strip of claim 16 wherein said first and said second walls of said retainer portion have their top edges integrally united.

18. A pair of angularly disposed landscape edging strips substantially impenetrable by grass respectively having end portions disposed in adjoining but angularly related relationship, each landscape edging strip comprising a resilient water resistant, elongated, thin gauge, flexible web having a substantially flat planar support surface across the undersurface of the strip adapted to rest upon a horizontal surface;

said web defining;

a flat flexible mowing strip along one longitudinal edge of the web constructed and arranged to overlie and to conform to the ground contour adjacent the mowable area;

whereby lawnmower wheels may traverse said mowing strip to mow the adjacent mowable area,

a flat flexible anchoring strip along the other longitudinal edge of the web constructed and arranged to overlie and to conform to the ground contour of the unmowable area adjacent the mowable area; and

a retainer portion including transversely spaced wall portions integral with an intermediate said mowing strip and said anchoring strip forming an open-bottom, inverted, hollow channel generally parallel and substantially free;

and a connector comprising two integrally joined short, thin gauge, flexible webs, said webs being respectively constructed and arranged to overlie an conform to the tip surfaces of the ends of said angularly disposed landscape edging strips.

19. A method for landscape edging comprising covering a ground area with a landscaping sheet laying a landscaping strip substantially impenetrable by grass above the lawn adjacent edge of the landscaping sheet;

said landscape edging strip comprising a resilient water resistant, thin gauge, flexible web having a substantially flat planar support surface across the undersurface of the strip adapted to rest upon a horizontal surface;

said web defining;

a flat flexible mowing strip along one longitudinal edge of the web constructed and arranged to overlie and to conform to the ground contour underneath the lawn adjacent edge of said landscaping sheet,

a flat flexible anchoring strip along the other longitudinal edge of the web constructed and arranged to overlie the landscaping sheet and to conform to the ground contour underneath the landscaping sheet, and

an upstanding, longitudinally extending laterally reinforced retainer portion integral with and intermediate said mowing strip and said anchoring strip, the outer longitudinal edges of said mowing strip and said anchoring strip being generally parallel and substantially free;

securing said web at longitudinally spaced intervals by stakes to secure said web and the underlying edge of said landscaping sheet to the ground; and

applying landscape fill to cover said landscaping sheet and said anchoring strip and to abut said retainer portion.

20. An elongate landscape edging strip substantially impenetrable by grass for separating a mowable lawn area from an unmowable area, said landscape edging strip being constructed of a flexible resilient water resistant material having a substantially flat planar support surface across the undersurface of the strip adapted to rest upon a horizontal surface and comprising, in integral combination:

a thin gauge, generally planar first longitudinal edge portion defining a mowing wheel strip for overlying the ground surface adjacent said mowable area, the bottom surface of said mowing strip being conformable to a ground surface of varying slope;

a thin-gauge, generally planar second longitudinal edge portion defining an anchoring strip for overlying the ground surface of said unmowable area, said second longitudinal edge portion lying in substantially the same plane as said first longitudinal edge portion prior to application to the ground surface;

an upstanding, longitudinally extending retainer portion intermediate said first and second longitudinal edge portions, and comprising a longitudinally extending retaining wall integrally secured at its bottom edge to the inner edge of said second longitudinal edge portion, and a longitudinally extending reinforcing wall integrally secured along its bottom edge to the inner edge of said first longitudinal edge portion;

said retaining wall and said reinforcing wall being integrally connected along their top longitudinal edges forming an inverted hollow channel, and the outer longitudinal edges of said mowing strip and said anchoring strip being generally parallel and substantially free.

21. The landscape edging strip of claim 20 further comprising stake means for securing at least one of said longitudinal edge portions to the underlying ground.

22. The landscape edging strip of claim 20 wherein said retainer portion defines an open-bottom channel.

23. The landscape edging strip of claim 20 wherein said retainer portion has a transverse cross section comprising an inverted "U" shape.

24. The landscape edging strip of claim 20 wherein said retainer portion has a transverse cross section comprising an inverted "V" shape.

25. The landscape edging strip of claim 20 wherein said retainer portion has a transverse cross section comprising an open-bottom "O" shape.

26. The landscape edging strip of claim 20 wherein the top longitudinal edges of said retaining wall and said reinforcing wall are integrally connected by a top wall.

27. The landscape edging strip of claim 20 wherein the bottom contour of said strip is complimentarily shaped to snugly conform to the top contour of an identical landscaping strip, thereby permitting an overlapping joint between longitudinally aligned strips.