Cedar Board Edging

• 1). Dig a trench the length of the flower bed and as deep as the width of the boards. Insert the boards into the trench, butting each board up to the next one. Cut the boards with a table saw to fit if necessary. The boards should sit at ground level or 1/2 inch above.
  
  
• 2). Slide wooden stakes into the flower bed directly behind the wooden planks. Pound them into the ground with a rubber mallet so they sit 1/2 inch below the planks. Space the stakes every 5 feet.
  
  
• 3). Hammer a nail through the plank and into each stake to secure the edging.
  
  

Cedar Timbers

• 1). Dig a trench as wide as the cedar timbers and as deep as you like. Cedar timbers may rest partially or completely buried, depending on your preference, or you can lay them on top of the soil.
  
  
• 2). Lay out the timbers, cutting them as necessary to fit, and jutting each piece up to the next one.
  
  
• 3). Drill 3/8-inch holes through the middle of the timbers, one at each end. Hammer a landscaping spike into each hole with a sledge hammer to secure the timbers and prevent them from heaving--or moving--during heavy winter frosts.