Easiest product to edge a path for gardening doofus?

[Devora]

I am completely useless at gardening and intimidated by it (I got my first ever garden a few years ago, in my 40s). But I'm trying to get a bit more competent so would appreciate any kind, patient advice.

At the front, I have a small square gravelled garden, which constantly spills onto the path. What's the cheapest, easiest way for me to edge this? I'm hoping for something I can do with a hammer, rather than a concrete mixer... Do I have to be careful of the membrane under the gravel?

Huge thanks!

It depends a great deal what kind of a look you want and what your budget is.

The simplest way is to buy lengths of metal, which have ground anchors incorporated. You knock these into the ground, and they provide decent edging. They are expensive, but if you have a small area, it might not break the bank. They are particularly designed to be used to interface between gravel and lawn.

The only other way I can think of that doesn't involve some concrete would be to buy lengths of rough pressure-treated timber to knock into the ground. You can make anchors for them out of pieces of 2x4. This is what I have done at my allotment, and it looks okayish.

However, a far more attractive way is to buy tile or brick edging. I have actually installed this in my own garden, and if your site is flat and you are doing straight lines, it is hard work but doesn't involve a great deal of skill. If you are on gradient, or want curves it is harder.

you can get rolls of edging from the garden centre of various different styles, as shovetheholly describes re the metal - they come with big spikes attached that you just hammer into the ground.

we recently built a brick mowing edge ourselves without concrete or anything, but this was flush with the ground so a bit different but you could do the same slightly raised (we had curves and sort of fudged around them a bit - it's not perfect but good enough and will be covered with plants that spill out as the year goes on so won't be noticeable). it was easy to do but quite time-consuming, and cost us less than £40 for the materials (cheapo bricks plus sharp sand)

if you like the look of bricks, and depending on how much the bricks would need to support, you could try sawtooth edging? it's very attractive, and depending on how robust they need to be you could possibly do it without setting them in concrete. i'm not sure about the drive liner though

Thank you both so much, you have given me lots to think about. I will now venture to the garden centre armed with your nuggets of wisdom, and perhaps not appear a total idiot

Does anyone know whether the metal edging designed for grass is strong enough to hold earth in place in a bed?

I am after a small amount of metal edging for my front garden to stop the soil spilling over... but there is no grass there. I worry that the edging that is designed for grass is just there to give a neat edge on something that holds the soil together and won't cope as a kind of mini-raised bed edge.