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However there is a lot to be said of their favour from a pragmatic viewpoint.

Edgings help stop blackbirds chucking mulch over the lawn.

Tall ones can stop plants flopping forwards and leaving yellow “scallops” where they’ve smothered the grass.

And they act as a barrier against gravel “creeping” off the drive and directly to the lawn where small stones chip divots from your mower blades.

Stylish edgings also give the garden a particular design feel.

Admittedly you’d expect formal gardens to have neatly edged paths and beds but a row of low stonework or dwarf evergreens in any garden links features together and leads the attention around the view.

They may also emphasise key features so that they stand out more prominently. This can be a great assist in winter when perennials die down and deciduous plants appear to be dead twigs leaving plenty of bare soil showing. That’s when edgings come into their very own.

There are every type of fabrics to fit any style and situation.

Architectural edgings is also so simple as a row of pebbles, weather-worn clay roof tiles or old red bricks set at an angle of 45 degrees alongside a path which will look cottagey. Otherwise you might decide on the smarter Victorian style terracotta coloured rope-topped tiles, good-looking if pricEy for more formal situations.

Solid edgings wouldn’t have to be concreted in place, merely sunk part way into the soil, unless you would like a extremely indestructible finish.

For lawns there are specially designed edging strips, from green corrugated plastic to costlier metal sections that clip together. These aren’t intended to face up proud within the turf. The assumption is to make a superb edge to the lawn that a mower can omit and which makes it easy to run round with the edging shears afterwards.

Then there reside green edgings which might be often used to enclose flowerbeds or paths and increasingly for enclosing decorative veggie beds.

For these jobs the conventional edging is a proper row of tightly clipped box. The error lots of people make is in buying regular hedging box Buxus sempervirens which grows way too big. The only you desire is dwarf box Buxus sempervirens Suffruticosa, that is small and slow-growing and is worked up being kept under 1ft. Two clips per year is all that it takes.

Put in a row of young plants four to 6 inches apart or better still buy one plant and root your personal row cheaply from cuttings. It is simple and just needs a little patience.

Box is not the only plant for the job. You may use lavender instead.

Choose a brief, uprightish variety akin to Hidcote or Imperial Gem.

For something shorter still grow a row of upright thymes or on the way to be different plant a row of ivies (not necessarily the complete same variety) and twist them round as they grow to form ropes.

They look stunning outlining the perimeters of steps and paths, and in dark corners where more traditional edging plants happen their toes.

The right edging within the right place is such a fine detail that makes the adaptation between a fine garden and an amazing-looking one, especially in winter. So why not start now

For additional information on gardening and other subjects visit Alan Titchmarsh’s website: www.alantitchmarsh.com