Expert warns against common landscaping method that could wreak havoc over time: 'This is a prime example'

They can be seen in many gardens, but one arborist warns that using borders may cause damage to your trees.

In a Reddit post, the tree expert shared some hard-earned advice with the r/arborists community. The included photo shows a garden bed with bricks along the edge. In a couple of spots there are roots squeezing around the bricks and between the cracks.

"This is a prime example. Most of the time the roots don't go up and over, they hit and go around and around," the OP explained. "The amount of times I've done root collar exams and the roots go out until they hit the plastic edging and then follow the edging in a circle is too damn high."

The root collar, or root flare, is the part of a tree where the trunk meets the roots. According to the Illinois Extension, "In recent years, arborists have spent considerable focus on the root collar, identifying a number of common disorders that can lead to declines in tree health or mortality."

The health of your tree can often be reflected in the health of the root collar. Planting trees in your yard can add visual interest to your landscaping and, if you choose fruit trees, even bring a little sweetness to your home.

In addition to the aesthetic benefits, trees cast cooling shadows. The Environmental Protection Agency says trees and vegetation "decrease demand for air conditioning" and that urban parks and forestry "can reduce the energy demand of nearby buildings by 10%."

This means that by keeping your trees healthy, you stand to save money on your bills each month. Not to mention the cost saved by not needing to hire an arborist to come take care of your trees.

Other Redditors agreed that garden edging was a scourge.

"Not an arborist, but I always try to explain how unnecessary edging is," one person wrote.

Someone else explained issues they were having with the edging outside their home: "The house we bought has black plastic edging around a few trees in the backyard. When I went to try pulling it up, I found the roots of the trees had grown into and around it very tight; it won't budge."

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