I think metal edging will be fabulous!!! I would really like that a lot. We just kept the timbers we had put in years ago for our plant bed. We had to do some reinforcing, but that was all. I would really love to have metal siding though, instead of the timbers.
You know there's no timetable in putting in a rock bed - don't have to beat the cold or heat as you do with shrubs, so when you are able to do it, is the perfect time. We took our shrubs out the spring of 07 and put down black plastic to cook/kill all the roots and left it down for a year (yeah, we kinda looked like the Clampets! HA). We didn't put in the rock bed till the spring of 08.
So, I guess you could say that I'm of the opinion that it can wait till the time is right!!!
Sorry about losing 4 trees - I love trees - but you are right, it is fewer leaves to rake!!! Have to look for those silver linings!
