I've always been a fan of having grass grow right up to a wall instead of cluttering wall edges with lots of plants. Worse still is running flagstone paving along the edge with no transition of growing material. Stones cancel each other out if the bordering ground cover is the same material as the stone that's used in the wall. As far as it being a lot of work to do the edging if you grow grass there, all I can say is sheep do a good job of keeping it trimmed right up close to any wall. It always looks so tidy when they do it. In some so-called backward countries people keep sheep instead of own lawn mowers.
Those of us in North America favour the gas powered lawn mower instead. It throws the grass right up against the wall and still doesn't cut any of the blades closest to the wall. It's disappointing to see a fresh cut lawn with the cuttings all sticking onto the wall. Unless of course, it makes a pretty face.
