13 Ways to Add a Beautiful Border to Your Garden

Garden borders help bring attention to your garden while keeping a divider between grass and your plants. Create a unique, eye-catching boundary using any of these 13 creative ideas.

When you take the time to install or build a garden bed, you want to go the extra step to distinguish it from the lawn. Installing edging of some sort makes a significant impact on your yard’s aesthetic. There are many ways to create boundaries in your garden, ranging from simple plastic edging to installing renewable bamboo fences.

Choose one of these exciting options to infuse a sense of style into your outdoor space.

Benefits of Having Borders in Your Garden

Adding garden borders is helpful for many reasons.

Garden borders add an extra aesthetic element to the space, helping to keep the area tidy.
Borders create a fantastic boundary between your lawn and garden, helping keep the grass where it belongs. A flat edge allows you to cut the grass right up to the border, eliminating the need for a string trimmer.
Landscape edging keeps plants in the garden instead of creeping onto pathways or the yard.
Garden borders can be used to create separate spaces or “rooms.”
Boundaries help keep people out of specific areas if need be.
Edging defines areas, highlighting a particular plant or memorable tree.

Creative Border Ideas for Your Garden

Budget-Friendly Plastic Landscape Edging

One of the cheapest and simplest border options is using plastic landscape edging that you can purchase at your local garden center. It is available in long lengths that you cut to fit your space. Drive the metal or plastic stakes into the ground, securing the edging into place.

Highly Customizable Edging Stones

Many people use edging stones or landscape rocks to build borders in their gardens. Stones are available in a wide selection of colors and sizes, allowing you to opt for a well-manicured look, or you can stack thin landscape rocks for a rougher aesthetic.

Ground Cover Plants

Low-growing plants are often used to create a natural border in front of shrubs or taller ornamentals. Choose something with a strong scent (like thyme or marigolds) to keep insect predators and other pests from bothering other plants in your garden.

Poured Concrete Edging

Concrete edging or curbing is an efficient way to create a permanent border in your garden. It isn’t a DIY project, but it isn’t overly expensive, and the concrete can be colored or stamped to create a unique look.

Create Drama with River Rocks or Boulders

Line your gardens with large, impressive rocks if you’re up for some heavy work or have access to a skid steer. Stones won’t degrade over time as plastic or concrete may, and they serve as a great way to keep people out of a designated space. Large boulders are often used along driveways and parking areas.

Simplistic Pea Stone or Gravel Pathways

Laying stone or gravel to create borders helps delineate a space while keeping weeds at a minimum. Before spreading rocks, lay landscape or weed-block fabric to keep grass and dandelions from sprouting up in your garden beds.

Metal Pieces That Age with Time

Using metal features in your garden brings an industrial look to your space. Create borders using sheet metal bent to your needs, or cut industrial pipe in short sections, driving one of the open ends into the ground. Over time the material will rust or patina to bring beautiful color to your yard.

Living Evergreen Shrub Hedge

For a good reason, shrubs are commonly used in public gardens as borders. They are relatively low-maintenance, but you can also choose to alter the height as your garden plants grow behind them. Plus, they work well as a deterrent to keep visitors out of the garden.

Sustainable Bamboo Border

Creating a garden border with bamboo is common in areas where bamboo grows rampant but is popular everywhere because of bamboo’s sustainable nature. Using a miter (or hand saw), cut bamboo poles to the desired length and then drive one end into the ground, so they stand vertically. The stakes can be left free-standing or lashed together for stability.

Wooden Palisade for a Natural Look

Wood is often used in borders to create a boundary between walkways or turf and garden spaces. Since logs are naturally found outside, they simultaneously define different areas while blending in. You can choose from pre-manufactured wooden borders or use a saw to cut logs down to size, creating your own.

Container Plants for a Changeable Look

Using container plants as a border for your garden or flowerbed offers you plenty of flexibility without committing to a long-term border option. The pots allow you to change out plants every spring, going with a different color scheme or type of plant. You can paint terra cotta or plastic pots to add extra color to your garden or mix and match shapes and sizes for variety.

Woven Branch Lattice

It’s common in English cottage gardens to form borders or fences by intertwining or weaving thin branches together. When young, twigs are pliable, allowing you to shape them into curves around your garden to create an undulating border. This lattice option is also a fantastic way to use downed branches.

Double-Duty Border Using Cinder Blocks

Place cinder blocks around your garden to create a sturdy retaining wall while giving your more planting space. Set blocks with the open sides facing upwards and fill with soil. Use this space for planting herbs, ground cover plants, or flowering annuals for extra color.

Adding a border to your space has many benefits. Whether you want something inexpensive and easy to install, or a more elaborate garden border sure to draw attention to itself, numerous options are available.