Natural Stone Garden Edging Guide

Garden edging creates crisp boundaries between lawn and planting beds. Rather than dull plastic or concrete borders, natural stone edging infuses rustic charm into any outdoor space.

Loose laid or mortared in place, natural stone borders add aesthetic appeal. They define spaces, retain soil, and prevent grass and weeds from encroaching.

Benefits of Natural Stone Garden Edging

Natural stone makes an excellent material for garden edging. Compared to plastic, metal, or concrete, it blends with natural surroundings rather than sticking out.

Benefits of using natural stone for garden edging include:

• Aesthetic appeal and natural beauty
• Long-lasting and durable
• Easy installation and low maintenance
• Variety of styles and colors
• Define garden beds and borders
• Retain soil and mulch

The rustic yet refined look of natural stone edging adds character to any garden. Loose laid stone borders effortlessly blend with plantings rather than starkly contrasting.

Properly installed, high-quality natural stone borders remain intact for decades with minimal upkeep. Compared to plastic edging that degrades from sunlight and concrete that cracks, natural stone is a sound, long-term investment.

Aesthetic Versatility and Curb Appeal

Whether going for a formal English garden look with geometric shapes or a natural prairie style with free-form edges, natural stone accommodates both. The variety of stone types, colors, sizes, and textures available means endless options for custom edging.

Flagstone, fieldstone, bluestone, sandstone, and granite make excellent edging materials. Their neutral hues and organic shapes heighten visual appeal in any garden context from coastal to contemporary.

Low Maintenance and Durability

Properly installed natural stone edging requires little long-term maintenance yet remains intact for years. It does not degrade, crack, or shift nearly as much as plastic, concrete, or metal borders.

Frost heave may jostle some stones after cold winters but most remain firmly in place. Simply nudging sunken stones back to grade in spring sustains a crisp edge.

Regular mulching around natural stone also limits grass or weed encroachment. Once or twice a year, edge along the border with a half-moon edger or spade to prevent overgrowth.

Choosing the Right Stone

With the wide variety of natural stone options for edging, selecting the right material involves weighing aesthetics, performance, and budget.

Stone choice depends on the overall style sought and how formally edged or free-form the design should be. It also hinges on the stone's durability and porosity.

Some key aspects to consider when selecting natural stone for garden edging include:

• Color
• Texture
• Size and shape
• Porosity
• Durability
• Cost

Stone Types

Popular natural stone options for garden edging include:

• Granite - Very dense and durable though expensive
• Limestone - Diverse colors but softer and prone to etching
• Sandstone - Textured look but fractures easily over time
• Slate - Gorgeous metamorphic rock but splits along cleavage planes
• Bluestone - Sedimentary rock; durable with nice color

Key Properties

When comparing stone types, consider key factors like:

• Durability - Hardness and fracture/cleavage resistance
• Porosity - How easily moisture penetrates pores
• Weather resistance - Resilience to freeze-thaw, sun, and rain

Also examine stone samples firsthand to assess aesthetics. View color consistency, texture, fossil patterns, veining, finish options, and sizes available.

Weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each stone type regarding longevity, maintenance needs, and cost. This informs the best selection for the project.

Sourcing Stone

Finding a reliable local stone supplier is key for edging projects. Quarries and stone yards offer the best direct pricing and widest stone selection.

Describe your design to staff to source the most suitable stone type for garden edging in the right sizes. They can also advise on popular local stone choices that balance aesthetics and affordability.

Installation Tips

Proper installation technique ensures garden edging stones remain firmly anchored for years. While hiring a professional landscaper to install natural stone edging is ideal, DIYers can also achieve great results with these tips:

Layout

First, map out the garden bed's shape and dimensions with spray paint or a garden hose. Decide on straight or curved borders before establishing the form.

Account for optimal spacing between stones so soil does not spill over. Smaller stone pieces require tighter joints while large flagstones allow wider gaps.

Excavation

Excavate a 6-8" deep trench along the marked line, sloping inward slightly. Use a flat spade first then switch to a rounded shovel.

The trench must exceed the cumulative height of the base depth (2-4"), stone thickness, and desired exposure height above soil level.

Base Preparation

Fill the trench with a 4" crushed stone sub-base until 2" below top grade. Compact with a hand tamper, leaving a slight slope towards the center of the planting bed.

Top the base with sand or stone dust. This helps level out imperfections in the base and underlying soil before setting stones.

Weed Barrier

Install landscape fabric prior to placing stones. Overlap sheets by 6" and keep barrier flush with the soil base. The fabric prevents weeds from infiltrating edges.

Dry Fitting

Arrange stones atop the base, tight together. Use stone pieces of relatively uniform height for consistency. Allow gaps of 1/4-1" between stones.

Use angled pieces vertically against the soil rather than laying flat. Check borders for straightness and make adjustments before permanently setting stones.

Securing Stones

Various methods help anchor edging stones in place like stakes, mortar, or gravel backfill. Use what best suits each unique scenario.

For mortared edging, butter all stone sides with concrete adhesive before lowering into the trench. Backfill behind stones with soil.

Style Ideas

Natural stone edging adapts well to both formal gardens and more casual naturalistic designs. Various layout patterns and stone shapes can achieve different aesthetic effects.

Geometric Layouts

For formal garden beds with defined structure, geometric patterns keep things orderly. Popular options include:

• Straight borders - Crisp linear edges
• 90-degree corners - Precise right angles
• Repeated arcs - Concentric curves of various radii

Matching the scale and shape of stone pieces also enhances formality. Think brick or tile-like rectangular flagstone for strict geometry.

In informal cottage gardens and native plantings, free-form designs feel most natural. Borders meander gently and stones appear almost scattered.