How to (and Why You Should) Line Your Garden Beds with Cobblestones

Gardens are becoming more and more important as both a selling point and a beautiful feature in homes. Whether you have a vegetable garden with a rich harvest or flower beds that you want to highlight, cobblestone garden edging makes your yard stand out. It can also help you have healthier garden beds and a more easily maintained lawn.

Why are garden borders important?

Marking the division between your garden beds and your lawn is important for properly maintaining both sections of your yard, especially if the border is thick. Laying bricks and cobblestones down lengthwise guarantees that you have a thick enough border to mow your lawn without risking your flower beds and plants; it also gives you great cover for laying down weed blocker. While the cobblestones or bricks you use are enough to deter weeds and grass from getting too close, adding a layer of newspaper or weed-blocking canvas underneath gets rid of any lingering seeds quickly. Thick stones also let you build up a healthy layer of mulch to ensure healthy plants without that mulch spreading across your yard.

One of the most important reasons, especially if you’re selling or renting your home, is that cobblestone garden edging looks beautiful and adds depth to your home’s curb appeal; it shows that you care about the look of the lawn, even though the feature doesn’t require any attention or maintenance once you build it. Here’s how to make a garden border:

How to Make Cobblestone Garden Bed Edges

Mark out the border for your garden beds. Whether you want clean-cut lines or a more whimsical curve, tracing it out gives you a good opportunity to make small adjustments and imagine the finished project. You can use a garden hose, a string and wooden stakes if you’re planning on straight lines, or even marking paint on your final draft.

Once your design is set, you’re ready to start digging. Dig a four-inch deep line along the course of your border, and make sure the trench is wide enough for your stones. Most designs incorporate a flat stone and a raised stone for the interior border to help keep the gardens in place, so the width would need to be the sum of the length and thickness of the stones. As you dig, lay out stones every foot or so as place markers.

Layer the bottom of your edge with landscaping fabric or weed blocker and then fill it with approximately one to three inches of sand. The top of the stones should be about half an inch above the ground level if you’re building an edge if a single layer of stone so you can easily run the mower wheels over the edge, so you may need more or less sand based on the thickness of the cobblestones.

Level your sand without compacting it and then start to firmly lay out the cobblestones. You want them to fit firmly together so you may need to mix and match them to find the best combination. It’s okay if they don’t fit together perfectly since you’ll be pouring and sweeping sand into the cracks for a tight finish. The last step is to push the stones even more firmly into place by tapping them with a rubber mallet so they settle into the base material.

Cobblestone garden edges aren’t limited to a single design. You can ring your garden beds with one layer of stone, create a raised garden bed with multiple layers of cobblestone, or even line the beds with a full cobblestone path. No matter which style you choose, historic cobblestones are the best materials for adding curb appeal and a rich history to your home’s features. Go to Gavin’s Historical Bricks to find cobblestones that match your home’s color palette and that add just the right touch of beauty and fun to your garden.