Rock Garden Border Ideas

Single Rock Border

• A great border to have around a standard rock garden is one that uses larger rocks around the perimeter. You can use natural rocks that you find in the area or you can buy the rock and make it all one color. Standard rock gardens use 3/4- to 1-inch rock as the base. A good border to use for the smaller rock would be 2- to 4-inch rock. On average, 1 ton of this rock will cover 60 square feet. A single line of this size rock will make a nice border. You can use a different color then the base rock to add further zip to your rock garden. An advantage to using a larger rocks is that they are harder to kick around then the smaller rocks.

Band of Rock

• Border your rock garden of 3/4-inch or 1-inch rock with a band of 3- to 6-inch rock of a different color. This band can be as deep as 3 feet. This 3-foot band will aid in keeping the smaller rock in the garden. Again, 1 ton of this size covers 60 square feet. A larger band of larger rock will help keep the smaller rocks in its place. This theme can be varied by using cobble stone, black river rock, or white quartz depending on the color of the base rock. You can even use a type of flagstone as the bigger rock.

Decomposed Granite

• A rock garden of any size can be bordered with a 1-foot band of decomposed granite of a contrasting color. Decomposed granite comes in many colors and is what is used in baseball diamonds. It comes in brick red, gold, and gray to name a few of the colors. It is often laid down in dirt roads, pathways and trails. Use in your rock garden to get contrasting colors and to create a space between the walkway and the rock garden. The border pushes the rock away from walk ways and lawn. For a border that is 3 inches deep, 1 cubic yard will cover about 108 square feet.

Artificial Turf Border

• Many rock gardens are found in arid areas like Las Vegas where water restrictions are in place. An artificial turf border can help conserve water. Surround the rock garden with a 1- to 2-foot band of artificial turf to give you a contrasting color and push the rock back from any walkways and sidewalks. Of course, you don't have to water artificial turf, so if you live in an area where water restrictions are in place, this works well. If water restrictions are not of concern, then you can plant a real grass as a border. A Bermuda grass, however, is not recommended as it can invade your rock garden.