What Can I Use for a Border Around My Flowers?

Short Flowers

• Planting a row of flowers that will grow together to create a border can be accomplished with short annual or perennial flowers. Garden petunia (Petunia x hybrida), which grows to about 12 inches tall in full sun, is available in many colors -- white, pink, purple -- or bi-colors. Marigold (Tagetes patula) in yellow, orange or bicolors is available in dwarf varieties reaching less than 12 inches tall. Perennial options include evening primrose (Oenothera missouriensis), like the sundrops variety with yellow blooms in summer, or candytuft (Iberis sempervirens), with its white spring blooms. Each grows to about 10 inches tall.

Edging

• A bed of flowers can be surrounded by landscape edging. The edging is a 6- to 8-inch-tall strip of metal, plastic, vinyl or other composite that is designed to create a crisp line between the flowerbed and the lawn. Aesthetically pleasing, curvy lines can be created with the edging. Installation may involve creating a shallow trough around the flower bed, positioning the strip held in place by stakes, and then pressing the soil against the edging.

Natural

• Stone or wood, elements from nature, can used for a border around flowers. Stone, like fieldstone or flagstone, can be dry stacked to the desired level or mortared together. Railroad ties can create a continuous straight border. Bent wood from small tree limbs can be used to create a decorative low fence around the flowers. Stone will last forever but can be an expensive option. Wood options are less costly than stone but will eventually rot.

Manmade

• Try a single row of brick or flat concrete pavers laid end-to-end on the soil surface or embedded in the ground, flush with the soil surface. Borders placed flush with the ground make it easier to mow the lawn close to the flowerbed. Bricks or blocks stacked higher, from 6 to 12 inches, add visual appeal from the curb. Using recycled brick is a cost-effective method to install a border around flowers. Manufactured or "faux" stone can give the appearance of natural stone for much less.