How To Lay Rocks For A Garden Border

Give a natural look to your home landscape with a rock garden border that's as budget-friendly as it is simple to lay.


Step 1: Buy or find rocks
Buy rocks that complement your yard's color scheme at a garden store, or gather rocks from the outdoors to lay a garden border.

Tip
Install landscape rocks with an audio feature to add music to your garden.

Step 2: Rake
Rake debris, including weeds, rocks, and sticks, from the area intended for the rock border.

Step 3: Dig a trench
Dig a 4-inch-deep trench along the garden edge where you plan to lay the rock border, wide enough to accommodate the size of your rocks.

Step 4: Add sand or mulch
Smooth 2 inches of sand or mulch over the trench to help prevent weed growth.

Step 5: Set the rocks
Set the rocks edge-to-edge in the trench for the length of the border and tap the rocks down using the rubber mallet.

Tip
Add a second rock layer to build a short garden wall.

Step 6: Clean the rocks
Spray the rocks clean with your garden hose. Now, wait for Mother Nature to fill in the gaps as the garden grows, or hurry the process along by planting your favorite dwarf plant varieties in the spaces between the rocks.

Did You Know?
The three basic types of rocks are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.