How to Border Grass for Landscaping

Look at your lawn from different vantage points to decide where you want to add a border. Consider existing shrubs, trees or flowerbeds along your property lines and pathways. Decide whether you want to add edging to the entire perimeter of your yard or prefer to start with a small grassy area.

Choose the area of your lawn to focus on. Landscaping grass with borders can take a lot of time and materials, so it's important to create a design you're happy with before expanding the project. An open space in your back yard where the grass meets a fence or line of trees is a good place to start.

Browse your edging options online or at a garden and lawn supply store. Decide whether you want to plant and maintain a line of flowers or low-growing plants such as hostas. Stones, mulch, gravel and brick are a few low-maintenance options with a natural look.

Measure the length of the area you plan to landscape. If your border pattern has wavy lines or any pattern other than straight lines, account for the extra material you will need to create this pattern.

Purchase the material and tools you will need. If you're using stones, consider all of your options, including round stones, flat stones, uniformly shaped and irregular stones.

Use a rope or garden hose to draw the border about 8 inches away from the edge of your grass. Dig out the grass and weeds inside of the border area, and remove root systems and large rocks.

If you are creating a border with plants, add topsoil to the trench to raise the border, and plant according to spacing and depth instructions for each plant. If you're using mulch or gravel, open a bag of material and use the flat end of a rake to spread it evenly in the border area.

Brick or stone borders are laid one piece at a time. Place the first stone firmly into the ground, and then place the next one right beside it so the edges are touching. Once the stones are laid, use the dirt you dug out from the trench to fill in the gaps between each stone.