15 Inexpensive DIY Landscape Border Ideas

This post may contains affiliate links. If you click and buy we may make a commission, at no additional charge to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.

The only way to prevent your landscape vegetation from spreading around is to keep it within borders. But doing so can be surprisingly expensive. Without even noticing, you may spend hundreds or thousands on an edge for the smallest of landscapes in your garden.

What’s the solution? Simple: just find affordable landscape border ideas that fit with your garden style. 

We’re going to show you some of those ideas below. Be aware that every idea can be started right after finishing reading and be done at the pace of a few hours. So, what are you waiting for? Check them out!

15 Cheap DIY Landscape Border Ideas

We found hundreds of landscape borders to start. But most of them required either special tools or a lot of money. As you don’t want any of those, we sorted out the 15 most inexpensive and easiest to start. Here’s more about each: 

1. Wooden Planks for Beds

Wooden Planks for Beds

If you have some timber stock or planks lying around in your garden shed, there’s no sense in letting them rot. You can put them to work as your landscape border, almost instantly and without wasting any effort.

Wood is beautiful, as it matches well with almost any plant. More importantly, it breaks down over decades without causing the slightest of damage to the landscape. And that’s a huge benefit.

A simple set of planks could boost your yard’s appeal exponentially, much more than you may think of. Give those planks a chance and see for yourself!

2. Bamboo Fence Edge

Bamboo Fence Edge

You can use it with bamboo sticks, poles, or stakes, and it will be as cheap as using planks or timber. Without spending more than a hundred or so, you can build a very long border for your landscape only using bamboo.

Just like any other type of wood, bamboo also looks fantastic. With the right combination of colors, it can change your garden entirely and give it the most lustrous look.

We recommend taking the effort a bit further and building a little fence with bamboo. It will work as a border for any landscape and prevent animals and adults from stepping beyond. 

3. Sunflower Border for Yards

Sunflower Border for Yards

Many people don’t think of vegetation as worthwhile border options. But we know how much they can offer planted the right way. 

Sunflowers, for example, can be an exceptional choice. One because they don’t spread too far, and second because they look fantastic.

Interestingly, sunflowers are also excellent limiting plants. They will keep grass and other vegetation at bay. You won’t have to worry about them giving your landscape some shape and keeping it looking neat. 

4. Succulent Border 

Succulent Border

If there’s a type of plant that will never disappoint as a border, then that’s a succulent. With so many types of succulents to consider, your options are endless. But most importantly, the effectiveness is unmatched. 

Species like the Hens and Chickens and Aloe Vera will make exceptional choices. The beauty they offer will get your landscape to a whole new level while still preventing outside damage the vegetation on the other side from spreading. 

As a type of plant, succulents also stand out because they require little to no effort. They’re incredibly cheap, and depending on the species, will grow sufficiently slow to never need any maintenance as a border. 

5. Recycled Tires Border

Recycled Tires Border

A lot of people think tires are toxic and can be damaging to a garden. But that’s entirely made out. While not necessarily eco-friendly, the rubber on tires is harmless to plants – especially as a border.

In fact, many people use recycled tires as garden beds without a problem. For that reason, using them for a landscape edge wouldn’t be a bad idea.

You can cut them in half and bury them horizontally. But you can also do it vertically. You can paint them, decorate them, and much more. Either way, tires can be a gamechanger for your landscape. 

6. Willow Garden Border or Fence

Willow Garden Border or Fence

Woven willow is yet another option that many people tend to overlook. Gardens with willow look particularly attractive with a classical trellis-like style while still providing a border’s effectiveness. They protect landscape plants from external factors and prevent interior plants from getting all around.

Weaving the willow by hand can be tricky, though. That’s why we recommend using willow fences that you can buy already made. They’re sufficiently cheap to meet even the lowest of budget.

Apart from that, the installation requires no effort in the slightest. Just bury them a bit and place them across the border. That should be enough to get your willow border working.

7. Concrete Border 

Concrete Border

Concrete may seem expensive. But if you’ve ever worked with it, you know that cement costs almost nothing. With less than fifty bucks, you can pour a small edge on your landscape within a day. After 48 hours, the border will be ready to be painted or decorated as needed.

The main advantage of concrete is its durability. You won’t find any concrete border wearing out or breaking over time. If made correctly, it can last a lifetime. And with the right decoration, it can also boost your garden’s appeal exponentially. 

8. Recycled Glass Bottles 

Recycled Glass Bottles

Have some glass bottles lying around? Once again – don’t let them go to waste. Glass is a reasonably eco-friendly material that won’t cause any damage to plants or soil. And interesting, it looks well enough to match any landscape style.

Sure enough, anyone can use bottles at home for that. Whether it is beer, wine, whiskey, soda, or sparkling water bottles – as long as they’re glass and are in a good state, they won’t be a problem.

At the same time, be careful. You won’t like the glass to become dangerous to children or pets. For that reason, only use glass that’s in a safe and pristine state. 

9. Mini Shrub Hedge Border

Mini Shrub Hedge Border

Just like succulents and flowers, hedges are almost impossible to dismiss on a landscape. If planted rightly and pruned consistently, hedges are not only affordable but incredibly attractive.

Because hedges are plants as well, they match with vibrant plants and other vegetation. You can give them almost any shape as well with proper trimming. And because most shrubby plants grow all year long. You’ll never be free of a landscape border. 

The most important part? Hedges are virtually free. Even if you buy some seeds, you won’t spend more than ten bucks (and we’re being expensive!).

10. Wooden Logs for Paths 

Wooden Logs for Paths

Recently cut a diseased or old tree down? Don’t get rid of the trunk and branches. Use the logs as a garden border and keep your plants at bay.

This works incredibly well for modest places. If the log is birch or a uniquely-colored species like a coconut, you can make it a beautiful part of your landscape.

The best about logs is that they can become a lot more than a border. If you’re using a trunk, for example, it could even become a seating place. And that’s something you can’t dismiss. 

11. Terracotta or Concrete Logs

Terracotta or Concrete Logs

Some gardening shops sell small logs made of terracotta or concrete. These are incredibly cheap and require little to no effort to install.

You can build your landscape border with these and spend no more than fifty bucks. This would be an exceptional idea for small landscape or gardens where you don’t need much of a border to go.

One surprising advantage is the durability terracotta and concrete offer. Despite cheap, they can last decades without a sign of wear. 

12. Rocks with Gravel Border

Rocks with Gravel Border

The classic rock border will never go out of style. If paired with gravel and pebbles, you can build a super-stylish rock garden that makes everyone jealous. 

Rocks have another appeal: they never wear out or lose any of their beauty. If done correctly, you can have a rock border that lasts a lifetime. And if you ever need to reorganize the landscape, moving them around shouldn’t be more problematic than creating the border in the first place.

A rock landscape border is a win-win however you see it. Having said that, it can be a bit of effort – but it’s always cheap and relatively straightforward. 

13. Slabs and Mulch Garden Border

Slabs and Mulch Garden Border

Similarly, you can build a garden edge using big slabs. These can be either natural slabs made of stone or rock or artificial slabs made of concrete. However you proceed, they will create an excellent border, matching with any vegetation.

A full-on advantage of slabs is that you can use them at different heights. In contrast with other types of borders, slabs can be put over one another and become ideal for landscapes on hills and elevated gardens.

Slabs are also easy to organize and don’t cost much. You can build one of these borders with less than a hundred bucks. 

14. Flower Border for Garden Beds

Flower Border for Garden Beds

If you have a full-fledged butterfly garden needing a border, why not use even more flowers? There are perennial plants that produce gorgeous flowers that won’t kill the ones inside. They will also stop others from spreading and keep the interior free of damage.

More importantly, they look astonishing. The right choice of flowers, like Gerbera Daisies or Asiatic Lilies, can be fabulous. Other alternatives include Alyssum, Azaleas, and Petunias. 

Either way, be ready to get your mind flown. The beauty these plants can offer to even the dullest of flower beds is fantastic. 

15. Terracotta Pots or Tiles Border

Terracotta Pots or Tiles Border

Lastly, don’t overlook the beauty of terracotta as a landscape border. You can use anything from tiles and pots to shingles and whatever comes to mind. 

The focus is to make a border using several of these terracotta pieces together, one after another, to prevent exterior and interior vegetation from mixing. 

While it looks a bit complicated, it’s not. And surprisingly, it’s also cheap. If all that wasn’t enough, terracotta looks amazing regardless of the plants you’re bordering. That’s why it is a must-consider alternative.

Conclusion

With so many exciting landscape border ideas, you may find it a bit difficult to choose the right one. To help you with that, we can only say to follow your needs (time, effort, and money available).

You don’t need to overdo it and try to make the most incredible landscape border. As long as it is cute enough and gets the job done, you’ll be happy.

So, are you ready to get your hands dirty? Make that border that will change your garden forever? Don’t hesitate and start now. Use our ideas as inspiration, and you’ll have a blast!

Leave a Comment