How to Stack a Stone Border

Stone edging set in your landscape allows you to establish borders between garden areas and lawn. Whether the stone wall is only a couple inches tall or tall enough to use as a garden bench, a stacked stone border adds rustic charm to your yard. You don’t even need to use mortar to build a stone border.


Create a straight border by placing two stakes with strings tied to them in the ground along the front edge of where you plan to build the border. A curved border works well for uneven ground and lets you be more creative with your stone wall. One of the easiest ways to set the front edge of a curved border is to place a garden hose on the ground. You can easily reposition the hose as you create curves just where you want them. Once you figure out the front edge, sprinkle some flour along the top of the garden hose to mark the ground.

A stacked stone border can be all one height or you can vary the height if you are working with hilly terrain. Plan your stone edging so the top row of stones is level. The soil you place behind the stone edging is heavy, so don’t plan to build any border or wall taller than 18 inches. Edging taller than that needs mortar to stabilize it.

The Base

Your stone border is only as solid as the base upon which you build it. In most instances, you want to dig a trench about 6 to 8 inches deep. The trench needs to be slightly wider than the stones you are using. If possible, plan the depth of the base so only about half of the face of the first row of stones is visible. Place 4 to 6 inches of pea-sized, crushed gravel in the base of the trench and tamp it down with a hand tamper. Once the jagged-edges of the stones come into contact with each other, they lock together to form a solid foundation for the wall. A 2-inch bed of sand tamped into position holds the stones as you place them.

The Stones

Select stones that will give your stone border the character, size and shape you desire. Oversized stones are not difficult to break. Simply create a score line with a hammer and chisel, then tap the shorter side of the stone with the hammer to break the stone in two. It is more difficult to alter the thickness of a stone, so try to select stones that are a similar thickness to make it easier to stack them. If you plan to use the stone border as a bench, or even to give the border a finished look, purchase a separate group of flat-topped stones to use as the capstones for the project.


Set a row or course of stones in the sand in the trench, pushing them firmly into the sand so they don’t rock back and forth. Place the second row on top of the first, but stagger any joints to make the border sturdier. Getting stones to stack together is a matter of trial and error. Continue adding stones until the border is the height you desire. Wedge smaller, thinner pieces of stone between rows, as necessary, to help keep the border level. Stones wedged between rows can also help keep uneven stones stabilized. Put masonry glue on the bottom of the capstones and set them in place along the top of the border.