I find that I tend to gather ideas like that.  Passing by a house and seeing how well an idea works for them that I feel the need to rush out and copy it.  This idea was very simple and made use of cinder blocks and impatients.

The owners of the house had created two large flower beds on either side of the stairs leading up to the front yard, something that tends to be pretty standard for a lot of homes.  Instead of relying on a simple plant to create the boarder of the flower bed, the person took regular cinder blocks and placed them along the flowerbeds with the hollow portion of the blocks facing up.

A passerbyer would only see the dark grey stone and the flowers and shrubbery that peeked over the top of the stones and alone it might not have been that interesting.  That is if they had kept to just the border.  Instead, they took the cinder blocks and built up a mini stair case going up the sides of the stairs in an interlocking pattern.  Once the blocks were in place, the cinder blocks were filled with soil, and an impatient was placed into each one to create a boarder/planter out of each block.  The effect was amazing and it really made me think of different ways to use this little idea.

I felt the overwhelming need to share so that is what I did.  Lately, I have seen a big move to living mosses on stairs but this took the idea to a new level and instead of having to worry about moss tripping guests, the homeowner was able to create a different sort of steps leading to the house and also create a frame for the garden around the front door.

So if you are looking for an inventive way to do your edging, I would strongly suggest cinder blocks and a nice flower that can rest securely in each one.

Sirena Van Schaik

Related posts:

1. Hidden Treasures
2. Using Landscaping Blocks To Add Structure
3. Add a Touch of Privacy