How to Build a Decorative Tree Border

Would you like to spruce up the look of your trees, and make them stand out among the crowd? Then it’s time to impress your neighbors by building yourself a decorative tree border around each of those beauties.

While this may sound like a lot of work, adding a stone border around the trees in your yard will only take an afternoon, says owner of Altadena Hardware, Paula Orlandini.

Before you begin getting creative, you’ll need to stock up on a few things. Luckily, the list isn’t too long and includes curved stone blocks, a paver base or bedding sand, string, spray paint, a rubber mallet, shovel, temper and bag of mulch.

Once you’ve got all that together, it’s time to sort out the outline of your border. In order to do this, Paula recommends tying the string around the base of the tree trunk and walking back between three to six feet. With a pair of sharp scissors, cut the string once you have found the perfect length for your yard.

While still holding the other end of string, walk around in a circle and either use spray paint or lawn chalk to map out the shape of your border. You’ll then need to cut the string once again and carry out the same process to mark the border’s inner edge. (This can be wherever you want it but it’s a good idea to check the size of your blocks first.)

The next step, says Paula, is to grab a shovel and take away any grass that lies between the two circles. You’ll want to dig around four inches in and pat it down with a temper in order to level things out. Then pick up your bedding sand and fill the ring shape you have created. Level it once again with the temper.

Now’s the important part: placing your blocks. (If you’re unsure which would be best for your yard, ask a staff member at Altadena Hardware for advice.) Place each block around the circle, fitting it to the next one and tapping into place with the aforementioned rubber mallet.

It’s up to you how high you create your border but once you’re happy with the finished look, fill the inside of the border with some mulch. It’s easy as one, two, three.

So the next time you look out at your yard in despair, remember that a few hours is all it takes to create a brand new look.

Altadena Hardware is located at 849 E Mariposa St, in Altadena. For more information call (626) 794-4393 or visit http://www.altadenahardware.com/.