Can You Use A Little Bit Of Mortar For Stacked Stone Garden Bed

Stone wall, steps and planter on colorful, landscaped garden.

When it comes to landscape design for your beds and outdoor living spaces, choose the best materials, location and placement to improve the look of your yard. We talked to Michael Christie of Christie Cut Stone about stone and brick options for your yard project, and go over some of the most common types of projects.

Flower bed and shrubbery border

When the weather gets consistently warm and flowering trees begin to bloom, people are cleaning out their flower beds and making room for new plants. If you're looking to add some charm to your flower bed or just want to create a little curb appeal, there are several options to give you the aesthetic you want to create.

Before choosing materials, though, the first decision to make is about color, Christie said.

Customers are usually "either matching something on their house and want to tie into that existing color, or they are starting fresh with a blank slate," said Christie.

People tend to choose between two looks: the rustic, stacked look or the smooth, mortared look.

With stones like fieldstone, which are shades of brown, tan and red, typically in asymmetrical shapes, you can simply stack the stones on top of each other. There are also freestanding bricks and stones in a range of colors that can be stacked without mortar. You typically don't want to stack the material higher than two or three layers or it won't be sturdy. If the vision is for a bit higher wall of 18 inches or more, mortar and footing will be required to keep it stable.

The most popular colors for a flower bed border include brown and tan colors. If you are looking to create a more dramatic effect you can create a patio area with broken flagstone or square cut paving.

Natural stone landscaping in home rose garden

Retaining walls

Whether you want to frame your back patio or have flower beds along the fence line, a retaining wall is a great way to add depth and dimension to your outdoor setting. Your retaining wall could also act as a functional seating area as well as a border.

Typical retaining walls are 2-3 feet high and have multiple steps to follow when creating a safe a durable wall. When building a retaining wall, you can achieve any look you are going for, Christie said, from clean and seamless to rustic and natural. When doing a brick retaining wall you, choose the mortar color you think will look best. Most people opt to match mortar colors with brick but there are complimentary colors if you like some contrast. Another option is stone. You can use a fieldstone or even a stone veneer. A fieldstone can be stacked in different ways.

"When doing a retaining wall you want to start with a concrete base, also known as a footing, to give you something solid to work on," explained Christie. "For a larger wall, go with an installer. The taller you want your wall, the more stable it needs to be."

If you want to add a decorative cap stone to your retaining wall to allow for seating, you can use a large piece of stone or use a cast limestone. Any weekend warrior can get this done in a couple of days, Christie said.

A stone and concrete footpath extends into the distance, surrounded by lush flowers,

Walkways

When choosing material for a walkway you can use broken flagstone, square cut paving or even brick pavers. A popular look when using flagstone as a walkway is to set the stones in the dirt and allow grass to grow in between them. This is an easy way to get natural stone walkway that can be done in a short amount of time. If you are using brick or stone pavers you want to have a base to work on such as aggregate or concrete, Christie said. Once you have a solid and level foundation, you are ready to start laying your brick or stone pavers. This will take a little more time but will be well worth it when completed.

Christie said the best way to approach an outdoor project this spring is knowing how you want to dress up your yard. Flowerbed borders and walkways with brick or stone are perfect for enhanced curb appeal in the front, and in the backyard you can create a fun getaway with seating wall that offers beautiful form with real function.