How To Give Your Landscape Edging A French Feel

The French formal garden is a classic landscaping style that aims to bring order to the natural world. Whether the layout shows off a bold pattern or perfectly geometric designs, these gardens are known for defined spaces, symmetrical lines, and cool tones. If you're looking for a simple yet impactful way to add an air of French elegance to your garden, choose landscape edging that clearly divides each space with a clean edge to add a sense of order and formality to your outdoor sanctuary.

The traditional French garden's structured, well-defined look is achieved through stone elements like garden edging, pathways, and statuary. French gardens also utilize meticulously manicured greenery like topiaries and border hedges. These elements can be replicated on a smaller scale in your own garden with a little planning and maintenance or even incorporated into a French country landscape design. If your dream backyard transports you to the Palace of Versailles, French-inspired edging is the perfect place to start.

While not the most low-maintenance style, French landscape edging pays off in its satisfyingly clean and symmetrical design. When selecting a material, stone bricks are a great choice. French gardens commonly follow a cool color palette with an emphasis on greens and whites, so choosing a cool-toned stone, such as gray or off-white, for your edging is essential to maintaining a French feel. When you DIY a European garden edge, these should be laid very precisely to achieve those clean, straight lines. 

Traditional French landscapes almost always feature the home as the focal point of the design scheme. This means using the landscape to draw your eye from the home to the garden, conjoining the two spaces. You can replicate this style by installing a stone or gravel pathway through the center of your garden. It is also an easy way to create symmetry. 

Add some more French flair to your landscape edging by using boxwood hedges or ornamental topiaries as borders. These can be used to line pathways and plant beds or create new sections of your garden for things like seating and statues. In keeping with the French style, each one should be carefully maintained so they are evenly spaced and exactly the same size, shape, and height.