13 Driveway Border Ideas To Boost Curb Appeal

Is your driveway missing something? Sure, it's perfectly functional for guiding vehicles into your property, but can you give it a more finished and aesthetically pleasing look? Yes! You can by adding a driveway border that exudes curb appeal. A driveway border, also known as driveway edging, runs along both sides of the path, and any kind, from asphalt to gravel, can benefit from a border. 

Your driveway plays a significant role in making your home's first impression, and giving it a border creates a polished and intentional look that enhances how people view your property. Your driveway contributes significantly to the exterior design, which is gaining momentum as a part of the home offering a strong return on investment for improvement projects.

Borders go beyond improving your driveway's appearance; they can also be functional. They visually define the path, help keep grass from invading driveway space, assist in preventing soil erosion and water runoff, and contain any gravel. With many available materials — rocks, plants, brick, pavers, and more — the border design possibilities are virtually endless. If you're just getting started with a driveway, consider clever driveway layouts sure to boost curb appeal and plan an inviting border at the same time, using our curated suggestions as inspiration.

You can truly take your driveway to the next level of curb appeal by lining it with a paver curb against a backdrop of shrubs and grasses. Pavers offer a clean, finished look while also providing durability with minimal maintenance. Get inspiration from our paver landscape edging ideas to add curb appeal. Now, imagine amping up that design exponentially with the visual and textural appeal of shrubs and grasses. Consider including Japanese forest grass, the unique ornamental grass that makes a stunning driveway border. 

A brick border brings a classic look to your driveway. Bricks can tie your driveway to your brick home if you have one, along with other brick hardscape features. Available in multiple colors, textures, and sizes, bricks are a versatile option. Consider using a border that contrast with your main driveway material. Bricks excel at containing gravel in gravel driveways, as well as keeping soil erosion at bay and blocking weeds from encroaching. Be sure bricks are correctly installed to prevent future shifting.

Let your creativity go wild by boosting curb appeal with a mixed-materials driveway border. You could use pebbles with large river rocks, interspersed with grasses and flowers. How about bricks or pavers with areas of stone intermingled, small boulders against a backdrop of grasses, or a timber border with flowers? The possibilities are nearly endless, and combining materials is a solid strategy if you can't decide which border materials you like best or seek additional texture and visual interest. 

This driveway border idea seems a little wacky at first, but it enables you to edge your driveway with what look like large, flat, natural stones — when, in fact, these objects are hardened, bags of pre-mixed, ready-to-use concrete. You line your driveway with 40-pound concrete bags, add water using a hose, and allow the bags to harden. The paper that formed the bags eventually decomposes (be sure not to use bags with plastic liners). Though challenging to move, the bags can be lifted out with a shovel if you'd like to make changes.

From pebbles to lava rocks to chunks of marble, easy-to-install decorative rocks offer a huge variety of sizes and colors to choose from when you want to add a border to your driveway to reduce erosion and help suppress weeds. Check out the different types of rock to use in landscaping your driveway. These rocks are also durable and need minimal maintenance; pressure washing works well when you want to clean them. They provide a way to add a natural element along your driveway.

Consider a combination of succulents planted in the ground, along with container succulents, as a driveway border. Cacti, aloe vera, and other succulents, if right for your climate, provide the opportunity to mix the plants' natural colors, textures, sizes, and sculptural quality. Their drought-tolerance also makes succulents easy to maintain. Bring in additional driveway-border materials by surrounding the plants with decorative rock. If you're not in a climate that succulents can tolerate — typically USDA hardiness zones 8 to 11 — consider cold-hardy succulents like agave and yucca for your succulent driveway border.

Looking to visually anchor your driveway? Boulders make a powerful statement with their size and heft. Limestone, which eventually develops a patina, and granite, which has an angular design, are popular choices as boulders. Since their size makes them so noticeable, you may want to coordinate boulder colors with your home. Consider your driveway width when choosing boulders; the narrower the driveway, the smaller the boulders should be. Boulder need virtually no maintenance, but you'll likely need to engage a professional for installation because they are so heavy. 

Hedges could be considered the workhorses among driveway borders because they offer even more functionality than other border materials. The small shrubs you initially plant eventually grow into a hedge that provides privacy. The hedge can screen out noise and pollution while supporting wildlife by providing shelter and sometimes food to birds and insects. If the idea of a shrub hedge border on your driveway makes you feel impatient, take a look at hedges you can plant that grow fast.

Given that the purpose of a retaining wall is to, well, retain, such a wall is your best option if you seek to keep soil or gravel in place. They can also help with flood and runoff prevention. Retaining walls are functional driveway borders, but they also add mightily to curb appeal, giving your driveway a structured look and stately feel. Further, there are beautiful plants that will happily spill over your retaining wall, enhancing the design with cascading vines and flowers.

Whether used alone or in conjunction with other border materials, lighting makes sense as a driveway border that adds curb appeal. Lighting along your driveway makes your home welcoming and inviting. It contributes to your security since burglars tend to avoid well-lit homes, and it can even add to your home's value. Lights will also showcase your landscape and hardscape along the driveway. The only downside to driveway lighting, of course, is that its curb-appeal impact is primarily experienced only at night.

Seeking a custom look for your driveway border? Stamped, colored concrete provides curb appeal along with customization. The intent of stamped concrete is to imitate other materials, such as brick, slate, or flagstone. A huge number of color and texture options are available in stamped concrete, enabling you to complement your home. It's also typically less expensive than the natural materials it mimics, though you'll likely need a professional to install it. Stamped, colored concrete is durable when well maintained.

Few outdoor upgrades add more curb appeal than flowers, and colorful perennials are the perfect border plants for your driveway. Beautiful blooms soften your driveway's edges, while also helping to curb erosion. You can combine flowers and other plants with border materials like rocks, timber, or a retaining wall. It's a bit of a challenge to ensure year-round blooming, but planting flowers with staggered blooming times can help. Consider striking, low-maintenance perennials like bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) and coneflower (Echinacea purpurea).

Cobblestones, paver blocks made from natural stone, bring a rich history and tradition to your driveway borders, adding curb appeal with their "old world" look. Because they can prevent small stones from washing away, they are an effective choice for gravel driveways. These highly durable pavers tend to be more expensive than some driveway-border options, but their long life may justify the extra cost. Available in a variety of colors, cobblestones also come in permeable versions that aid in reducing runoff.