Project guide
Stone and soil for planting beds, borders and the strip nobody can grow grass on.
Beds fail for two reasons: not enough soil depth for the plants chosen, or decorative stone laid straight onto bare dirt so weeds come through within weeks. Both are cheap to avoid at the start and expensive to fix later.
Screened topsoil for anything being planted, at least six inches deep. For decorative stone beds, pea rock is the usual choice, or #57 rock for a coarser look. Fill dirt only where you are building up grade before adding a growing layer on top.
A bed 3 ft wide and 40 ft long is 120 sq ft. Topsoil at 6 inches is 120 x 0.5 / 27 = 2.22 cu yd, so order 3. Decorative stone at 2 inches over the same area is 0.74 cu yd, so order 1.
Edge first, then kill the existing growth. For planted beds, spread topsoil six inches deep and plant into it. For stone beds, lay woven landscape fabric before the stone or you will be weeding through it forever. Keep stone depth to two inches; deeper does not suppress weeds better and makes planting miserable.
Materials for this job
Sod prep, planting beds, lawn grading and top-dressing.
$12.50 / cu yd MaterialPool decks, walkways, paver base, dog runs and landscape fill.
$37.50 / cu yd MaterialDriveways, French drains, slab base and pipe bedding. The workhorse.
$37.50 / cu yd MaterialGrade changes, slab prep and lot levelling. Not for growing anything.
$11.25 / cu ydLandscape Beds — common questions
At least six inches of topsoil for shrubs and perennials. Twelve inches if you are planting anything with a real root system.
Yes, woven fabric under decorative stone. It is the difference between pulling a few weeds and digging the whole bed out in three years.
Pea rock is the most common and the easiest to walk on. #57 rock gives a coarser, more structured look and stays put better on a slope.
No. Remove it. Mulch breaks down underneath and the stone sinks into the resulting layer unevenly.
Pick your material, enter how many cubic yards and see the delivered number before you talk to anyone.