How To Use Flagstone For Landscaping

Natural flagstone is sedimentary stone split up into layers and utilized for landscaping. There are various sorts of flagstone, all with their own characteristics. A few famous assortments consist of sandstone, bluestone, quartzite, and limestone.

Very much like snowflakes, no two flagstones are similar. As a genuine result of nature, flagstone arrives in numerous distinct shapes, sizes, and varieties relying upon where it comes from. This staggering variety assists homeowners with loving you to make hardscapes that are really special.

However, various flagstones don’t just appear to be unique. They additionally have differing thicknesses, surfaces, levels of penetrability, and utilizations. These solid, flexible unrecognized yet truly great individuals of finishing can be a piece of pretty much any hardscape you could imagine.

To assist you with reducing the potential outcomes, we’ve concocted eight flagstone ideas to implement in your yard.

Ways To Use Flagstone For Landscaping

1. Build a Flagstone Walkway

There are infinite options of flagstone walkway designs. If you want a forest path bending through your garden, use uneven flagstones spread with ground cover plants or grass.

If elderly relatives, small children, or other frequent-tripping guests regularly visit your house, you can build a smooth, straight sidewalk of flagstone pavers alternately. 

Unlike flagstone patios, flagstone pathways are naturally slip-resistant because of the stone’s texture, so you won’t have to worry about your paths getting slippy with rainwater.

2. Construct a retaining wall using flagstones

You can also use flagstones, as an option for building retaining walls. You can pile up flagstones to build a small height wall in your landscape. Just don’t stack them too high. 

When creating a retaining wall out of flagstones, you can either stack them dry or utilize mortar to fix them together. For a strong, more long-lasting wall, you should certainly consider using mortar (although it might make your project a bit more costly). 

3. Add a simple border around your water feature

Flagstones are heavy enough to act as down liners for ponds and other alike water features, so they make amazing borders. A few kinds of flagstone are also permeable, which means they will absorb water rather than causing runoff if they get wet from your waterfall, pond or fountain overflowing. 

Using flagstone pavers, you can design a straight, clean edge for a modern aesthetic, or go with uneven flagstones for a sturdy border that complements in with a natural-style pond.

4. Build a fire pit

If you are planning to build a fire pit in your backyard, consider using flagstones to create an elegant outdoor living space. You can use the same color and type of flagstone for the patio/seating area around the fire pit and the fire pit itself for a consistent look or use different colors for a more edgy, striking design. 

5. Enhance your swimming pool by building a flagstone pool deck

As flagstones are slip-resistant, they are ideal material for hot tub decks or swimming pools, where family and friends often run around barefoot. Some kinds of flagstone, for instance sandstone, don’t absorb heat, so they won’t burn anyone’s feet, either. 

Also, flagstones are permeable, so you can splash them without worrying about water runoff flooding your lawn.

6. Edge your garden with flagstones

Garden edging is just a border that goes around your landscape beds to keep grass out and make your entire yard look more perfect. You can have different looks for your flower bed or garden using various types of flagstones. 

Pavers will make your landscape appear more modern and geometric, while uneven flagstones (like the ones pictured) provide a wilder, more natural aesthetic. Since flagstones come in various colors, you can find the suitable ones to contrast or match the colors of your plants.

7. Design with stepping stones

To design using stepping stones, space your flagstones a few inches apart and fill the gaps with river rock, pea gravel, or ground cover plants to prevent weeds. You can use pavers for a more contemporary look or uneven flagstones for a cottage-style garden path. 

Laying stepping stones will generally be cheaper than installing a regular path, as you are using less stone to cover the same area. Along with being cheaper, stepping stones are also more adventurous and whimsical.

8. Design a distinctive flagstone patio

Flagstones are ideal for high-traffic areas, such as patios as their rough texture makes them slip-resistant. With flagstones, you can design your patio to fit any landscape or style. Use geometric shapes for a more traditional look or uneven flagstones if you have a more unique flagstone patio idea.

You can effortlessly change your flagstone patio into an outdoor living space by adding some patio furniture and a pergola or other cover. 

Types of Flagstones

Most flagstones come in one of two shapes:

• Cut paver stones in rectangles of various sizes with clean lines and straight edges.
• Uneven, roundish stones used for “crazy paving,” which means fitting those uneven shapes together for an natural, informal look.

For either shape option, you can lay flagstones dry on a bed of gravel or sand (“dry-laid”) or use concrete (“wet-laid”). If you are making use of thinner flagstones, it’s better to lay them in concrete, as they occasionally crack with ease when laid dry. 

No matter what type of landscaping project you are working on, the cost of flagstone is usually $15 to $20 per square foot. That price includes all the materials required ‒ the stone itself, gravel, sand, or concrete. 

The price varies depending on what specific type of flagstone you use and whether it’s wet-laid or dry-laid. Dry-laid is often cheaper as you don’t have to spend on concrete.

For information on river rock landscaping ideas, read the article ‒ 12 Best Landscaping Ideas With River Rock.

To conclude, you can use flagstone in the following ways ‒ building a flagstone walkway, constructing a retaining wall using flagstones, adding a border around your water feature, and building a fire pit, among others. Flagstones come in either of the two shapes: cut paver stones or roundish stones.

As there are many types and styles of flagstone, you may want a professional like Eden to figure out which is the most suitable for your landscape and come up with unique ideas too! So, contact us today.