Terracotta Edging Tiles



Detail of a nineteenth-century cigarette card showing how to set edging tiles. The instructions
on the card say "unless the edges are trim, a garden never looks its best...if set too high they
will not remain firmly in position; they should project 2-3 inches above the soil."

Courtesy of Jim Cothran and the Cherokee Garden Library, Atlanta;
photograph by courtesy of the library.



Edgings are an important design element in setting off walks, parterres, and
planting beds. Since the last half of the nineteenth century one of the most
effective ways to decorate and define an area has been through the use of terracotta
(earthenware) edging tiles like those shown here. With the growing interest in
garden history, the use of garden antiques enhances both the historical and
decorative aspect of the landscape. Terracotta was the material frequently used for
edging tiles in France.

Photo courtesy of Jim Cothran,
a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

View the Thompson Studio Terracotta Tile Collection