Beginner Gardening: What to do with space around walkway?, 2 by sombs

sombs wrote:
Hi. First post. I put in a new walkway with stairs and the ground is about 4-5 inches higher than the pavers at a some spots. I dug 12 inches beyond the pavers anticipating that I would fill in the space with a flower bed. Ultimately I think I'm going to "frame" the entire walkway with pants/flowers etc. I'm not sure how to do this with the ground being higher than the pavers. If I backfill the space it will be sloped which I guess is ok. I can plant there and cover with mulch. Of course the mulch may over flow onto the walkway though.

Looking for some ideas or thoughts on how best to address this. Any help would be appreciated.