How to Edge a Garden Bed With Brick

How to Edge a Garden Bed With Brick

Creating a well-defined border around your garden beds not only enhances the visual appeal of your landscape but also serves a practical purpose by preventing grass from encroaching into your planting areas. Brick edging offers a classic, durable solution that can withstand years of use while maintaining its aesthetic charm. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a DIY enthusiast, this comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of installing brick edging around your garden beds, transforming your outdoor space into a professionally manicured landscape.

Understanding the Importance of Proper Garden Edging

Garden edging serves multiple functions beyond mere aesthetics. It creates a physical barrier that prevents lawn grass from spreading into your flower beds and vegetable gardens. Additionally, brick edging helps contain mulch and soil within the designated garden area, reducing maintenance work throughout the growing season. The clean lines created by brick edging also make mowing easier and give your entire landscape a more polished, intentional appearance. When properly installed with appropriate base materials and techniques, brick edging can last for decades, providing excellent value for your landscaping investment.

Steps for Landscaping Bricks for Edging

1. Order the Bricks

Before you begin any physical work, accurate measurement is essential to determine how many bricks you’ll need. Start by laying a length of rope along the edge of your garden bed, ensuring the rope follows the natural contours and curves. Keep the rope snug against the grass line to get an accurate representation of the bed’s perimeter.

Once you’ve positioned the rope to your satisfaction, mark it at the end of the bed using tape or another marking method. Pull the rope taut and use a measuring tape to determine its total length in inches. Divide this measurement by the width of your bricks (typically 4 inches for standard clay pavers) to calculate the number of bricks needed. For example, if your bed line measures 324 inches, dividing by 4 inches gives you 81 bricks. Add 10 percent to this figure to account for cutting mistakes and future repairs, bringing your total to approximately 89 bricks.

When purchasing bricks, specify that you need clay pavers rated for severe weather conditions. These specially formulated bricks are designed to withstand freeze-thaw cycles and resist damage from moisture exposure, ensuring your edging remains intact through multiple seasons.

2. Scout the Curves

With your bricks ordered, the next step involves planning how your bricks will navigate the curves and corners of your garden bed. Line the edge of the bed with bricks, positioning them tightly against the grass line. Leave small gaps between the bricks (no more than the thickness of your setting sand mixture) rather than forcing them tightly together.

For gentle, gradual curves, fan the bricks out slightly to create an even, tapered gap between them. This fanning technique allows the bricks to follow the curve naturally without excessive cutting. For tighter, more pronounced curves, you’ll need a different approach: find the center or peak of the curve and establish a triangular gap shaped like a pie slice. This gap should be no wider than the width of a single brick at its widest point. The bricks you cut to fill these triangular gaps are called keystone bricks and are essential for navigating tight curves smoothly.

3. Mark the Bricks

Once you’ve identified where cutting is necessary, begin the marking process. Position a brick over the triangular gap you’ve created at the curve’s tightest point. Using a masonry pencil, carefully mark where the brick overlaps the bricks below it on both sides of the brick. These marks will serve as your cutting guide.

4. Transfer the Marks

After marking the brick while it’s in position, flip it over carefully. Connect the two marks you made to create a complete, angled cut line that runs across the entire brick. This line represents exactly where you need to cut the brick to fit perfectly into your curved edging. Taking time to ensure this line is accurate will result in better-fitting pieces and a more professional-looking final product.

5. Cut the Keystones

With your cut lines clearly marked, you’re ready to cut the bricks. Equip a circular saw with a segmented diamond blade specifically designed for cutting masonry materials. Adjust the blade depth so it will just pass through the brick without cutting too deeply into it.

Position your saw at the brick and make a plunge cut, driving the blade into the brick at one end of your marked line. To manage dust effectively, punch a nail through a water bottle to create a small leak. Position this bottle so water trickles over the brick during cutting, significantly reducing the dust that would otherwise fill the air. This water trick is essential for both health and visibility during the cutting process.

After making your initial plunge cut, reposition the saw further along the cut line and plunge again, connecting the two cuts to separate the angled piece from the brick. This two-pass method ensures a clean, complete cut through the entire brick. Repeat this process for all bricks that require cutting around your garden bed’s curves.

6. Dig the Trench

With all bricks cut and ready, it’s time to prepare the ground for installation. Place a tarp along the side of the bed to catch soil as you work. Using a trenching shovel, cut into the soil at the grass line to establish the first boundary of your trench. Use a brick as a reference to determine the proper width, then mark the opposite side of the trench with the shovel.

Dig a second line parallel to the first, extending several inches beyond where the end of the brick will rest to ensure complete coverage. As you work these two parallel lines, excavate the soil between them, tossing the excess onto your tarp for easy removal. Continue digging until the soil changes color, typically indicating you’ve moved past the loamy topsoil into lower soil layers. This is important because reaching deeper soil helps prevent frost heave from disrupting your bricks during winter freeze-thaw cycles.

The trench should be at least 6 inches deep to accommodate the necessary base layers: approximately 3 inches for paver base material and 1 inch for the setting sand mixture, with the brick itself adding the remaining height to reach ground level.

7. Lay the Base

Proper base preparation is crucial for long-lasting brick edging that won’t shift or settle unevenly. Pour paver base material (crushed stone specifically designed for landscaping) into the trench, spreading it evenly to a thickness of approximately 3 inches. Use a hand tamper to compact this material, pressing it down firmly and creating an even, level surface.

Next, prepare your setting mixture by combining stone dust with Portland cement. The standard ratio is six shovelfuls of stone dust to every single shovelful of Portland cement. The cement serves two important functions: it helps stiffen the mixture and holds the bricks securely in place. As you combine these materials, mist the mixture slightly with water and stir thoroughly with a garden hoe until it reaches an even consistency throughout.

Once your mixture is ready, shovel it into the trench and use a trowel to spread it out evenly into a layer approximately 1 inch deep. This layer will provide the immediate bed for your bricks and will help them settle into the correct position.

8. Set the Bricks

Now comes the satisfying part—actually laying your bricks. Working along the edge of the bed, place bricks into position one by one, checking each one for consistency and levelness as you proceed. A rubber mallet is your best tool for gently tapping bricks into place until they’re flush with the earth on each end. You may need to pull out bricks and remove some of the setting sand mixture if they sit too high initially.

Use a two-foot level to ensure that bricks are set flush with each other and level with the surrounding lawn. This step is critical because any bricks that sit higher than others will interfere with mowing and create an uneven appearance. For gentle curves, fan out your bricks using the quantities you determined during your initial planning stage. For tight curves, set the keystone bricks you cut earlier at the sharpest point in the curve, allowing them to fill the triangular gaps perfectly.

With the edging in place, work your way down the line of bricks, pressing down any visible paver base material in the trench using the head of the rubber mallet. This ensures no air pockets remain beneath your bricks. Cover the remainder of the trench with soil, double-checking throughout this process to ensure all bricks remain firmly against the grass line, creating a neat and uniform appearance.

9. Fill the Joints

The final step in your brick edging installation involves filling the joints between bricks with polymeric jointing sand. This specialized sand contains polymers that activate when exposed to water, creating a joint that holds the bricks in place and prevents sand from washing away during rain or watering.

Pour the polymeric sand over the bricks, allowing it to settle between them. Using a 4-inch paint brush, work any loose sand into the gaps between bricks, pushing it down firmly. Tap the bricks again with your rubber mallet to help settle the sand completely. Once all visible gaps are filled, spray the bricks gently with water to activate the polymers in the sand and lock the bricks securely into their final position. Allow the sand to cure according to the product instructions before allowing heavy traffic over the edging.

Essential Tools and Materials

Gathering the right tools and materials before you begin ensures your project proceeds smoothly. Essential tools include a trenching shovel, hand tamper, rubber mallet, two-foot level, circular saw with a segmented diamond blade, trowel, garden hoe, measuring tape, masonry pencil, and paint brushes. For materials, you’ll need weather-resistant clay pavers, paver base material, stone dust, Portland cement, polymeric jointing sand, and a tarp for soil management.

Tips for Success

Taking time to measure accurately at the beginning prevents ordering too many or too few bricks. Always add 10 percent to your calculation to account for cutting mistakes. When cutting bricks, wear appropriate safety equipment including eye protection and a dust mask. Keep your water bottle trick in place during all cutting to minimize dust exposure. Take your time setting each brick, ensuring absolute levelness before moving to the next one. Rushing this step can result in an edging that looks crooked or becomes unstable over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What type of bricks should I use for garden edging?

A: Use clay pavers specifically rated for severe weather conditions. These bricks are designed to withstand freeze-thaw cycles and moisture exposure, ensuring durability through multiple seasons.

Q: How deep should the trench be for brick edging?

A: The trench should be at least 6 inches deep to accommodate the paver base layer, setting mixture, and brick height while remaining level with the surrounding lawn.

Q: Can I use regular sand instead of polymeric jointing sand?

A: While regular sand is cheaper, polymeric sand is superior because it activates with water, creating a binding agent that locks bricks in place and prevents sand from washing away during rain.

Q: How do I handle tight curves when installing brick edging?

A: For tight curves, identify the center point and create a triangular gap no wider than a single brick. Cut angled keystone bricks to fit these gaps perfectly.

Q: What should I do if some bricks sit higher than others?

A: Pull out the high bricks and remove some of the setting sand mixture from beneath them. Re-tap them into place and check levelness again with a two-foot level.

Q: How long does polymeric sand take to cure?

A: Curing times vary by product, but typically range from 24 to 48 hours. Check your specific product instructions before allowing traffic over the newly installed edging.