Creating a flower bed with bricks offers a permanent, structured, and visually appealing addition to any landscape. Bricks are highly durable, standing up to weather extremes and providing a timeless aesthetic. Unlike wood, which rots, brick is resilient and can last for decades, making it a sound long-term investment. This guide will walk through the process from initial design choices to final planting, ensuring your brick flower bed is both beautiful and structurally sound.
Choosing Your Brick Layout and Style
The first step in building your flower bed is deciding on the type of structure, as this choice dictates the complexity and permanence of the project. A simple edge border involves laying a single course of bricks, often partially buried in a trench, to create a defined boundary between the lawn and the planting area. This method is the least labor-intensive and is primarily for aesthetic separation and containing mulch or soil.
For a low raised bed, you might opt for a dry-stacked wall, where bricks are held together solely by gravity and friction without the use of mortar. Dry-stacked beds are generally kept to a height of three or four brick courses to maintain stability against the internal pressure of the soil. This style offers flexibility, as the design can be easily adjusted or disassembled later, but it requires careful staggering of the bricks for strength.
A permanent, mortared raised bed is the most robust option, often necessary for walls higher than about 12 inches to counteract the outward pressure of the soil. This technique requires a proper foundation, such as a concrete footing, to prevent shifting and cracking from soil movement or freeze-thaw cycles. While the most labor-intensive and costly, a mortared structure provides the greatest durability and a professional, finished look.
Gathering Materials and Site Preparation
Before construction begins, gather the correct tools and prepare the site meticulously. The basic toolkit should include:
- A shovel and measuring tape.
- A rubber mallet for setting bricks.
- A four-foot level to ensure straight and plumb walls.
- Wooden stakes and a mason’s line or string for marking the layout.
The selection of bricks is important; paver bricks are often preferred for edging due to their density, though standard clay bricks work well for raised walls. Calculate the quantity needed by determining the total wall length and dividing it by the length of a single brick, adding an extra 5 to 10 percent for cuts and breakage. For mortared walls, you will also need mortar mix and a trowel.
Site preparation begins with marking the exact outline of the planned flower bed using the stakes and string line. Once the shape is defined, the ground must be prepared to support the first course. Dig a shallow, flat-bottomed trench that is slightly wider than your brick, ensuring the base is level across its entire length. This trench must be compacted firmly to prevent settling, as unevenness in the first course will compromise the stability of the entire wall.
Step-by-Step Construction Techniques
The physical act of laying the first course of bricks is the most important step, as it sets the alignment for the entire structure. Whether dry-stacking or mortaring, the base bricks must be perfectly level from side to side and along the wall’s length. For a dry-stacked bed, the trench should be filled with a compacted layer of paver base or coarse sand to provide a stable, level foundation before the first bricks are placed.
In mortared construction, the first course is set into a bed of mortar spread evenly along the trench, with the bricks tapped down until they are flush and level with the string line. For subsequent courses, bricks should be stacked in a running bond pattern, where the vertical joints of each layer are centered over the middle of the bricks below. This staggering technique mechanically interlocks the wall, increasing its structural integrity and resistance to lateral forces from the soil.
Corners require careful interlocking to prevent a weak point, typically by alternating the overlap of the long and short faces of the bricks on each course. For mortared walls, maintaining a consistent joint thickness (about 3/8 to 1/2 inch) is necessary for a neat appearance and proper structural bond. Throughout the stacking process, frequently check the wall with a level to ensure it is plumb (perfectly vertical) and that the top of each course remains level before proceeding.
The final course of bricks, known as the capstone, gives the bed a finished look and often overhangs the wall slightly. Capstones can be set with a strong adhesive for dry-stacked walls or mortared in place. They provide a smooth surface, protect the vertical joints below from excessive water penetration, and direct rain runoff, completing the architectural definition of the flower bed.
Post-Construction Care and Planting
Once the brick structure is complete, the focus shifts to creating an optimal environment for the plants inside the new bed. Proper drainage is necessary, particularly for raised beds, as standing water can lead to root rot. A layer of coarse gravel or crushed stone, typically 4 to 6 inches deep, should be placed at the bottom of the bed before adding soil to facilitate water movement away from the roots.
Following the drainage layer, the bed should be filled with a high-quality soil mixture, such as a blend of topsoil, compost, and organic matter, to ensure good fertility and aeration. The depth of the soil will depend on the plants, but most flowers and annuals require at least 8 to 12 inches of growing medium to thrive. Using a raised bed allows you to bypass poor native soil conditions.
If you constructed a mortared bed, a curing time of at least 48 to 72 hours is required before adding soil or introducing substantial moisture. Mortar needs this period to achieve sufficient initial strength through hydration before bearing the full load of the soil and water. Once cured and filled, the bed is ready for initial planting, which should be done with consideration for the mature size and light requirements of your chosen plants.