Without flowers, the area looks boring and uninteresting. Properly decorated flower beds lift your spirits, because both chic garden flowers and simple wildflowers always soothe and delight the eye. A flower bed is usually called a flower garden of geometrically regular shape - square, oval or round. It is quite possible to make flower beds out of brick with your own hands, as in the photo, which shows various design options.
Brick is an affordable material that allows you to create multi-tiered structures. The work is not too difficult; laying flower beds out of brick is quite within the capabilities of any summer resident, and considering that not only new brick can be used, we also get significant cost savings.
An interesting option for using old bricks in the design of a summer cottage is to imitate ancient ruins, which is achieved if the bricks are stacked randomly. In this case, any remnants of material from construction work are used, because chips and unevenness will only enhance the effect of antiquity.
The flower garden will look original if bricks of two colors are used during the laying - red and white.
A brick flowerbed, in accordance with the characteristics of the land, can be extended in length or given the shape of a circle, two mirrored flower beds can be made on the sides of the central path, or one multi-tiered structure can be created - there are many options. The most common types of flower beds are:
- Round (island);
- Flowerbeds in the form of a square or diamond;
- Ring, located around a sculptural composition or tree;
- Spiral;
- Rabatka (narrow strip of flowers along a path or wall);
- Mixborder (flower garden with free contours).
Construction of a flower bed
You can make a flowerbed out of bricks if you take into account several important points described in this article.
The area allocated for flower plantings should be level and sunny. If there are uneven areas in the area of the future flower garden, they are removed - the mounds are torn off and the depressions are filled in.
After choosing the shape of the flower bed and transferring the outline of the structure to the land, they begin to create a flower bed.
To make a flower bed out of brick, you need the following tools, using which you can create a flower garden with your own hands:
- Shovel;
- Hammer;
- Trowel;
- Level;
- Construction mixer;
- Roulette;
- Stakes and twine;
- Brick, cement, sand and crushed stone.
Brick border
The simplest design is a brick border. True, it does not retain water, but it is made quickly and looks very decorative. In this case, a brick is laid in a shallow trench, most often in a herringbone pattern (diagonally, so that one of the corners of the brick is at the top point). Then the gaps are covered with earth and compacted.
Geometric flowerbed made of brick
Beautiful flower beds made of brick are obtained if you give them a geometric shape.
How to make a flowerbed out of brick? The task is not very difficult. A ditch about 20 centimeters deep is dug along the perimeter of the contour (the higher the wall of the future flower bed, the deeper the ditch needs to be prepared). To ensure that the edges are straight, they are aligned along a stretched cord secured at the extreme points of the flowerbed to metal pipes or wooden pegs. A layer of sand with a fraction of up to 4 mm is poured onto the bottom and compacted. To ensure good drainage, another layer of gravel is laid on top and compacted again.
To make it easier to decorate the curved sections of the flowerbed with brick, install flexible plastic along the wall of the trench. To strengthen straight sections, sheets of plywood or pieces of slate are suitable.
In the first two rows, bricks are laid without mortar so that excess moisture freely goes into the ground. Subsequently, the walls are laid out using mortar, and care must be taken that lumps do not remain on the outside of the flowerbed. The solution is prepared from one part cement and 5 parts sand. If the structure is high, the masonry is made with a slight inclination inward, since over time there is some displacement of the soil in the flower garden. Excess mortar is removed with a construction trowel. Sometimes the excess is removed with a piece of garden hose to create a nice seam. It will be possible to further design the flower garden after 5 days, when the structure has hardened.
An absolutely even border can be obtained by checking its level with a horizontally stretched cord. Vertical elements of a flower bed (for example, decorative columns) are leveled using a plumb line.
If it is assumed that the flowerbed will be decorated with brick columns, then construction should begin with them. To ensure that the columns are stable and level, a hole 1 meter deep is prepared for them.
Multi-tiered brick structure
A multi-level flower garden combines several flower beds of varying heights, the shape and size of which can be very different. This design, of course, is more difficult to manufacture than a simple brick flowerbed, but this flower garden also looks more impressive.
At the beginning of construction, a pit up to forty centimeters deep is prepared. Along the perimeter, the hole should be 20 cm larger than the size of the flower bed on each side. Then drainage is laid - about 5 cm of sand and 20 cm of crushed stone, which is carefully compacted.
Then they begin to build the first tier, carefully laying out the bricks according to the markings to the required height. Then subsequent tiers are formed.
As a type of flower garden, a flower bed gives a lot of scope for imagination, because it allows the use of various geometric…
Flowerbed decoration
You can make brick flower beds more beautiful by decorating them with mosaics, pebbles, shells or ordinary paint.
Craftsmen who have mastered various types of brickwork can create spectacular structures using relief masonry (achieved by changing the location of the bricks in a row) or using colored masonry (using brown, white, yellow bricks, the master creates an original design).
Sculptures installed on the columns will add a special chic to the floral arrangement.
The wide walls of a flower bed in a country house can be supplemented with flowerpots, placing them in the corners of the structure.
If for the last row of masonry you use not bricks, but hollow building blocks of a suitable size, the voids can be filled with nutritious soil and plants can also be planted there, thereby expanding the boundaries of the flower garden.
Next to a brick flowerbed, a garden path decorated with decorative tiles or gravel would be appropriate.
Filling a brick flower garden
When the structure is ready, a soil mixture with fertilizers is poured inside, watered and allowed to settle for two weeks. After this, you can plant the plants.
When choosing plants for, you need to take into account that water accumulates in the lower tiers from the upper ones. Accordingly, moisture-loving flowers are placed below, and drought-resistant plants are suitable for the upper tier.
The background on which the flower bed is placed plays an important role; it is good if it is a calm green shade. Landscape design masters often decorate multi-tiered structures with a parterre lawn or hedge.
It is important to choose a harmonious color scheme for the composition. Contrasting colors enhance each other when placed next to each other. The brick wall appears brighter and redder against the backdrop of bright green foliage, but fades next to the silvery plants. The blueness of the hosta will be emphasized by orange flowers, and the blue lobelia, on the contrary, will reveal the greenness of the bluish leaves.
Before planting plants in a permanent place in the flowerbed, planting boundaries are marked. If the flowers must be placed parallel to each other, they are placed along a stretched cord to avoid curvature. Large homogeneous plantings are alternated in a checkerboard pattern. Planting begins from the center of the group to the edges of the composition, and ends with planting border plants. In large flower beds, ground cover and flowering plants are planted, which over time will fill the free space without leaving bare soil.
When creating a flower bed made of brick with your own hands, you will have to put a lot of effort into planning the future structure, forming a flower bed and filling it with various plants. However, the result is an oasis of beauty that will delight you for many years.
In the spring, I really want to do not only gardening, but also the aesthetic design of the site and the construction of flower beds. You can make a flowerbed fencing from bricks, decorative tiles, stones, even plastic bottles. The variety of possible options is simply breathtaking! A do-it-yourself brick flowerbed will not require much effort and time, but will bring pleasure from the construction process itself and will give you a reason to be proud of yourself.
People usually plant a lot of flowers in their gardens or summer cottages, and this is understandable - only aesthetic pleasure can restore strength after a hard day of work in the name of the future harvest. At the dacha you want to relax, and not just work, so you want to make beautiful flower beds of the most exquisite shapes, plant different flowers on them that will delight you with their appearance and aroma throughout the season. The great thing about this is that you can do everything yourself, realize your idea of beauty, and not have to explain things to a landscape designer hired for a lot of money.
Before you start work, you need to decide on the shape of the flowerbed and its content. The choice of location depends on what flowers you plan to plant. Since the flowerbed is made so that it can be admired, it must be visible: it must be clearly visible from the house or gazebo, where we usually relax and receive guests. But it cannot be placed in absolute shade from a house or other structures - flowers need a sufficient amount of sunlight.
The choice of flowers largely determines the location of the future flower bed: you need to choose so that they can all grow in similar conditions, so that their requirements for light and amount of moisture coincide, so that there are no plants nearby that cannot tolerate each other. The shape of the flower bed and the location are also interconnected. Ring flower beds, placed in a regular ring around a tree or some small structure (tiny pond, gazebo, fountain), look very beautiful.
Round island flowerbeds are placed in the middle of the lawn, long narrow ones are placed along the wall of a house or a walkway, multi-level ones are turned with rising steps towards the viewer. Oval, smoothly curved or irregularly broken polygons are arranged in large flat areas, but rectangular flower beds can be used to level the landscape or emphasize terraces. Having decided on the location, you need to prepare the site. To do this, remove everything unnecessary from it (stones, garbage, bushes, grass) and level it.
Video “Building a flower bed on a summer cottage”
An example of building a brick flowerbed with your own hands in a few days.
What materials and tools will be needed
If you have already decided to make a flower garden out of brick at your dacha, then you will need this same brick, and not necessarily new and beautiful. Sometimes old, used brick, left over after cleaning some structure, looks very impressive. It is up to the owner to decide what brick to make from - white or red. There are no wrong decisions here, everything will look good, and you can paint it any color if you wish.
In addition to bricks, you will need cement and utensils for mixing it, sand and crushed stone for the base, a shovel, trowel, rope (or fishing line) and pegs for marking. You may need beautiful stones, shells, and wooden elements that can decorate your work. Clay or wooden garden sculptures, stumps, old shoes scattered on the lawn, which can become magnificent pots for flowers or multi-colored grass, look very good at the dacha.
How to lay out a flower bed
Construction work begins with marking out the flower bed. The boundaries are marked directly on the ground, pegs are driven in, and a rope is pulled over them. A ditch 30 cm deep is dug along the outlined contours for low walls - 4-5 bricks. The higher the wall, the deeper the ditch should be. If a high stepped flowerbed or brick columns are planned, then the base must be deepened by at least 80 cm. The moat should have smooth sides, one brick wide.
At the bottom of the resulting ditch we pour sand, at least 5 cm thick, then crushed stone, the same thickness, and sand again. Having compacted all this, you can put the first layer of bricks on top. The sand and stone base will not only support the walls, it will become an excellent drainage, excess water from the flowerbed will flow freely to the sides so that the roots do not rot.
For the same purpose, the first 2-3 layers of bricks are not connected with cement, they are simply laid on top of each other, and the 4th layer is placed on cement.
Sometimes the walls of a flower bed are not held together with cement at all, they are simply placed on top of each other - such a design also has a right to exist, but it will not be durable. Upon completion of the masonry, the structure is left for 4-5 days so that the cement finally sets and dries.
As flowers grow, there is some movement of the soil, which can cause the flower bed to expand. To avoid troubles, when building the walls, they are shifted slightly inward (wrapped a little, like a pot); to do this, just press the bricks with your hands.
Before you start laying bricks, you need to mark the height; to do this, drive in high pegs and tighten the rope again.
The horizontalness of the masonry must be checked constantly so as not to miss any distortions - after all, the base is movable, which means that there will definitely be shifts and distortions, you just need to eliminate them in time. If columns are proposed, then work begins with them. A hole 1 m deep is dug for the columns - they must be level and stable. Pots with plants are often placed on brick columns.
Last stage of construction
When the cement in the brick walls has set well and dried, you can fill in the soil. It is not compacted, just poured, watered and left alone. It must stand for at least two weeks before planting flowers. If the soil drops below the required level, it is topped up, but it is simply necessary to wait the allotted time - it will settle down on its own as needed, and it will be clear whether it is worth adding more or not.
Only after 2 weeks have passed, you can plant flowers that were thought out and prepared in advance, and place individual pots or some decorative elements on the platforms, sides and columns. If you build one flowerbed in your dacha yourself, then most likely you won’t stop there. You will definitely want to do more and more, because there are a lot of options that will look so good on your site.
Video “Formation of the walls of a brick flower bed”
A simple way to build the foundation and walls of a brick flower bed, recommendations for creating brickwork yourself.
Oh, how beautiful garden beds are, spreading delicate aromas and pleasing the eye with a riot of color. However, it is not enough to simply dig up a bed and plant seeds; a real flowerbed requires proper fencing that will prevent the soil from crumbling and protect the delicate roots of the plants.
Before turning your garden plot into a masterpiece of landscape design, decide whether your flowerbed will be temporary or whether you plan to install a fence that will last for many years.
Plastic modular fencing, which is sold in gardening departments, is quite attractive in appearance and very diverse. Such “fences” are installed in a matter of minutes and just as quickly removed in the fall or if it is necessary to dig up the soil.
You can also use profiled plastic sheets (PVC or polycarbonate) or cellular polycarbonate as fencing. You should dig a narrow trench around the perimeter of the flowerbed, insert cut plastic into it, fill it and compact the soil.
It is advisable to coat the joints of plastic panels with construction adhesive or sealant. Cellular polycarbonate is glued with one-component transparent glue.
The disadvantages of such fencing are the high cost of materials and their low resistance to mechanical damage. Plastic fences often warp during watering or precipitation.
If you have an accumulation of glass containers or plastic bottles, it’s time to make a creative flower garden.
Option one - vertical single-tier
This method of arranging a fence is so simple that even a child can handle it.
Step 1. Prepare the container. We wash, remove all stickers, fill each bottle with soil/sand, and screw on the caps.
Step 2. Using a tape measure, measure the length of the bottle. We divide the resulting value in half. This result is the depth of the trench that needs to be dug around the perimeter of the flower bed. The radius of the bottle, accordingly, determines the width of the groove.
Step 3. Turn the first bottle upside down, insert it into the trench, add soil, pour it from a watering can, and tamp it down. We insert the second bottle tightly and repeat the tamping operation. We continue until the entire flowerbed is fenced.
It is important that the “fence” does not wobble!
You don't have to use the same bottles. By alternately inserting one and a half and half liter plastic bottles, you will see how the fence becomes much more interesting.
Step 4. If the bottoms sticking up do not cause joy, you can decorate the fence by painting it with any paint for exterior use. You can also use flowers cut out of plastic and glued to the fence in any desired order as decoration.
Bottle flower beds
Option two - vertical multi-tiered
Stock up on enough fertile soil, a shovel, a watering can and previously prepared bottles.
To begin, we dig a groove around the perimeter of the outer, largest ring of the flower garden. We insert a row of bottles, add soil to the level of the bottle bottoms.
We place the second ring inside the first. The second tier will rise above the first. Carefully dig a new ditch, insert bottles and add soil to the center.
Narrow rings can be tied with wire around the perimeter to strengthen the walls of the fence.
It is not recommended to make an excessively wide multi-tiered flower bed, as it will be inconvenient to plant plants in the central rings.
Multi-tiered flower beds resemble a wedding cake. Plant low-growing flowers in them and enjoy the beauty of the garden.
Option three - horizontal
Step one. We prepare a sufficient number of clean empty glass bottles and cut the iron barrel crosswise in two. The bottom can be left, having made several drainage holes in it, or cut off completely, which is more preferable.
Step two. Prepare cement-sand mortar. In a bucket, mix cement with sand and water so that the solution is thick enough and does not spread.
Step three. We put the barrel in the place where the flower garden will be located in the future. Using a trowel, we place a small pile of solution on the outer wall of the barrel, into which we immediately insert the bottle, pressing its neck against the iron. We apply a new pile of solution to the wall and insert the second bottle as close as possible. We continue until the barrel is completely framed by the first row of bottles.
Step four. We lay out the second row in the same way, placing the bottles on the first row in a checkerboard pattern. We continue until the barrel turns into a stylish flowerpot. While the cement dries (about two weeks), it is better to cover the structure with polyethylene. This way the hardened solution will be much stronger, and the risk of cracking will be greatly reduced.
Step five. If the flowerpot has a bottom, then fill its bottom with crushed stone, broken brick or other drainage. If you cut off the bottom of the barrel, you can immediately fill it with soil and plant flower seeds. It is recommended to decorate the upper part of this unusual fence with beautiful colored pebbles, shells, cones, or hide a noticeable strip of cement with moss.
Even if you and your friends are not car owners and don’t store old tires in your garage, auto repair shops will happily sell you several suitable used tires for pennies.
How to make a flower bed - flower
Tires can be dug vertically into the ground, subsequently painted in different colors, carved into unusual animal figures, or cut into petal-shaped tops. If you are lucky enough to become the owner of a tire from a tractor or KAMAZ, then it makes sense to place it horizontally, filling it with soil and breaking up a flower bed.
If you acquire several tires of different diameters, build a multi-tiered fence for a flower bed, simply arranging the tires like a pyramid. Of course, soil must be filled inside each ring before installing the next, smaller diameter.
Advice! For painting, use only waterproof enamels!
Video - DIY fences for flower beds made from old tires
We build fences for flower beds from bricks
If you plan to build a permanent flower garden, then you should take care of a reliable fence, for example, a brick one.
Before construction, prepare the following materials: bricks, cement-sand mortar, sand, level, tape measure, pegs, cord, shovel and trowel.
Step one. We make markings on the ground, determining the perimeter of the future flower bed.
Step two. According to the markings, we dig a trench about 10 cm deep.
Step three. Fill the sand with a layer of 5 cm and tamp it thoroughly, spilling it with water.
Step four. We lay out the first two rows of bricks without fastening them with cement and leaving a gap of 0.5 cm between the bricks. This is necessary to prevent stagnation of moisture in the soil and rotting of the roots. We check the evenness of the masonry with a level and hit the bricks with a mallet.
Step five. We drive in the pegs and tighten the cord to make laying easier. We lay out the third and subsequent rows without gaps, using cement mortar. Immediately scrape off the excess from the wall. If desired, you can undo the joints immediately after laying.
The cement will dry for about a week. During this period, it is not recommended to carry out land work and plant a flower garden. When the cement has set, add a layer of drainage, fertilizer, soil into the flowerbed, and plant the plants.
Advice! If you use bricks of different colors in the construction of the fence, the flowerbed will be much more interesting.
If the flowerbed is small, then the bricks can be laid without mortar at all, filling it with a sand cushion. In this case, it is not necessary to lay the brick flat; a fence made of bricks installed in a sand cushion at an angle looks original.
You can also use natural stones and sand instead of bricks. The stones are laid without constructing a foundation, and the stones themselves are fastened together with mortar. It is advisable to lay it out so that there are minimal gaps between the stones.
Video - Options for fencing for flower beds
Fences for flower beds made of wood
- Wattle is a classic of the genre. We drive in pegs or dry branches at equal distances, which we braid with flexible willow twigs. Finally, we pour soil into the fence and plant flowers.
- Decorative fence made of boards. We lay out the boards in a row and nail the horizontal fastening lintels. We assemble several of these “panels” of the desired height. We dig several holes in the ground. We take the distance between the pits equal to the width of the panels. We insert wooden blocks into the holes, treated with an antiseptic and coated with bitumen on the bottom, after which we pour the concrete and wait for it to dry, making sure that the columns are strictly vertical.
At the end, all that remains is to nail the board panels to the posts, add soil and paint the fence.
- Fence made of bars. Such a fence can be installed both by maintaining the same level of all the bars, and by driving each of them into the ground to a different depth. Don’t forget to treat the posts with an antiseptic so that the flowerbed lasts as long as possible.
Don’t be afraid to experiment by coming up with non-standard designs for flower beds and decorating your garden in an original way. An old wooden boat, plastic and ceramic dishes, flower pots arranged in a row, a wooden two-wheeled wheelbarrow, a large wicker basket, an antique chest without a bottom and much more can serve as a fence for a flower bed.
Also read the article on our website - how to make a flowerbed with your own hands.
Video - DIY fencing for flower beds. Design ideas
Such a simple and practical solution as using bricks to create flower beds allows you to decorate your summer cottage with single and multi-tiered structures. The work is creative and uncomplicated; any summer resident will be able to make beautiful flower beds, as in our photos, and, showing their imagination, inexpensively landscape the area with their own hands.
The use of brick allows you to create colorful flower beds of various shapes. Using new or used material, you can implement different design solutions:
- create a tiered composition;
- select zones in the flowerbed for different plants;
- mark the border of the flowerbed with a border;
- form a flowerpot or miniature flower garden;
- lay out a flowerbed with high walls directly on the concrete.
Moreover, the variety of forms is limited only by the owner’s imagination. You can make a tree the center of the flowerbed, ringing it with a brick border, or enclose a corner bounded by two walls of the building.
The most common flower beds are traditional shapes - round (island), square, long rectangular along a building or path. An original element can be a stepped or flat polygonal flowerbed.
DIY flowerbed
Let's look at different options for flower beds and the process of creating them with your own hands. In any case, you need to collect the necessary tools:
- shovel;
- trowel;
- construction mixer;
- hammer;
- putty knife;
- level;
- stakes;
- leg-split;
- roulette
The simplest thing is a brick border. It poorly performs the function of a fence, because due to its low height it does not retain water, but it can be very decorative.
Simple brick border Most gardeners love their plot no less than a city apartment, and there is no need to talk about the owners of private houses: everyone wants their garden to produce not only healthy and environmentally friendly vegetables and fruits, but also pleasing to the eye. Therefore, everyone tries to decorate their several hundred square meters in their own way: they lay stone paths, arrange a small pond,... One of the simplest and most effective ways to decorate a summer cottage is with flowers. Moreover, the more original the approach to planting them, the more beautiful they will look when they bloom. Of course, a lovingly arranged brick flowerbed will look much more advantageous than a regular planting. The advantages of brick flower beds at the dacha are undeniable: in addition to their excellent decorative value, they also carry a rational load - they zone the space and prevent the spread of weeds.
In this article we will learn how to make a flowerbed from bricks with your own hands efficiently and beautifully.
Choosing a place for a brick flower bed
First of all, decide where you want to arrange your flower garden. At first glance, this may not seem that difficult, but the following factors must be taken into account:
- Lighting – the flower bed should not be in the shade of a house or greenhouse, since a sufficient amount of sunlight is necessary for good flower growth.
- View of the flower garden - the flower bed should be clearly visible from the window of the house or from the veranda so that you and your guests can enjoy the beautiful view.
If you already know where you want to make your flower bed, think about its shape.
There are several types of flower beds:
- ring (planted around trees or ponds);
- island (round flower beds);
- ridge (long narrow flower beds along a path or wall);
- stepped (multi-level flower beds);
- rectangular flower beds.
In addition to a convenient place for the flowerbed, you also need to choose the flowers that you will plant in it. Please note that they match each other not only in color, but also in compatibility.
Necessary materials for a brick flower bed
Brick flower beds are easy to make and do not require any special expenses. Usually all the necessary materials are already available on the site: first of all, these are bricks and cement mortar. In addition, you will need pegs and line for leveling, as well as sand and additional stones for decoration.
Stages of work
The entire process of creating a brick flowerbed with your own hands can be divided into several stages:
- Marking. Draw the outline of the future flower bed on the ground, highlight it with a thin strip of fabric.
- We dig a hole. The depth of the pit should not exceed 30 cm. Sand and cobblestones must be laid at the bottom to ensure high-quality drainage.
- We are building the walls of the flower bed. Lay out the first row of bricks, mark it with pegs on both sides and stretch a fishing line between them. Mix the solution. Lay out the bricks, fastening them with mortar, and make sure that the masonry is even and strong.
- Leave the finished masonry for 4-5 days so that it gets stronger.
- Pour the required amount of soil into the flowerbed. Leave it for 10-15 days to shrink.
- Plant the plants and water them thoroughly. Photos of brick flower beds will help you arrange your plants beautifully.
Flowerbed decoration
When the flowerbed is ready, you can decorate it further. If the walls of the flowerbed are wide enough, you can place flowerpots with flowers in the corners. Garden sculptures will look good next to the flower bed. Arrange a path to the flower bed from decorative tiles, gravel or other materials. You can get additional ideas for decorating your flower garden from the photos of brick flower beds in the addition to this article.
We wish you success in your wonderful endeavor. Let your brick flowerbed please you for many years.
Video: examples of brick flower beds