Separate your garden from the lawn with brick edging. Our guide describes the steps to follow when building garden bed edging with landscape adhesive.
Garden edging is both beautiful and functional. It provides a clean and neat finish to your garden and separates it from the lawn.
Other benefits of garden edging include:
- Enhanced curb appeal: A well-manicured garden boosts your home’s curb appeal and value.
- Preserving soil structure: Edging prevents soil erosion and helps your garden’s soil retain its nutrients and structure, improving garden health.
- Reduced gardening costs: A healthier garden requires less work and is more affordable to maintain. Edging keeps weeds and grass out of your garden. For maximum protection, ensure it extends 2 to 4 inches.
- Prevents soil compaction: Garden edging keeps soil from being trampled. This prevents soil particles from clumping together, which reduces airflow and inhibits root growth.
Are you looking to keep your garden from spilling into your lawn? Do you have a free weekend coming up? Define your lawn with our comprehensive guide on how to edge a garden bed.
Install brick edging for garden beds with the following steps.
1. Get the necessary tools and materials: You will need:
- Base course material
- Loctite PL MAX Landscape Adhesive
- Bricks, stones, or pavers
- Tape measure
- String lines
- Rubber mallet
- Level
- Shovel
- Trowel or garden spade
- Newspaper or landscape fabric
- Hand tamper
- Garden hoe
2. Measure the garden: Using a shovel, mark a line around the perimeter of your garden to get an idea of how the garden will look before you start digging. Use a tape measure and string to establish the dimensions of the garden bed. Lay a string along the line you created from one end of the garden to the other. Afterward, straighten the string and measure it.
3. Calculate the number of stones needed: Divide the total length of your string by the standard length or width of bricks, stones, or pavers to find the number needed to cover the perimeter of the garden bed. This eliminates the need for mid-project runs to the hardware store.
4. Dig a trench: With a shovel and garden hoe, dig a 6-inch trench along the garden perimeter, using the line you created as a guide. Leave enough space for the bricks, depending on whether you want a single or double row of brick garden edging. When removing soil, place the shovel inside the line and dig in toward the garden.
5. Prepare the subgrade: Lay the foundation for the edging by preparing the subgrade. Pour a layer of base course material over the excavated area and use a hand tamper to create a rigid subgrade.
Pro tips:
- Level the trench: While unevenness is a part of gardening surfaces, level the trench as much as possible with a garden spade or trowel.
- Add a protective layer: Add landscape fabric or old newspapers along the trench before pouring the base course material to keep grass and weeds from popping up.
6. Lay the bricks: Position the bricks along the outside of the trench to get an idea of how they will look once installed. You can install them lengthwise next to each other, or widthwise (soldier style).
7. Join the bricks: Go to where the garden bed edging begins and start setting the bricks inside the trench, joining them with landscape adhesive. For strong bonds, clean and dry the bricks before applying adhesive.
If you decide to use a single row of brickwork, laid lengthwise, start by joining the first pair. Place the first one snugly against the grass line in the trench. Apply a continuous 3/8-inch bead of Loctite PL MAX Landscape Adhesive along the middle of the short edge of the next brick, position it next to the first one, and press it firmly into place. Use the rubber mallet to gently tap the bricks into perfect alignment.
Repeat this process until you cover the entire length of the trench. Remember to use the level and rubber mallet to ensure that the bricks are properly aligned, next to each other, and the grass line.
Pro tips:
- Ensuring the bricks are flush with the surrounding soil maintains a clean appearance and keeps mower wheels and blades from knocking and pushing them out of position.
- Keep the trowel or gardening spade nearby, as you might need to scrape off dirt or substrate here and there to properly align the bricks.
- If you are installing a double row of bricks, remember to apply adhesive between layers as well.
As Loctite’s strongest construction adhesive, this product is a great fit for garden edging installation because it’s:
- Mess-free: Using an adhesive instead of sand and mortar results in a clean project.
- Gap filling: In addition to bonding surfaces, the adhesive fills irregular gaps for a clean, professional finish.
- Durable: This adhesive provides long-lasting, flexible bonds.
- Weatherproof: PL MAX Landscape is a waterproof adhesive that can be applied in freezing cold (as low as 10°F) or sweltering heat (as high as 120°F). It is perfect for landscape projects.