Having brick flower beds in your garden is the perfect way to keep your flowers organised and under control. Raised flower beds or are easier to maintain since you don’t have to sit on the ground to tend to your plants. Building your own flower bed isn’t a complex DIY job. In fact, it’s pretty easy. Compared to building a normal flower bed all you need is some extra bricks to build a raised version.
While it is an easy job you can build in a day, there are some things you need to remember to do before, during and after the building process.
1. Build when the weather is right
Weather can greatly affect the overall finished appearance and the quality of your brickwork.
Before you start building, check the weather forecast. Cold weather and rain will hinder the cement from drying properly. But it’s also important not to build your flower bed if it’s too hot either. Hot temperatures can cause the cement to dry too quickly and cause it to crack.
Check the instructions on your cement packet as it may say what is the best curing temperature for that type of cement. Otherwise, temperatures between 10ºC to 20ºC is a good temperature for the cement to dry naturally and reduce the chance of cracking.
2. Decide what type of flowers you want to plant
Before you start building your raised flower bed, you need to decide what type of flowers you want. You don’t want to build it too small if you want to put a flower shrub in there.
Get a good idea of what plants you want and check how much space they need. Some kinds of plants need more space for their roots as they grow and should not be contained in a raised flowerbed.This saves you the hassle of rehoming your plants if they outgrow their new home.
3. Calculate how many bricks you need
Calculating how many bricks you need for your project will reduce the number of bricks that are wasted.
Plot out the size of your proposed flower bed. Use sticks to position where the corners will go. Measure the height of the wall and the length (the entire length of the flower bed), then calculate the surface area with this calculation (height) x (length). For one square meter of bricks that usually results in 118.52 bricks. Multiply (surface area) x 118.52.
For this calculation, it is based on if your raised flower bed is at least one meter high. If your flower bed is higher or lower than one meter you will need to adjust your calculation.
4. Have you used brick matching?
A common mistake by new DIYers is forgetting to get a brick matching service before buying your bricks. It can look odd having a brick flower bed that doesn’t match any other brickwork in your garden and/or the bricks of your house. As raised flower beds are built with the intention to last for the long term, they need to match your home.
There are over two thousand different types of bricks out there. Getting a brick matching service is a quick and easy way to find what type of brick you need so you can be certain it suits.
5. Check it is level
Even though raised flower bed don’t tend to be very high, it’s important whilst you build to check it is level. On each brick course use your spirit level to check the wall is balanced. It doesn’t take long to do and then you can be assured the flower bed is balanced and is not at risk of falling over.
Related: Tips for Laying Bricks.
6. Don’t forget safety
After you have completed building your raised brick flower bed, check the cement has dried correctly and the brickwork is secure. With children and animals playing in the garden, you can avoid any potential accidents and injuries by making sure your flower bed won’t crumble or collapse.
