8 Of the best bricks for garden edging

3/28/2024

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Time and time again bricks prove themselves as some of the most practical and aesthetic garden edging.

There is pretty much a brick to fit into any garden style or colour scheme. When it comes to landscape edging, bricks have multiple uses and functions. Bricks can be utilised to build retaining edgings to steps, raised beds and flush garden edging.

They can be laid in a single stretcher row or as a double soldier course. In this article I will identify and summarise the best brick types for garden edging.

These include a combination of traditional clay bricks and natural stone block edgings.

1. Rustic Red & Purple bricks

Rustic red and purple bricks are traditional clay bricks utilised for building homes and garden landscaping.

These rustic bricks contain interesting blotches, speckles and colour tones which are a result of the firing process. Typical examples of these bricks include Chaileys, Ashdowns bricks which come from the clays of southern England.

These extremely durable bricks work well with sandstone paving and perfect for edging lawns and flower borders.

2. Marshalite walling

Marshalite split faced walling is an extremely popular walling material which mimics natural stone. These pre-cast concrete blocks have a buff dye to give them a natural sandstone feel.

These blocks can make the perfect retaining edging for rustic flower borders and garden steps. If cut blocks down the middle you can benefit from two faces which makes your money stretch further.

Like natural stone these blocks are easy to cut and shape with bolsters. This provides the perfect rustic edging for mimicking natural stone.

3. Rustic yellow bricks

Rustic yellow bricks are typically produced from particular clay sub-soils such as London clay. These rustic yellow bricks are traditionally used to build homes and landscape structures.

Rustic yellow bricks such as Thames Yellows and Sevenoaks Yellows are also perfect for garden edging.

These bricks match the naturally neutral tones of sandstones and other paving materials. These bricks make exceptional edging for steps, pathways and lawns.

4. Block paving

Block paving is a pre-cast concrete paving unit typically laid as a paver to driveways. Although technically not a brick standard block paving is readily used as brick edging in gardens.

Block paving comes in a wide range of different block products perfect for every garden style. The most typical use of block paving for edging is lawn mow strips and pathway edging.

These blocks are very easy to cut into curves or lay to any shape or pattern.

5. Indian sandstone blocks

Indian sandstone blocks are a landscaping block typically utilised within Indian sandstone paving projects.

Like Indian sandstone paving these blocks display natural sandstone tones and colour variations. This makes them perfect for building low walls and building edging borders within garden landscaping.

The blocks are excellent for edging paths lands and rustic flower borders. Although it has to be said these are normally quite expensive to use on a large scale.

6. Engineering bricks

Engineering bricks are a common construction brick well known for their smooth surface and vibrant colours.

These bricks undergo an intense firing process which cause the surface to become glazed. This results in a brick which is extremely weather resistant and impervious to moisture penetration.

Their good looks and waterproof nature makes them absolutely perfect for garden edgings. Blue engineering bricks are particularly effective at edging lawns and borders within modern garden designs.

7. Old stock bricks

Old stocks are a yellow stock brick that was produced on mass during the Victorian era.

These bricks were produced to build the City of London within the UK from the underlying clay sub-soil. As these bricks were moulded by a hand press system it meant many had characteristic imperfections.

They were also made to a metric scale which gives them a unique character. Their rustic charm has led them to become a favoured reclaimed brick for garden edging.

8. Granite setts

Granite sets have been used as paving materials for hundreds of years. These robust blocks of stone are both extremely hardwearing and visually appealing.

Although technically not a brick in block form they work extremely well as landscaping edging. Granite setts have an ability to blend into both historic and contemporary landscaping making them effectively timeless.

They are perfect for edging paths, patios, gravel areas and flower borders.

Thank you for reading our article on the best bricks for garden edging. If you require brick edging installation do not hesitate to contact us. Below I will link to some other articles you may find relevant.

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The Author
Paul Nicolaides
BA (Hons) Dip

Paul Nicolaides has over 30 years of recreational gardening and 20 years of professional landscaping experience. He has worked for landscape contractors including design and build practices across London and the South East. In 2006 he qualified with a BA Hons degree and post graduate diploma in Landscape Architecture. In 2009 he founded Ecospaces an ecological landscaping practice which aims to improve social cohesion and reduce climate change through landscaping. In 2016 he founded Buckinghamshire Landscape Gardeners which designs and builds gardens across Buckinghamshire and the South East. This blog aims to provide easy problem solving information to its audience and encourage others to take up the joy of landscaping and gardening.