Gardenworld

A brick path is a beautiful garden feature, conjuring up images of rambling cottage gardens. Even if new bricks are used, the path still looks like it has been there for ages, particularly when cottage garden plants spill onto its edges.

Cottage Garden Path The path show here can be built straight into soil and no brick-laying skills are needed. Any old bricks can be used, although the easiest to work with don't have "frogs" (recesses on their undersides) and so sit flatter on the ground. The pattern shown here is known as a "stretcher bond", so called because all the bricks run in the same direction. It's much easier to lay than other designs, for example "herringbone", which requires lots of brick cutting, and "basket-weave", which won't follow curved designs.

As with any DIY project anywhere around your property, safety is the most important consideration. Always remember to wear clothing that is suitable for the task and pay particular attention to adequate eye, knee and hand protection with goggles, knee padds, & gloves.

A pair of gloves that would be ideal for this task are the First Choice Landscaper, a heavy duty gauntlet retailing for around £4.99 and are available from good UK garden centres. Click here to search for a garden centre near you.

You will need....

Bricks (approx. 45 per square metre of path)

Sharp sand (1x 25kg pag per 1.5m of path),

A piece of timber no wider than the path to screed the sand level

Instructions:

Cottage Path: Step one Cottage Path: Step two Cottage Path: Step three

Step one:
With a hosepipe or length of rope, mark out the sides of the path. To make laying the bricks easier later on, make the path roughly 10cm wider than you need it. The dig out its base to roughly the depth of a brick. Step two:
Firm the bottom with your feet and rake the soil flat, picking out any stones and cutting off any protruding roots. Step three:
Shovel the sharp sand into the base and screed flat with a straight-edged piece of timber until it's between 1-2cm deep. Sharp sand makes the best path base as, unlike other types of sand, it has angular grains that lock together forming a firm bed.

Cottage Path: Step four Cottage Path: Step five Cottage Path: Step six

Step four:
Place the bricks in position on the sand along the length of the path. Step five:
To get them perfectly level with each other, put a piece of wood on their tops and gently hammer down on the wood, working section by section along the path. Step six:
Back-fill soil to the path edge packing it firmly against the bricks with a stick or hammer handle.

Cottage Path: Step seven

Step seven:
Brush sharp sand over the path until the joints are full. This locks them firmly together and prevents any movement.