Brick Garden Ideas - Using Bricks Around The Garden

Bricks
(Image credit: harmpeti)

Bricks are one of those garden staples everyone seems to have around the yard. Whether it’s a few forgotten stacked in the corner or a bunch leftover from a garden project, bricks are a reusable resource.

Many garden projects such as edging, retaining walls, garden paths, and more can be accomplished using leftover bricks around the garden. And if you are fresh out of bricks, rather than purchase new, it is easy to acquire reclaimed bricks.

Bricks last a long time, have that old world charm, and are easy on the pocketbook if purchasing new. Here are several brick garden ideas you can use in your own yard. 

Bricks in Garden Design: Bricks Garden Use

Bricks for the garden are not a new idea. They have been used as building materials for centuries. Modern design today still incorporates brick and stone.

Unused bricks around the garden or reclaimed bricks have a multitude of uses. Here is a sampling of ideas for bricks in garden design.

Brick Garden Ideas - Using Bricks Around the Garden

  • Repurpose a clay saucer. Stack your extra bricks in a pedestal and voila! An instant bird bath or bird feeder
  • Create a focal point with a large, planted container by designing a “stage” beneath it. Use bricks, decorative rock, etc., to create the design. 
  • Edge your garden beds with bricks. They can be laid out several ways: buried halfway down and laid edge to edge, overlapping side to side, or laid flat vertically side to side. 
  • Build a retaining wall on a slope, or a pony wall to separate rooms in the garden or define an edge. The bricks can be stacked using mortar for a solid foundation or dry stacked for a simple, natural look. 
  • Lay out a pathway with bricks using a block, herringbone, or vertical design. 
  • Design a brick floor under your garden bench so the legs don’t sink into the ground. 
  • Build a raised bed using bricks and mortar or you can dry stack a low bed.
  • Add soil to a brick with holes and insert succulents for a rustic container. 
  • Construct a brick planter for a shrub or small tree. 
  • Make a candle holder out of a brick with holes for a rustic centerpiece on the garden table.
Susan Albert
Writer

After graduating from Oklahoma State University with a degree in English, Susan pursued a career in communications. In addition, she wrote garden articles for magazines and authored a newspaper gardening column for many years. She contributed South-Central regional gardening columns for four years to Lowes.com. While living in Oklahoma, she served as a master gardener for 17 years.