How to Landscape With Brick Pavers

If you have a brick entry, driveway or patio installed already, then select the same type of brick for additional work such as a walkway through a garden or the setting for a fountain. If you are starting from scratch, decide where you will use brick and choose the crisp, uniform color of new brick or the softened vintage ambiance of aged or recycled brick to complement the formality or informality of your house. Unless you are using reclaimed old brick, buy pavers, which are made without the holes of construction brick and are tempered to withstand heavy traffic and extremes of weather.

Clear the area to be paved. Remove all vegetation and level the ground. For a big job, you need a rented soil compactor to flatten and lower the level of the earth 4 inches or so. For a path or small patio, dig down no more than 4 inches and tamp the ground with a manual tamper to make a hard base. Spread a layer of crushed stone over the area and tamp it down.

Place the border bricks along the pathway, driveway or patio edge to hold the rest of the bricks in place. The strongest border is vertical bricks, buried in a shallow trench so that they stick up slightly higher than or flush with the surface of the main paving. Positioning the bricks at an angle makes a nice contrast to the flat bricks they hold together. Secure one side of this border. The other side is secured after the main paving is finished.

Spread and level a layer of sand over the crushed stone and wet it thoroughly with a misting hose so it settles. Now lay the bricks down in the pattern you have selected, starting at the secured edge and working toward the loose edge. If the surface is all bricks, randomize variegated bricks in no particular pattern, choose a radial or herringbone design or just lay them flat with almost no space between bricks. If the bricks are interspersed with stones or other kinds of pavers, experiment to find the pattern that looks best. For a walkway with ground cover, leave uneven amounts of room between the pavers for turf or flowers.

Secure the loose border so it is snug against the edge of the paved design. Scatter dry sand over the pavers and sweep it into all the spaces between bricks. Keep sweeping sand over the bricks until every gap is level with the surface. Mist the surface to encourage the sand to settle. Once it settles, sweep more sand over the patio or walk.

Plant grass right up to a brick patio and line the border with low planters for annuals. A low hedge of dark green foliage looks good flanking a brick driveway.

For a garden pathway with groundcover, sweep soil into the spaces between the pavers and plant seeds or lay bits of sod or moss. Then water everything lightly and give the groundcover time to root and grow before subjecting the path to heavy use. Plant a mix of perennials and annuals along the path. Add vine-covered arbors with low benches or small boulders surrounded by ferns.