Making curbs for flower beds by own hands

Decorative curbs play a huge role in creating the overall color of the suburban area. They are so different: close to the general landscape or attracting attention to themselves, stationary or mobile, high or low... Do not know how to make a border for a flower bed with your own hands? Original ideas and colorful photos of curbs for flower beds will help you make a choice, and a guide to their manufacture will save you from annoying mistakes!

Mosaic curbs for flowerbeds

Mosaic is one of the oldest facing materials, widely recognized for its aesthetic appearance and good performance. It is not afraid of moisture, can withstand sharp temperature changes, is easily cleaned of dirt and is ideal for decorating a curb for a flower bed. The border, decorated with mosaic, is suitable for bordering a high or low flowerbed and will become an exceptionally colorful accent on the cottage area. And it is not difficult to make it at all:

1. Step 1. Preparation of the material.
   For the curb-mosaic device, glass, ceramic tile or porcelain utensils, broken natural stone, shells or beads can be used. A combination of several materials is possible - there are no restrictions, the main thing is that all elements are in harmony with each other. Before packing, the material is sorted:
   • For sorting in chaotic order, sorting by size and color is enough.
   • If a complex composition is conceived, it is recommended that the ornament is dredged beforehand - in the future, the cement-sand mortar will not allow to make adjustments to the sketch.

1. Step 2. Substrate preparation.
   The mosaic is laid out on a pre-prepared base. In a shallow trench (15-20 cm), excavated along a contour outlined on the ground, successively pour the underlying layer (gravel, crushed stone and sand in equal proportions). Crowned drainage cushion cement-sand mortar (1 part of cement on 3 parts of sand). The solution is leveled and compacted after application.

1. Step 3. Outlining the boundaries of the composition.
   When the cement-sand mixture is a little dry, you can proceed to apply the boundaries of the picture. Apply it "on the eye" or on a pre-prepared stencil, any improvised means: a knife, a nail, or a wooden bar.

1. Step 4. Layout of the pattern.
   Layout of the pattern is carried out with a rubber hammer or garden blade. Elements of the mosaic are embedded in a cement-sand mixture by a third and taped, the seams are neatly filled with cement mortar, the surpluses of the mixture are removed. The finished canvas is covered with a polyethylene or canvas cloth before it dries.

1. Step 5. Finishing.
   After four to five days, the mosaic coating is grinded using a special hand grinder - the surface treated in this way will be absolutely smooth and shiny. If a smooth surface is not needed, it is easy to finish the surface with protective coarse-grained abrasives for finishing.

Summer fantasies: curbs for flower beds made of wood

Border of wood is an extremely common element of garden decor, which opens a wide range of possibilities for artists. Dozens of wood species, hundreds of shades and thousands of options for decoration - there is where to fool your fantasies! Before making a curb for the flowerbed in the country house from the tree, think about its image in the smallest details, determine the shade and shape of the lumber. Yellow species have such species as spruce, aspen, fir, linden and birch. Red is inherent in the yew, purple is lilac and orange, black is the hallmark of ebony. Varied and shaped - on sale there are beams, boards, pegs, spili. If the choice is made - you can proceed to the installation work.

The wooden curb is mounted in three steps:

1. Site preparation.
   The marking on the surface of the earth is the contour of the future flower garden. On the applied contour the groove, corresponding to the size of pegs in width, is dug out.
2. Installation of pegs.
   Wooden pegs alternately deepen into the prepared trench by at least one third and buried with earth. The earth is carefully rammed. The height of the pegs is leveled with a mallet.
3. Finishing.
   For finishing wooden borders use all kinds of materials: varnishes, paints, varnishes, mastics, putties and pastes. You can also try various technologies of applied art: artistic carving, burning, etc. Those who wish to emphasize the natural beauty of wood texture should prefer a transparent finish: apply a coating acrylic coating, lacquer or azure. Hide the same defects of wood will help opaque finish: shpatlevanie, priming and painting.

The device of the wicker fence is a bit more complicated. It is performed as follows:

• Preparatory stage
  Willow rods (young, flexible) are sorted along the length and cleaned of the bark (removal of the bark prevents their germination). On the plot outline the boundaries of the future flower garden.
• Weaving

Weave branches can be various ways:

1. Method number 1. Weaving on the beacons.
   On the perimeter of the flowerbed, maintaining an approximately equal distance, establish the so-called "beacons" - vertical pegs, the skeleton of the future woven border. The distance between the end beacons should be equal to the length of the willow rods. When the skeleton is ready to go to the horizontal weaving: the willow rods alternately pass between the beacons, then one, then the other. The ends are caught in small carnations. The finished curb is covered with a protective solution.
2. Method number 2. Arched weaving.
   The willow branch is bent by an arc, its ends are deepened into the ground at a distance of 5-15 cm from each other. When the "arches" are installed around the perimeter, they move to horizontal weaving. Weaving is carried out as described in method number 1.

High and low stone borders

Effectively look at the suburban sections of the curb of pebbles, "wild" stone, red or white brick. They are low and upbeat. And it depends on the height of the complexity of their implementation!

1. Low curb stone border.
   Low curbs are laid without foundation. The order of work is the same as with wooden bars: the stones are sorted and placed in a dug. Lay them flat flush with the surface, edge or edge. Cladding is performed in one or two rows.
2. High curbs.
   Perform strictly on the foundation. For foundation installation:
   • Excavated trench (the width of the trench - twice the width of the brick, the depth - 12-15 cm)
   • The formwork is installed (it can be made from OSB or any other material)
   • The solution is poured (1 part cement: parts sand: parts of rubble).

After the foundation has dried, go to the masonry. Masonry is from the first corner along the perimeter: first to dry, then to the solution, exactly or with a slight inclination inside the flower bed. The first row fits just below the ground level, the subsequent rows - with dressing, in a classical way. The mortar is applied to the stone of the previous row and the butt. The gaps are filled with a solution. Finishing of the seams is done by a fine paint brush.

Unusual curb of stone and mesh

It will be very interesting to look at the site of a small curbstone for the beds, covered between two rows of metal mesh. The composition is performed in a matter of minutes: it is enough just to give the grid the desired form, to slam it into the ground and generously fill it with pre-prepared material.

Mobile constructions

Fans of diversity, as well as those who prefer to grow flowers in the summer cottage-annuals are ideal suitable lightweight, mobile design that can easily be moved from place to place or removed from the site for uselessness. It can be a plastic curb for a flower bed, which can now be bought in almost any hardware store, or even a curb made of old things, dusting in the darkest corners. In the course will go everything: an umbrella, a holeing pan, worn-out boots and car tires along with the car. It's enough just to show a little imagination and the result will surpass all expectations!

Video: examples of curbs for beds