Old Bricks Get New Life in the Garden

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Posted by @Cookies4kids on
It isn't often that we think of using old bricks in our gardens, but they add beauty and lots of interest if we give them a chance!!!

When we moved to our new, wooded property 18 years ago, the goal was to make our outside work as easy and carefree as possible. That meant no hand trimming around the 10 flower gardens that I had mapped out to be dug. We would have to border them with something durable that could take a few dings from the lawnmower, but still fit in with the wooded surroundings.

As luck would have it, I ran across a picture of an herb garden that was bordered with old used bricks in various shades of browns, rusts, and tans. All of the intersecting paths and raised areas used those same bricks, and it was just exactly what we wanted. Two days later, a gentleman offered used bricks for 10 cents each on our local radio station. Two truckloads later, we had all the bricks we needed for the herb garden and another small garden. They came from an old schoolhouse that was being torn down, and they had interesting words and letters on many of the beautiful old bricks. Eventually we were able to gather all the bricks we needed to border all the gardens, plus a few extras for later projects, such as the birdbath stands between the gardens.

The variety of colors fit the wooded background just perfectly, and the old lettering adds so much interest to the gardens. It's the first thing that people comment on when they are here for a garden tour. The bricks are two rows high to form the circle around the pump, but you could add more if you like. We also made a matching birdbath stand.

The pictures from my iPad just don't do justice to the beautiful colors displayed in these lovely old bricks, but you get the idea. When the sun breaks out after a fresh spring rain, the colors are outstanding.



Thumb of 2015-05-19/Cookies4kids/c1f094
Thumb of 2015-05-19/Cookies4kids/bfea74
Thumb of 2015-05-19/Cookies4kids/3d21b4

 
Comments and Discussion
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Purple Bricks by LindaleeS Dec 26, 2015 10:34 AM 3
bricks by vickianneh Jun 20, 2015 1:35 AM 0
thumbs-up! by drdawg Jun 17, 2015 9:49 PM 5
we recycled, too! by Polymerous Jun 17, 2015 5:04 PM 6

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