A stone border is not always necessary for flower or vegetable beds, but it is often useful. Curbs are very helpful, for example, if you want to separate your bed from a lawn or a paved path.
How do you set curbs for a bed correctly?
To correctly set curb stones for a bed, dig a 5-10 cm deep trench, fill in 5 cm of sand, place the stones in mortar, align them and tap them into place. For plants with strong root growth, we recommend setting the curbs in concrete.
What purpose do curbs serve?
The curbs often serve purely visual purposes. It simply looks nicer when beds and/or paths are visibly demarcated. But they also prevent the covering of your garden paths, such as gravel or bark mulch, from getting into the bed. If you have overgrown plants in your bed, curbs that are deep enough can prevent them from growing into the neighboring bed.
Such curbs serve, among other things, as a rhizome barrier or root barrier. You need this, for example, if you have planted bamboo. Otherwise it will spread throughout your garden through underground rhizomes. Then the attractive plant will eventually become a real pest.
How do I set curbs correctly?
Curbs do not necessarily have to be set in concrete. However, if you want to prevent your lawn from spreading into the flower bed or if you want the stones to curb the growth of your bamboo, then encasing it in concrete is highly recommended, as this will seal all the cracks between the individual stones.
Even without using concrete, you should ensure that your curbs are set firmly and securely. A substructure made of sand, grit or gravel may be necessary for this. Above all, make sure that the curbs are aligned straight. A string can help you with alignment.
Setting curbs – instructions coming soon:
- Mark setting edge
- Dig a trench about 5 to 10 cm deeper than the stones are to be placed
- approx. Fill in 5 cm of sand
- Mix mortar with relatively little water
- fill the finished mortar approx. 5 cm high into the trench
- Setting curbs in the mortar
- Align the stones and tap them into place with a rubber mallet (€8.00 on Amazon)
- pour some more mortar in front of and behind the curbs
- Let the mortar dry (also works after filling with soil)
- Fill the trench with soil
Tip
Not every bed needs a concrete border, but for plants with strong root growth or rhizome formation, deep curbs are often the easiest solution to care for.