Landscape curbing is mostly done to beautify flower beds, pathways or sidewalks. It also helps to control the growth of vegetation like grass and flowers around the compound. Curbs can be installed to restrict or direct vegetation to grow in predefined directions. Landscape curbing can also be done to beautify gardens. The curbs can be installed in various patterns to bring out a beautiful sight.
Before You Begin Your Landscape Curbing
You can easily do landscape curbing if you have the right tools and equipment. Before you begin the curbing task, the landscape should be well leveled. Installing a curb on a landscape that is not leveled will not lead to good results. Ground leveling can be done manually or using special machines. Any protruding rocks should be removed and the vegetation should be leveled.
Before you start landscape curbing, decide whether you will use plastic curbs, brick curbs, metal curbs or concrete curbs. Next, plan the outline of the area you want to transform. Decide what should be included and what should be done away with. This may require you to involve a professional landscape contractor or a landscape designer. Outline the areas you will be landscape curbing by marking around them with white powder, paint or sisal ropes.
After marking the boundaries, use a sod riper to cut off the top layer of grass. If the grasses had deep roots, it is also good to remove the roots. Otherwise, the curbs can become unstable over time. Then, scoop the top soil, remove any impurities like roots and stones and level it. Next, it is time to start landscape curbing. Pour a solid mixture of concrete and cement on the borders you marked using a curb extruder machine. Ensure that you get the right height and width of the curb before leaving it dry.
When landscape curbing, you may want colored curbs. Simply get a colored slurry mixture and pour it on top of the wet curb before making it even with a soft cloth or your bare hands. If you are not comfortable with the first colored layer, you can add another on top to increase the quality and beauty. You can also come up with different colored patterns. After drying, create expansion units on the curb and apply a sealer. This will help to stabilize the structure and the sealer will prevent cracks from forming within the structure. Make sure you create the expansion units only after the curbs have totally dried up.
Different Materials Used In Landscape Curbing
One advantage of using concrete curbs when landscape curbing is that you will not be worried of maintaining them after you have finished curbing. Cement curbs are strong and can resist different weather conditions. On the other hand, brick curbs are comparably weaker and fit best in driveways and parking areas where they are sheltered from constant weather activities. Nevertheless, most any material used in landscape curbing will provide an attractive finish.
Landscape curbing makes lawns and flower beds beautiful by clearly bringing out the borders around them. The curbs also make garden maintenance easier by preventing grass from growing into the flower bed.