It is impossible to imagine a country house without flower beds. Moreover, there are countless options - from cozy small ones with a wooden frame and cute figures to impressive stone ones. We will figure out how to make the last option yourself.
Materials and tools:
1. Wild stone (the ideal one will be the one from which the house was built). It is recommended to use flat cobblestones that reach 150-500 mm in length and 20-100 mm in thickness. Indicators, of course, are approximate, but can significantly facilitate the work.
2. Pegs for marking.
3. Flour.
4. Kapron thread.
5. Shovel.
6. Cement mortar.
7. Sealant.
Operating procedure:
Before you start construction flower beds, you should determine its boundaries. External are indicated by driven in pegs. The contours between the pegs are drawn with flour. A moat breaks out along the designated boundaries, which should be about 200 mm deep and 300 mm wide. Stones are laid at the bottom of the moat as densely as possible to each other. It is recommended to lay the largest cobblestones in the base.
Before laying the second row, the first is carefully checked for strength. If it is fragile, it is better to compact the stones. Now you can take for the second row, densely placing the cobblestones to each other. At the corners are flat stones. The solution at this stage should not be used, since free flow of water should be ensured.
Having dealt with the first four rows, you need to identify the top of the flower bed. To do this, kapron thread is stretched on wooden pegs located in the corners. For greater convenience, it is recommended to hang the level. Now you can mark the upper border on the peg and remove the kapron thread so that it does not interfere with the laying of the upper row of the flowerbed. At this stage, you can begin to prepare the cement mortar, strictly following the instructions. The main requirement for the solution is the absence of lumps and good density.
At that moment, when the height of the flower bed reaches 100-150 mm, cement is applied to the inside of the stones with a trowel or spatula. But the solution should not fall on the outside of the wall - it is advisable to create the effect of solutionless masonry.
It is important to check the verticality of the wall every three masonry using the rack level. If you adhere to this rule, if a malfunction occurs, the wall can still be leveled. It is advisable to tap masonry with a sledgehammer - so the alignment becomes ideal. The most beautiful cobblestones are laid on the top row. The joints in this row are filled with the solution completely, without spaces.To make this procedure easy and effective, it is better to make a dispenser from a plastic bag. It is recommended to choose dense polyethylene, in which you need to make a hole for extruding the solution. After extrusion, the latter is accurately aligned with a spatula. After the solution has completely dried, the sealant for masonry is applied with a brush or spray to the walls of the flower bed. Thanks to it, the risk of cracking the solution will be reduced.
Now you can fill the ground and plant flowers - the frame is ready! If you have children or animals that constantly run around the garden, this type of flower bed will be simply irreplaceable due to its strength. Appearance will be no less attractive than that of small flower beds.