Using Sleepers in Your Garden Design

If you haven’t been made aware of the beauty and versatility of sleepers in your garden then you’ve come to the right place today. Here at Brian’s Garden and Fencing Services we love sleepers, and we know many of our clients do too. If you’ve been given some and you’re a little unsure as to how to use them, or you’re thinking of buying some to enhance your garden design, we’re hoping our post today will help. 

Versatile & Varied

Railway sleepers are so versatile and come in a variety of different sizes as well as coming in different woods (in both soft and hardwoods). They can come new and vintage (reclaimed). Once they supported railway lines, and now their worn and used appearance give a real wabi sabi and rustic feel to any garden. Newer ones can give a contemporary and minimal look to a garden too. Landscape projects have seen a resurgence in their popularity as people begin to fully appreciate their versatility. They are used most often as edging for lawns and as planters, but they can also be used as walls and steps. 

Planters/flower beds

If you use them as planters, make sure you make room for them by clearing the area, removing unwanted vegetation and digging a trench that’s shallow and level. Then put some concrete in the area and place the sleepers down before the concrete has completely dried. If the sleepers are going upwards then you’ll need to make sure they overlap. You can plane off sharp corners once it's as high as you want it to be.

Now once you’ve finished and it's dry, fill the top with soil and start to plant your favourites! You can have vegetables too if you want, especially good in a raised bed, or flowers if you prefer.

Edging

Edging to a garden can be utilised using the same methods as for the planters if you're thinking of stacking them. You can have vertical edging which is great, but you’d need to dig a wide trench to accommodate them. You’ll need some mortar for the base so they don’t move, and you can have them stepped if you like that type of design or just have them smooth and flat.

Themes, terraces and steps

You can build your sleepers around a theme, if you garden has one, and they also make great terraces, you can also lay them on their side as steps for a lawn or patio and you can also create steps independently and infill them with all sorts of different materials, such as slabs or stone chippings for something different. They can also be used to create a raised area, a platform in your garden that can act as a separate patio type area with seating or a gazebo or as a separate play area for children. 

Brian’s Garden & Fencing Services.

If you have any questions about what we’ve talked about, why not contact us and if you fancy having us help you with your sleeper installations, we’re more than happy to discuss.