When it comes to enhancing the overall look and functionality of your garden spaces, garden walls can be an excellent addition. They help in creating defined spaces, improved drainage, decorative features, and the overall characteristics of the garden.
It is crucial to choose the right building materials for your garden walls to achieve maximum benefits in terms of aesthetics and functionality. This blog will explore different types of garden wall bricks and the values they can add to your garden.
Types of Bricks Used for Garden Wall Bricks
Clay Bricks
These are bricks that are made from natural clay, which are moulded and fired at high temperatures. These bricks provide a traditional, rustic look that adds a more natural look to the garden settings, with their earthy tones at an affordable price. Its thermal insulation properties keep your garden environment warm and stable. These bricks are highly durable, able to withstand all kinds of external forces, making the garden wall last for a long time.
Wire-Cut Clay Bricks
These clay bricks are more uniform and precise in shape, size, and sharp edges add a polished look to the garden walls. The wire-cut bricks offer a smooth and consistent finish throughout the surface of the wall. They are highly durable and can withstand harsh weather conditions, making them a reliable choice for garden walls.
Soft Mud Bricks
These bricks are handmade, so they have a more rustic and textured appearance. Using these bricks for garden walls can create a unique, natural and organic look that binds well with the garden spaces The cost of these bricks is typically less expensive, and consume less energy. If you are planning to build a garden wall with eco-friendly materials, at an affordable price, this could be a good choice.
Handmade Bricks
These bricks are made by hand, and they may not have uniform appearances, which gives a one-of-a-kind appearance to the garden wall. These bricks can be customized in terms of colour, shape, and texture, based on the design needs. Using these bricks for garden walls adds an authentic and vintage look.
Reclaimed Bricks
These bricks are retrieved from demolished buildings or structures, and reused for construction purposes, to reduce wastage. Using these bricks for garden walls can be an eco-friendly and sustainable option. The aged bricks add a sense of historic and rustic character to the garden spaces.
Concrete Bricks
Concrete bricks can be more affordable than clay bricks, which come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colours, and textures. These bricks are strong enough to withstand all kinds of external forces. The customisable option can give a sleek and modern look, based on the design and architectural needs.
Construction of Garden Wall Using Bricks
- Prepare the surface, where the garden wall needs to be built, by marking and and excavating the soil to at least 150 mm wide and 50 mm deep below the ground level.
- Pour the concrete mixture into the trench and uniformly spread it throughout the surface. The concrete is then tampered with using a vibrator to remove air gaps.
- Pour the mortar on the concrete footing to form a concrete bed and lay the brick over it. Lay all the bricks in the first course and check for level by using a rubber mallet and spirit level. Check whether the mortar exudes between the joints.
- Lay the cement mortar on the first course to fill the joints using the chisel, ensuring it is capable of holding the bricks above the previous layer for the perfect vertical joint.
- Make sure to smooth the mortar and maintain at least 10 mm joint gaps vertically. Repeat the process until the wall reaches the required height.
Design Possibilities of Garden Wall Bricks
Traditional Patterns

Garden walls can be constructed using traditional masonry patterns such as herringbone, basketweave, English, and running bond. They offer timeless, classic looks to the garden spaces.
Modern Layouts
Stack bond, slimline bricks, geometric shapes, and linear stacking can be preferred to create a contemporary, minimalistic, and more modernized look to the garden walls.
Mixing Brick Types
This is the combination of different masonry construction patterns to create a dynamic garden wall. Combining bricks of different colours, textures, or materials can add more vibrant and visually appealing aspects to the garden walls.
Incorporating Other Materials
Garden walls can be blended with other materials such as wood, metal, glass or other construction materials along with bricks, to create more dynamic and mixed-material designs for the garden wall surface.
Height Considerations
- Shorter walls of one to two feet tall are ideal for decorative borders and low garden enclosures. These walls are used to define spaces and creates a low level of interest.
- Medium walls that are two to four feet tall are specifically designed to define garden spaces. They provide some degree of privacy and can act as a decorative partition wall.
- Tall walls that are over four feet tall offer supreme privacy and soundproofing. These are suitable for creating retaining walls and require careful considerations for both structural integrity and visual balance.
Maintenance and Care
- Garden walls that are made of kiln-burnt clay bricks are highly durable, but they need occasional cleaning and maintenance. Whereas, concrete bricks that are properly cured require minimal maintenance.
- For garden walls of rustic designs, the chances of moss or lichen growth are high; therefore, they require regular cleaning and scrubbing.
- Garden walls made of traditional clay bricks can sometimes develop cracks or be subject to shifting. Thus, ensuring the foundation and planning for occasional repairs is mandatory.
Cost Analysis
The cost of construction of garden walls varies based on numerous factors such as the materials costs, labour costs, mortar and materials costs, and maintenance costs.
- The price of the bricks used for building garden walls varies based on types of bricks used. Reclaimed bricks or handmade bricks are generally more affordable compared to other brick types.
- The labour cost for the construction varies based on the location and complexity. In the case of constructing herringbone or curved walls, it requires skilled labour, which consumes more time and money.
- The cost of mortar, sealants, reinforcements, or incorporated drainage systems can increase the overall cost of the construction.
- Using highly durable bricks will take high initial costs but reduces the cost of maintenance in the long run.
Conclusion
In summary, garden wall bricks offer a balance between beauty and functionality that enhances the structure and overall design of the outdoor spaces. There are different types of brick options to choose for the construction of garden walls, each offering various benefits. The selection of bricks adds unique characteristics to the garden spaces, enhancing the beauty and charm of the outdoor environment.