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Hello. I was thinking about starting my backyard landscaping and I was
wondering if it is a good idea to put pavers as an edging along the splints of the fence. That corner near the fence is part of the lawn and is just impossible to mow.
If edging along the fence makes a difference, how do I go about doing it?
Thanks
Hi @NorIlyanaK,
Adding pavers along the edge of your fence is a great idea for reducing maintenance and keeping grass from growing right up against the fence line. This approach not only creates a clean, tidy border but also eliminates the challenge of mowing hard-to-reach areas. It’s an effective solution, especially for corners where lawn care equipment struggles to reach.
Before committing to installing pavers, consider whether your mower can handle close cuts. Many mowers are designed with at least one side that allows for cutting near walls or fences. For any grass that remains, a line trimmer can quickly tidy up the edges without much effort.
If you decide to proceed with pavers, the process is straightforward. Start by marking out the area with a string line to establish the line for the pavers. Then, dig out the soil along the edge to create a level surface for laying the pavers. Adding a layer of compacted gravel and sand will provide a stable base. Finally, position the pavers in place, ensuring they are flush with the ground, and secure them with a small amount of mortar to keep them in place.
This will give you a neat and functional edge that complements your landscaping and makes lawn care much easier.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
Hi @NorIlyanaK,
For securing the pavers with mortar, you would typically apply a thin layer of mortar (around 30mm) to the base (where the pavers will sit) after you've prepared your gravel and sand. It would be best to compact the base down with a hand tamper. Place each paver onto the mortar while it's still wet, and press down gently to ensure it bonds well. The mortar should only be applied under the paver, not between them. Once all the pavers are in place, leave them to set and cure for at least 24 hours before walking on them. There's no need to hose them down – the mortar will naturally harden on its own.
For 50 pavers (200mm x 200mm), you’ll need to cover an area of approximately 2 square metres. If you’re applying a 20mm thick mortar bed, that means you need 0.04 cubic metres of mortar (2m² x 0.02m thickness).
Each 20kg bag of mortar typically covers about 0.005 cubic metres. So, for 0.04 cubic metres, you'll need approximately eight bags of mortar.
For a gravel base of about 50mm thick, you’ll need around 0.1 cubic metres of gravel. Since each 20kg bag of gravel covers about 0.015m³, you’ll need about seven bags of gravel. For the sand base, you’ll want about 30mm of sand (0.03m), which amounts to around 0.06 cubic metres for the same area. Each 20kg bag of sand covers roughly 0.015m³, so you’ll need about four bags of sand.
Hope that helps.
Mitchell
Afternoon @NorIlyanaK
Pavers next to the fenceline will help with weeds and grass growing through for sure. But before you go to the effort of putting in such a path maybe sit down and have a think of what you want to do in your yard?
Clotheslines
Fruit trees
Shading trees
Pagola
Shed
Outside room
Greenhouse
BBQ area
Trampoline area
Crocket Area
Sandpit/dirtpit
All these are what I class as "Hard items" Things that you may want but not easily moved.
Once you have had a think of what you future plans could be, thats when I think of a path and where to.
Next to the fence I generally think of trees or vine trellis. It keeps the majority of the yard free. So maybe to help that dead area that is a pain to mow think of what other purposes it could be used for?
Sketch it up 
No matter how bad you are, a rectangle for a yard and then circles and rectangles for everything else really help deliminate what works.
Once last thought, We as in humans and doggos will take the shortest path to wherever, So if you have a path down the side of your fence will it be used?
Re-reading your question - Maybe you mean just a row of pavers next to the fence so you can run your mower along without an edge. That would work but still you will need some kind of edger to tidy every few months
Dave
I've had some ideas and have started sketching to explore ideas.
You can see that what I've planned is to border along the 4 sides and that's where I'm planning to do the pavers.
My aim is to give the whole yard some sort of a frame but more so for easy maintenance of the lawn at near the left side of the fence wheres no edging and grass may grow into my neighbour's yard.
It also helps to maintain grass from growing into the pathway close to the house, it has and it is hard to maintain that at the moment.
Morning @NorIlyanaK
Nice sketching Looks like you have a plan and it makes sense with the edging for sure.
Dave
