Brick Path Extention

The brick and gravel garden path just about exhausted my supply of materials. Wanting to branch off the path to a specific destination left me in a bit of a quandary. I had already mixed two materials and felt that I needed some level of consistency before breaking into the flagstone path that I envisioned for my personal space.

Scavenging every available brick from my little brick wall and flowerbed borders and any place else that they might be hiding, I managed to round up enough to make a smooth transition.Abandoning the use of gravel for a short space, and using only the brick, continues the original look to a logical point of departure. From the closing of the gate, the path will continue with flagstone.

To construct the path extension, first, I laid the bricks in a pattern that suited me. The outside, border pattern is called a "soldier course" and the staggered interior pattern is called a "running bond". I have no clue why I know that. Then I marked the outline by cutting into the soil with a shovel, removed the bricks and dug the dirt away to make a level bed the proper depth. After replacing the bricks directly on the soil, I mixed brick mortar and filled the major gaps to help hold them in place. The bricks along the outer edges were secured with a mortar filled trench. I realize that without setting the bricks in a complete bed of mortar, they are likely to settle, become a bit uneven and encourage an occasional weed to to take root in the gaps. Great. That's exactly the rustic, aged look I want and if the flaws become too severe, it's a small task to reset a single brick or two.
To access the "how-to" post about building the brick and gravel path, click HERE.