Brick is one of the quickest and easiest materials to use for covering the edge of a pond. It can be stacked along the edges by hand and with no other mortar to hold it together. For a more adhesive and ordered look that will also handle foot traffic well without showing wear, mortar is a must. Apply a thin layer of mortar over the liner at the edge of the pond and then apply bricks with layers of more mortar sandwiched between them. You can also leave the liner and soil free from a base layer of mortar and only apply it the sides between bricks as you lay them. Either way, you’ll get a stable and protective edge for your pond that is easy to keep clean of weeds and leaves in the fall.
Mortared bricks are less likely to grow weeds between them than loose stacked brick edging. If you don’t want to put down a base layer of mortar to create a barrier for seeds that sprout, consider a weed barrier over the liner and under the dry stacked brick. This will keep plant roots from reaching the soil and feeding the plant, making any weeds that sprout short-lived and easy to remove by hand.
