This popular garden material can be used in a multitude of ways, from edging a vegetable patch to creating a rustic bench. See how these homeowners have incorporated railway sleepers into their gardens and borrow an idea or two for your own space.
Aralia: Innovation in Landscape Design
Mark out a path
Thin slivers of railway sleepers set into crunchy gravel provide a practical and charming walkway in this country-style garden. They’re a nice angular alternative to traditional round stepping stones.
Ask a pro to help install a path like this if you’re not a confident DIY-er, as the sleepers will need to be firmly set into the ground to ensure they don’t shift when walked on.
Create a smart city garden
Sleepers are often used to conjure up a rustic feel in a garden, but they can also be employed to create a sleek look, as this courtyard garden proves.
Neat rows of sleepers sanded smooth and stained create raised beds around the perimeter of this paved yard. Symmetry and simplicity are key to this look, and once installed the raised height of the borders will ensure they are relatively easy to maintain.
Earth Designs Garden and Build London and Essex
Build a bench
One for the keen DIY-ers out there, a sleeper bench can make a great rustic addition to a garden. The designer of this garden space has used very chunky sleepers with a weathered finish, which adds an interesting shot of texture to this small, but colourful garden.
There are plenty of online tutorials about building a bench from sleepers if you need guidance.
How to design the cosiest outdoor space
Step to it
Weathered sleepers have been used to create wide steps in this back garden, bridging two distinct levels. Chunky wooden steps like these will age gracefully over time and are perfect for an informal cottage-garden style when teamed with loosely-planted borders that are allowed to spill out gently onto the path.
Wooden steps can become slippery in wet weather, so ask your garden designer to add extra grip to the surface if you are concerned about the slip risk. With all projects, if your sleepers are untreated it’s wise to get advice from your local timber merchant about which wood preserver you should use. The one you need will depend on if your sleepers are made from hardwood or softwood.
Joanne Winn Garden Design
Stake out a veg patch
Railway sleepers set directly into the ground are a classic boundary material for a vegetable plot, and are a quick and effective way to keep plants neatly contained.
To create a similar look, mark out individual beds and measure carefully to ensure you can comfortably access the centre of the bed from each side as well as leaving enough space to walk between them.
Alexandra Froggatt Design
Add a neat lawn border
Single sleepers set low into the ground act as a clear and formal border between the lawn and the gravel path in this traditional garden. Demonstrating how sleepers can be used in a formal setting, the key to recreating this look is to choose a wood that tones in with the overall colour scheme of the garden. Here, the pale-coloured sleepers blend in harmoniously with the sandy-coloured gravel.
Zone your space
The owners of this garden have employed sleepers all the way around the edges of the lawned parts of their outdoor space, as well as using them to neatly zone different areas by cutting into the length of the garden.
By breaking up the long, narrow space into three clear areas they have marked out a dining space, a lawn and a children’s play area at the very end, creating a series of ‘rooms’.
View more photos of this garden project
Make a two-level planter
The designers of this wide, sloping garden also employed sleepers to break up the space. They used the sleepers not only to create several raised beds, but also steps. Here, they have cleverly carved out space for a second, lower-level raised bed. This lower bed could also have been turned into a bench, rather than an extra planting area, if more seating was required.
Banyon Tree Design Studio
Use as a filler
Sleepers are also handy for filling in an awkward-shaped corner of a garden, as shown here, by creating a bespoke raised bed.
To create something similar, make use of an existing wall for the back wall and build your bed up to a height that’s comfortable for gardening. Then you just need to fill it with good-quality compost and get gardening. Walls this high can also be used as a handy seating perch if the top sleeper is wide enough. It might be worth factoring this in at design stage if extra seating is a requirement of the space.
Which of these designs do you like the best? Share your thoughts with us in the Comments section.
FAQs
Best tampered down on a bed of sand, lay your sleeper path sections so they are almost fully submerged. They will naturally sink a little over time to be perfectly level with your lawn, or you can choose to fill between the sections with decorative stone and gravel for a more landscaped look.
What can I do with railway sleepers in my garden? ›
Here are a few ideas for using sleepers in your garden:
- Timber sleeper stairs and raised bed feature.
- Raised flower bed.
- Vegetable patch.
- Border edging.
- Pathways or stepping areas.
- Decorative areas.
- Pond borders.
- Retaining walls.
Yes you can. If you're only creating a structure that's one or two sleepers in height you don't necessarily need foundations, which means you can lay your railway sleepers onto the soil. Though you'll want to make sure you use some kind of waterproof membrane so that sleepers don't soak up water from the soil.
How to use railway sleepers as garden edging? ›
Laying the Sleepers Starting with the First Sleeper
- Dig a Shallow Trench: The first step in laying sleepers is to dig a level trench. ...
- Lay the First Sleeper: Place the first sleeper in the trench. ...
- Securing the Sleeper: If you're laying one or two sleepers for garden edging, you might not need extra support.
If you want your garden sleepers to remain steady and secure you want to place them on a solid surface such as concrete, gravel or hardcore, but you can use sand as a base as well. Concrete involves more work, so a popular choice is to use compacted gravel or hardcore.
Will railway sleepers rot in the ground? ›
The rate and extent of rotting depend on the type of wood and whether the sleepers are treated. Treated sleepers, like those impregnated with creosote, are more resistant to rot and pests and will last longer in the ground compared to untreated wood.
What is the best type of sleeper for a garden? ›
Hardwood sleepers are much more resistant to softwood sleepers, this is because oak is generally high resistant to any decay and without being treated it can last you up to 30 – 40 years.
Are railway sleepers safe for vegetable gardens? ›
Some people prefer a rustic, vintage look and so always look for reclaimed sleepers whilst others look for new railway sleepers as they are safe to use when creating vegetable gardens due to the fact that they have not been treated with creosote.
How long do garden railway sleepers last? ›
As a rule, hardwood oak sleepers tend to last the longest naturally with an expected lifespan of around 100 years. An untreated softwood will last for between three and five years if it sits on the ground, whilst treated softwoods can last between 20 and 30 years if they are maintained correctly.
How to join garden sleepers? ›
There are also many ways to join sleepers depending on your material and project. We recommend hex drive timber screws for softwood, however, if you use hardwood sleepers you will need to use stainless steel wood screws as the natural tannins can corrode ferrous metals.
Haunch at the back end of the sleeper and if possible, the front end too. This will help fix sleepers to the ground so they remain stable. If using sleepers for a low border or planter it may well be enough to fix a wooden post or spike behind the sleepers and fix this into the ground.
How to level a garden with sleepers? ›
Lay each row of sleepers one at a time, using your spirit level after each section. If your retaining wall looks to be going over the meter mark, you'll need to create a second tier; the pressure of the soil behind poses too much of a risk for a wall any taller.
How to make sleepers look better? ›
If you're going for the natural look, sleepers can be left as or treated, but if you want to add a splash of colour, you could also paint your sleepers using chalk paint. As well as being the ideal spot for your favourite plants and flowers, a raised bed makes for the perfect 'grow your own' fruit and veggie patch.
What do you cut railway sleepers with? ›
Railway sleepers are typically made of hardwood, and it is recommended that you use a circular saw or a chainsaw, aswell as wearing appropriate safety equipment such as work gloves and dust masks.
What do you line sleepers with? ›
Although raised beds are usually constructed on free-draining soil, we recommend lining the bottom of your bed with a generous drainage layer of hardcore, stones or coarse gravel.
How do I keep my sleepers looking new? ›
Oils. Protect new and old wooden railway sleepers from mould and rot with decking oils. These allow the sleepers to naturally age to a beautiful colour, whilst keeping them protected from the elements.
How do you make sleepers look rustic? ›
To add an antique look to new sleepers, apply a coat of wood dye then sand back the surface to add a weathered effect. Available in a broad spectrum of colours, wood stain offers great weather protection while enhancing the natural textures of your timber.
How do you freshen garden sleepers? ›
Repair any holes, gaps or uneven surfaces with a suitable exterior wood filler and treat all sound, good wood with an exterior wood preservative. To preserve the sleepers further, we would recommend treating them with an exterior wood oil or decking oil, ideally twice a year in Spring and Autumn.
Can you paint sleepers in garden? ›
Yes, you can stain or paint your railway sleepers to match your desired aesthetic. However, keep in mind that paint may require more maintenance over time due to peeling and chipping, while stains or natural finishes can enhance the woods appearance and may require less maintenance.
