Railway sleepers are used in gardens across the UK for a variety of different horticultural purposes. From creating rustic pathways to long-lasting raised flower beds, these heavy slabs can add a bold and striking feature to any landscape.

 But what are railway sleepers?

 Traditionally made from timber, sleepers are the rectangular beams used to support the rails on railroad tracks. Laid horizontally, perpendicular to the rails, they ensure the tracks are spaced to the correct gauge and remain upright. To this day, millions of sleepers are used across the country, forming the backbone of our railway system.

However, quite aside from their purely functional use in the railway industry, sleepers have also now become a staple of UK gardens. In this post, we will run through some of the most common queries and provide our top tips for making the most out of laying sleepers in your garden.

How to lay garden sleepers without concrete

 Although the use of concrete is the most recommended method when the question of how to secure garden sleepers is raised, there are several other options. For one, you can simply place your sleepers directly onto soil, allowing the heavy sleepers time to bed in. However, it’s worth noting that this method could lead to water pooling around the sides of your sleepers, potentially causing the timber to rot more quickly. 

 The use of gravel or sand to secure sleepers is a popular alternative to concrete. Whether you’re using sleepers to form new edging around your landscape or are building a raised planting bed, gravel and sand foundations are certainly worth considering. These materials are great for draining excess water, meaning moisture is less likely to pool around your sleepers, helping to preserve the timber. When making use of sand or gravel, it’s also much easier to manoeuvre and make your sleepers level during the laying process.

Once you've chosen the material for your garden project, laying and securing the timbers is a straightforward process. Start by digging a shallow trench and positioning your sleepers on a foundation of gravel or sand.

If you're constructing raised planting beds, ponds, or retaining walls, it may be necessary to fasten the overlapping corners with screws to create a rigid frame. Additionally, steel corner brackets can provide extra stability. For structures taller than three or four sleepers, secure each heavy layer to the base sleeper using deep sleeper screws. You may also want to install steel retaining posts to ensure the overall structure remains strong and stable.

 How long do garden sleepers last?

 While it depends largely on what type of timber your sleepers are made from, as well as how they are treated, wooden sleepers should generally be considered a long-lasting addition to your garden.

As a rule of thumb, traditional hardwood sleepers will tend to last the longest, with reclaimed oak railway examples having an expected lifespan of around 100 years. At the other end of the spectrum, an untreated softwood sleeper will tend to only last between two to five years. The most common sleepers used for landscape gardening nowadays tend to be made from specially treated softwood and will survive between 15 and 30 years, if correctly maintained. 

If you're looking for the wood effect but worried about lifespan you might want to consider Wood Effect Concrete Railway Sleepers which are available in a range of sizes from Armstrong Cheshire.  

 How to treat garden sleepers

 Once again, this depends on what type of sleepers you select. Traditional sleepers reclaimed from the railway are usually made from sturdy oak and more often than not have been treated with creosote or tar. While this makes them very durable and likely to last for decades in any garden without additional treatment, it is worth remembering that creosote can be harmful to skin and should not be used in any areas where human contact is common. 

 Purpose-made new garden sleepers are often made from softwood and can be bought from suppliers in both untreated and pre-preserved states. Depending on the quality of the treatment, pre-preserved sleepers should last a few decades, though this lifespan can be extended by simply applying a wood preserver and an exterior wood oil before laying. 

A garden landscape project needs more than lots of sleepers, it needs great garden design and the right balance of soft and hard landscaping. Armstrong Cheshire are stockists of a wide range of Concrete Paving including Circular Patio Kits and on trend materials including Porcelain.