Masonry landscaping modules and methods of landscaping

A paved masonry structure comprising:

• a support base;
• a plurality of masonry modules positioned on said support base, said masonry modules being equally spaced from each other by a plurality of paving joints of uniform configuration;
• wherein each of said masonry modules includes an upper portion having a plurality of masonry elements spaced from each other by a plurality of mortar joints of uniform width, said masonry elements being arranged in a predetermined pattern, said masonry elements defining a first portion of an outer side configuration for said modules which comprises a pair of elongate, vertically-oriented planar side walls which are parallel to each other;
• a concrete lower portion having an upper surface, said masonry elements being bonded to said upper surface;
• said concrete lower portion having a bottom surface spaced from said upper surface, said bottom surface being smaller than said upper surface;
• a pair of parallel end surfaces extending from said upper surface to said lower surface;
• a pair of side surfaces, wherein each of said side surfaces extend from a bottom edge of each of said side walls downwardly and inwardly from said upper surface to said smaller bottom surface to define a pair of angled side surfaces which comprise a second portion of said of said outer side configuration, said angled side surfaces further extending between said end surfaces to form, together with said upper and lower surfaces, a solid substantially trapezoidally shaped lower portion;
• and a plurality of reinforcing means embedded in said lower portion, said reinforcing means extending completely through said lower portion;
• and
• wherein said paving joints include a substantially rectangular upper section adjacent to said upper section of adjacent masonry modules of said plurality of modules, and a contiguous, substantially trapezoidal lower section adjacent to said angled side surfaces of said adjacent masonry modules, said upper and lower sections together defining a paving joint having an inverted Y shape.

A method of landscaping a ground area using masonry landscaping modules comprising the steps of:

• making a stable ground area to be landscaped;
• forming a smooth and flat sand base in said stable ground area;
• placing a first masonry landscaping module on said sand base, wherein said first masonry landscaping module includes an upper portion having a plurality of masonry elements spaced from each other by a plurality of mortar joints of uniform width, said masonry elements being arranged in a predetermined pattern, said masonry elements defining a first portion of an outer side configuration for said modules which comprises a pair of elongate, vertically-oriented planar side walls which are parallel to each other;
• a concrete lower portion having an upper surface, said masonry elements being bonded to said upper surface;
• said concrete lower portion having a bottom surface spaced from said upper surface, said bottom surface being smaller than said upper surface;
• a pair of parallel end surfaces extending from said upper surface to said lower surface, and a pair of side surfaces, wherein each of said side surfaces extend from a bottom edge of each of said side walls downwardly and inwardly from said upper surface to said smaller bottom surface to define a pair of angled side surfaces which comprise a second portion of said outer side configuration, said angled side surfaces extending between said end surfaces to form, together with said upper and lower surfaces, a solid, substantially trapezoidally shaped lower portion;
• and a plurality of reinforcing means embedded in said lower portion, said reinforcing means extending completely through said lower portion;
• and
• levelling said first masonry module on said sand base.