If you have a slope in your yard, this can cause problems with soil erosion and water pooling in areas where you don't want it. Fortunately, you can take care of this problem by adding a retaining wall to your landscaping. Below is information on building retaining walls, as well as how you can incorporate them into your landscaping.
Build a Retaining Wall
You should hire a professional to build your retaining wall because you need to have the necessary permits from your state or county in some cases. There may be regulations you have to follow in the way you build the wall, and a professional will ensure it is done right.
There are many materials that can be used for retaining walls. Concrete blocks are a good choice as they are heavy so they stay in place, and they can be interlocked, making them more secure. You can also use bricks, wood, and natural stones. All these materials will work well, and it comes down to aesthetics and how you want the retaining wall to look.
The contractor will decide the best height and width for the retaining wall, as well as where to place it. Once this is done, they dig a trench and then level the soil. A gravel base is placed in the trench and the contractor then constructs the wall. When finished, the contractor replaces the sod and topsoil in front of the wall.
Decorate the Retaining Wall
There are many things you can do to decorate your retaining wall so it looks like part of your landscaping. Plant flowering bushes in front of the wall, such as hydrangeas, roses, or camellia.
There are climbing plants that will cover the retaining wall. Choose climbing roses, the trumpet vine, garden clematis, or honeysuckle. Morning glory will quickly spread over a wall and provides you with beautiful blue flowers. Wisteria is another flowering vine that is fragrant with beautiful light purple flowers. These climbing plants do need a trellis or something else to climb up.
If you plant vines, you should not fertilize them. This is because climbing vines can often get out of control very easily and spread far beyond a retaining wall. It may take a couple of months for the vines to fully cover the wall but once they do the wall will look beautiful.
There are many more things you can do to a retaining wall, such as paint it or plant a flower garden in front of it and add a bench.
Contact a local landscaping service, such as Sculptured Earth, to learn more.
Share11 July 2022
When my husband and I bought our house years ago, we thought it would be our "starter" home and we would move in a few years. We soon had two children, and we then decided against moving since we live in a great school district and we love our neighbors. However, I was growing very tired of the appearance of our home. We painted it a different color, and it still seemed like the "same old house" that we were tired of. We finally deciding that maybe good landscaping would "do the trick" and make our home more enjoyable to use again. We were right, and I now love our home! I now love spending time in our yard and just enjoying the scenery. I have such a passion for landscaping now I decided to create a blog about it. I plan to share many landscaping tips, so come back!
