Retaining walls hold back soil and help prevent erosion, but that’s not all they do. They also shape your outdoor space, adding character and structure while keeping everything else in place. With the right design, they turn simple barriers into eye-catching landscape features.
In a previous post, we discussed how a well-built retaining wall blends function with style. You can choose the timeless look of natural stone, or go for the durability of concrete. The look of a timber retaining wall gives a little more warmth to your front porch or backyard view, and modular blocks offer even more versatility.
Let’s briefly discuss materials, the benefits of retaining walls, and how to beautify them.
Choosing the Right Materials
The material matters in the way it looks, as well as how well it fits your needs. We’ve shared our favorite four materials for retaining walls and why:
- pressure-treated lumber
- concrete masonry units (CMU)
- interlocking concrete blocks
- poured concrete
However, other materials are good choices, as well. Natural stone is an excellent example, providing a timeless, elegant look. It blends well with the natural California environment and offers a lot of variety. Natural stone is a good choice if you go for traditional and rustic designs.
Gabion walls are another example. These are wire cages filled with stones or other materials. They give your outdoor space a modern, industrial feel while making sure any water drains well. They’re also highly durable, and you can have different types of stone for visual interest. It all depends on the visual display you want.
What are retaining walls good for?
Retaining walls play a serious role in drainage and erosion control. They prevent water buildup and soil displacement with weep holes or gravel backfills. They make a sloped hill more accessible and extend the functionality of hilly landscapes.
That’s all the serious function, but what about the more imaginative properties?
Customization Options for Retaining Walls
You’d be surprised what can be done with retaining walls. In more than a decade of landscaping experience, we’ve built a lot of retaining walls, and only your imagination is the limit.
We’ve incorporated built-in seating, allowing you to choose where you and your guests relax. We can do built-in benches, ledges, or multiple small seating areas for privacy. When these areas are planned out, you can even incorporate focal points like custom fire pits.
We’ve added planters as retaining walls or as part of a retaining wall. If you have more up than you do ground, adding small or large planters can turn your retaining walls into a beautiful wall garden.
You can add lighting features like LED strips and in-wall fixtures. Stamped concrete and stone veneers can elevate poured concrete to match your visual style. Personalize more with engravings, mosaic tiles, and decorative cutouts.
Incorporating Greenery: Gardening with Retaining Walls
Retaining walls transform landscapes by incorporating greenery in creative ways:
- Terraced Planters: Multi-tiered walls create natural planting beds, allowing for different layers of flowers, shrubs, or vegetables. This design adds visual depth and maximizes garden space.
- Built-in Planters: Integrated planter boxes provide greenery without requiring extra garden beds. These work well in small yards where ground space is limited.
- Vertical Gardens: Retaining walls can support climbing plants, vines, or modular vertical gardens, maximizing space in smaller yards. This is a great way to introduce lush greenery in compact urban settings.
- Herb or Edible Gardens: Compact walls are perfect for growing herbs, strawberries, or other edible plants, making efficient use of vertical space. Kitchen gardens can be seamlessly incorporated into the structure.
- Pollinator-Friendly Planting: Walls can host flowers that attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, supporting local ecosystems. Native plants work especially well for this purpose.
- Seasonal Displays: Changing plants seasonally keeps gardens fresh and visually appealing year-round. Seasonal flowers, foliage, or cascading plants can add movement and texture to the wall.
Conclusion
Retaining walls mix function with beauty, making them a valuable addition to any residential or commercial landscape. With the right materials (and of course, the right landscaper), you can turn your front or back yard into a beautiful retreat with long-lasting beauty, durability, and functionality.
If you have a sloped yard and you want more function, or you have old retaining walls and want more beauty, we can help. Well-designed retaining walls increase property value and add delight to your outdoor living space. We can help with both. Contact Tamate Landscaping today to discuss your landscaping needs.
