26 Jun
Landscaping A Retaining Wall
Posted By Ervin in Gardening
Retaining wall is a unique structure in the lawn that allows to hold back the soil on the slopes of your garden. These walls offer steeper cuts to the slope of the yard and thereby creating more usable space in your lawn. These retaining walls can also be used to develop sports lawn or driveways too.
Retaining Wall Construction :
The main challenge in wall construction is to maintain the strength. The walls take more weight and pressure on their surfaces. Also, the water in the lawn creates pressure under the wall, causing damages to the wall. So proper drainage system is required to protect the wall from the hydraulic pressure. Based on the height of walls, we can divide the retaining walls into two types.
Walls Under Four Feet: A landscaper of your garden designs these according to the architect’s plan.
Walls Above Four Feet: These walls are designed and constructed by a professional engineer. The engineer specifies the amount of steel required according to the loading calculations of the wall.
The retaining walls can also be constructed using wood as a DIY project. Short timber walls can be used as retaining walls and also control the erosion of the soil in your lawn. Retaining wall blocks made of concrete are mostly used to achieve optimal strength for the walls. Dry stone walls were constructed in olden days and functional till today also. For most of the landscaping architects, veneer wall is the best choice. In veneer wall, the use of brick veneer allows the designer to make unique retaining walls. These different walls lend style to the outdoors of the house.
Retaining Walls Design:
To make the area around the wall more appealing, you can make decorations to the retaining wall. The decoration can be done by using the plants in the lawn. Adding plants to the wall will enhance the beauty of it.
Some Design Tips
- Place low plants on the top edge of the wall. Do not use medium or large plants, as the roots will damage the wall.
- Add plants like Ivy or Million Bells on the top of the wall. Allow them to grow on the wall and spill down the wall.
- Create plant beds on the top of the wall. Situate vegetation in these beds, use plants that have a different texture, color, and height.
- Plant tall ornamental plants at the base of the wall to create texture on the front of the wall.
- Attach some trellis to the walls and allow plants like a climbing rose to grow the wall upward. The plant covers some parts of the wall and makes the wall look beautiful.
Conclusion
No matter how beautiful you decorate the retaining wall, if the construction of the wall is imperfect, then there is no use in designing it. A professional knows the way of building a perfect retaining wall. All the elements needed for construction are to be merged correctly to get a sturdy retaining wall. For more information like landscaping retaining wall ideas and cost of landscaping blocks contact our Professionals at Green Gold Landscaping for expert Hardscaping and Lawn Care Services. We serve White Plains and all areas in Westchester County, NY. Call us Today at 914-882-5459 for a Free Estimate.