Retaining Walls: A Win-Win Addition to Your Yard
If you’re looking to add some flavor and depth to an uneven backyard, consider adding a retaining wall. Retaining walls can solve problems with bi-level yards and create visual complexity to boring ones. So, whether you are looking to stop erosion or establish levels to your landscaping, retaining walls can help you.
Retaining Walls as the Workhorse
If you’ve noticed soil and mulch flowing freely from the upper part of your yard to the lower part after a rain, then your yard is a great candidate for a professionally installed retaining wall. More than just a pile of stones, these walls are actually complex structures with an important job to do. The retaining wall on Galveston Island, for example, must keep the forces of the Gulf of Mexico at bay during a hurricane. A well-built retaining wall in your backyard will keep your grass and soil where it’s supposed to be during a storm while allowing water to run-off without taking your landscaping with it.
Retaining Walls Add Beauty
Whether your yard is rugged or hilly, small or large, retaining walls can add depth and beauty. In a small yard a multi-leveled retaining around the outside perimeter can increase your green space, allowing you to plant flowering greenery that spills over the tops of the wall. A small wall can act as a border to a raised deck adding several levels of flat space for flowers or shrubs. Living walls allow you to plant many small plants vertically between the stones or concrete ledges. It’s an excellent way to camouflage an otherwise blank space. If you have a patio or pool area in your yard, retaining walls can be used to divide spaces organically. In addition, a nicely built wall is a great way to add curb appeal to your front yard with a low stone wall dividing your property from your neighbors or a terraced planter surrounding your front steps.
Retaining walls have two main purposes. They keep your soil from eroding, and they add beauty to your yard. Having one built is truly a win-win.