Landscape Retaining Walls

Landscape retaining walls are used on sloped properties for a few different reasons.

You might want to create a level area and the land needs to be retained with a wall. A level area might be needed as a play area for children. You might want a patio or pool or other outdoor usable spaces.

You can terrace a slope with retaining walls. In this way, garden areas can be designed on the flat areas.

A property may be too steep to mow. A nice retaining wall can create a grade that is easier to mow and provide an area that is easier for access.

Other Pages of Interest:

Stone Walls

Landscape Steps

Retaining Wall Drainage

Large boulders are set into a wonderful stone wall. The stones have variation in color, which provides even more excitement. This wall is dry laid for a natural look. Plants and flowers serve to soften the stone wall. Differing plant heights are used also, but the wall is still able to be clearly seen.


There are a few guidelines that I try to follow.

Slopes
Slopes should be kept to a maximum of 3:1 (33%). What does this mean?

This will help you determine if walls are needed and how many. You can do, for example, one taller wall, or you can incorporate a few lower walls.

Wall Heights
I try to design the landscape retaining walls no more than 4 feet high.Walls over 4 feet high start to look more massive. Walls 18" to 42" work well in the landscape. If you make your wall 18" to 24", you can use it as a seat wall. You can read more about the heights of retaining walls.

Planted Wall Areas
Be sure to leave an adequate amount of room next to walls if you are planting at the bottom (or top) of the wall. The absolute minimum depth I use is 18". This would be for terraced areas or planting beds along a patio wall.

Safety
Always keep safety in mind when incorporating landscape retaining walls, and the fact that a child, or even an adult, can fall over the wall. To eliminate the need for fencing at the top of a taller wall, create a planting bed at a minimum of 3 to 4 feet wide. Use plants in the bed that are evergreen and fairly tall and wide, such as Blue Holly, Rhododendron, Boxwood, Cherry Laurel, or the larger varieties of Japanese Holly.

Retaining Wall Materials

There are many different materials that landscape retaining walls can be made out of.

• Decorative Concrete Block - There are many patterns, colors, and sizes to choose from. Like pavers, this block is made from concrete. This is one of the less expensive choices for landscape retaining walls. Various companies make this material, such as Versa-Lok, Eagle Bay, Belgard, Anchor, Cambridge and so on. The color of the block can be uniform or can have a few colors blended together. I have found that companies often produce wall stone colors that go well with their paver colors.

  For example, Belgard Dublin paver in Ardennes Gray is one that is a medium gray with tan running through it. Belgard offers a wall stone called Celtik in Oxford Gray. The two blend together very nicely.

  The Celtik wall stone comes in either a mixture of stones that are three inches high and various lengths, or six inches high and various lengths. You can choose either one. However, if you were to use both, you would end up with a very interesting mosaic type look.

• Brick - Brick is mortared at the joints, and therefore a more expensive wall material. Normally the wall is built from concrete block and then the brick is mortared to the wall. It looks well with bluestone and it is a natural material made from clay. You might consider a bluestone cap on the wall, particularly if it is to be a seat wall.
• Dry Laid Stone - This is my favorite! There are many types of natural stone. Fieldstone is always a nice choice. It basically comes in three sizes and the choice would be determined by the height of the landscape retaining walls. Smaller walls look better with the smaller stones, while the taller walls look great with the larger ones. Tip: Place boulders at the ends of the wall and/or mix them in with the rest of the wall stone. Please read more about stone garden walls.
• Mortared Stone - Makes a nice landscape element, but one of the most expensive types. Natural stone is used. The stone might be naturally formed stones or various sizes or face stone. Face stone is thinner and is mortared to a concrete wall.
• Concrete - Another alternative. I feel it is inferior to the other possible choices, due to the possibilities of cracking.

For a finished look, a bluestone cap (top of the wall) can be used with any of these materials. It should have between a 1/2" and 1" overhang on all sides. If there are to be plants at the top of the wall, you may choose some plants that will hang over the wall, such as Ivy or some types of Junipers. In this case, you can eliminate the wall cap.

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