All in All, You’re Just in Need of a Retaining Wall

Mar 20, 2023 | Hardscaping

We live in an area that's never too far from water (traffic notwithstanding) but rarely receives precipitation. So it's no surprise that we've had to become creative with our landscaping solutions in Orange County, LA County, Inland Empire, and the surrounding areas. Among those solutions, due mainly to its most visible usage, one oft-misunderstood method is the walls we use to prevent erosion.

Why Build a Retaining Wall?

The walls we use to retain the earth on our properties can have multiple purposes, sometimes simultaneously. So even if you don't have a significant hill or cliff on your property, that doesn't mean you couldn't benefit from your landscape wall.

Hills

Like those previously mentioned highway walls, often the walls you add to your yard are used to keep hillsides in place. Dryland that's suddenly exposed to water tends to wash away. Gravity and other weather forces can also wear away your hills over time. Flower beds behind short retaining walls in front of home in Orange County, CA

Prevent Erosion

Of course, it's not just mountains or hills vulnerable to erosion. Even lower-altitude gardens can wash away. But you can build small landscape walls around your existing ones to keep them in place.

Add Gardens

Flat ground is the best for many homeowners because it's generally easier to walk on and utilize. But some variety of heights is also attractive to the eye when landscaping. While trees and shrubs are excellent ways to add vertical interest to your yard, you may also like adding a garden if your land is mostly flat. You can build your gardens up using only the best soil and then surround them with retaining walls to keep your flowers (or veggies in place.) These walls contain your gardens while also providing a frame of sorts.

Seating

Finally, one secondary use for your landscape walls is seating. Building seats into the edge of the wall allows you and your guests to be only inches from where you've worked to cultivate your beautiful flower beds.

How Will Your Retaining Wall Look?

Now we reach the promise of our introduction. Not all retaining walls need to be the dull grey concrete on the side of highways. Like a painting in an ornate frame, the containers holding your gardens can be as much of a feature as your flowers.

Custom Designs

There are such wide varieties of building materials that there is no reason we can't build a wall that will match your aesthetic tastes. Pavers come in hundreds of shapes and sizes, and we can put them together to match the dimension and designs of your choosing. Tiered retaining walls beside a residential driveway in Orange County, CA

Tiers

Tiers are a popular feature for landscape walls, especially those that homeowners add for their flowers rather than primarily for erosion prevention purposes. For a tiered retaining wall, picture a pyramid of gardens without a pointy top. At the base is your widest square or rectangular layer, and on top of each is a garden one step smaller than the one below it. Within a tiered garden, you can have multiple varieties of flowers and plants, designing each to flow into (or stand out from) the others. In this way, tiered gardens are an excellent showcase for your landscaping creativity.

Call M1 for Your Retaining Needs

Landscape walls are the perfect blend of form and function. They keep your gardens and landscaping in place while adding beauty to them. A fun addition to your yard when planned out correctly and installed by the pros, you can't go wrong!