Retaining Wall Renovations

Retaining walls are usually designed with only one thing in mind, and that is to help prevent erosion in your garden and lawn. However, by solving one problem another is usually created. That one problem is that the vast majority of retaining walls are particularly ugly looking. Use a few of these retaining wall renovations to help you create a sight that is truly magnificent. By following these simple guidelines, and you will soon be able to have a retaining wall that enhances your garden and landscape design, rather than one that detracts from it. Here's how.

• Materials. As with almost all projects, one of the main elements that you should consider is the materials that you make the retaining wall from. Choose a material that will help you to enhance the beauty of your garden, rather than one that detracts from it. For example, if you are planning on having a formal garden, then use materials that will help you obtain that feeling, marble and granite are usually good choices.
• Layout. Think about how you are laying out your retaining wall. While the lay of the land often has a major say in where the retaining wall goes, and how it is laid out, it should not be the only consideration. This means that you should try to have as small of a retaining wall as you possibly can. For example, instead of having your retaining wall at the highest part of a hill, instead have it a little lower down near the base of the hill. This will help you to ensure that your wall doesn't become too dominant of a feature in your landscape design.
• Accessories. Try to incorporate other features into your retaining wall. Instead of allowing your wall to be only a bare wall, instead add a few items that will spruce it up. For example, see if you can place a garden seat or two into the wall, a fire pit, barbecue, or even some lighting to help make the wall truly unique.
• Gardens. For some reason, many people forget that a retaining wall can often offer a unique gardening experience in and of itself. Plant certain plants along the top of the wall, or near the base, and you can quickly have a vertical garden to accentuate the rest of your garden. An example of this would be to plant some vines along the top of the wall, and allow them to grow downwards.