Not many people realize how much retaining walls can be used, to beautify your garden. The construction of a retaining wall, behind which is a lawn, or an expanse of flowers, is not a difficult task, but, like all garden problems, it requires a certain amount of effort and care.Most gardeners are put off retaining walls because it seems to be a difficult task. We show you a quick guide to building your own retaining walls.

The first thing to remember is that the retaining wall must be strong enough, to hold back the pressure of a great weight of soil and yet still porous enough, to allow for proper drainage. The base of any retaining wall, should be sunk below the frost line. This is usually a depth of about 6 inches.

The most popular types of walls, are built of stone. This can be either dressed stone, or rubble. When using stone, for a retaining wall, there are two basic types of construction. The first is a dry-wall, which uses earth as a filler, between the stones. The second, is a mortar wall, which uses cement as a bonding agent, between the stones.

A flat wall is one without buttresses, or projections. The width of the base, for a flat wall, should equal roughly a quarter of the height of the wall. The wall can taper, to a width of about a quarter of the base. When building buttressed walls, the base should be about a quarter, of the height of the wall. This refers to the widest points, where buttressing is to be used. In the narrower areas, the base may less.

At intervals of about 24 inches and at about 6 inches from the lower ground level, of the retaining wall, drainage pipes should be imbedded in the wall. In some walls, if the wall itself is porous enough, it is possible to eliminate these drains. But, in any construction, using mortar as a bonding agent, these drainage pipes are essential. In dry wall construction, it is possible, though not advisable, to start at ground level and to not sink the wall below the frost line. If these drainage points are not provided, water is held back by the wall and can cause the wall to crack, seep and even to collapse.

The most inexpensive way, of constructing a dry wall, is to choose local stone. Pick large ones for the main stones and smaller ones for the chinks. The largest stones, should form the base, of the wall, with the smaller ones, leading up to the top. The side of the wall, which faces out, should be as level as possible, with obstructions and edges, of outside stones and facing inward.

This not only gives the wall a better purchase, on the soil it retains, but also ensures a good appearance. Stones with round surfaces, should be discarded, since they are difficult to work with, don’t bond well and do not form a good looking wall. Stones should be placed, to form a good bond. This simply means that edges of the stones, on one course, should overlap spaces, in the lower courses. Look at a brick wall and you will see this interlocking feature, more clearly.

Where a stone, on an upper course, is crooked, or does not fit firmly, then either soil, or small stones can be packed in, to improve the bond. No vertical crevices should be left. The wall itself, should slope backwards, against the soil it is retaining. This gives it greater strength, rather like a dam wall. The width of the base of the wall, should be, as a rule of thumb, approximately one-third, of the height of the wall.

It is the normal practice, in many areas, to slope the wall, by as much as 5, or 6 inches, for each vertical foot, although this degree of slope, is not essential. Soil should be firmly packed, in all pockets in the wall and should be continued back, into the earth being retained.

Using this rule of thumb guide, to construct your walls, will ensure that they are strong enough, for the task at hand and should also end up aesthetically pleasing. So, now that you know what to do and how to do it, get cracking and build that retaining wall, to enhance your yard.

If you are going to be doing any landscaping, you simply have to read this book. Master The Art Of Landscaping and save a ton of money. It is full of useful information. To find out more, go here  http://dersalsites.com/lscap/

Sally Robson is an up and coming, South African internet marketer, with a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet. She and her husband Derek, have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. She also has a passion for gardening.

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For more articles and advice on gardening topics, visit Sally’s website at http://www.dersalsites.com/gardening/  and her blog at http://dersalsites.com/sallysgardeningtips

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