Improving Your Landscaping

Posted on: 26 April 2016

One of the toughest parts of being a homeowner is maintaining the property over the years. Some features require you to be extra active with maintenance, such as carpets which need routine cleaning and plants that are not native to your climate. If you want to make improvements that reduce the maintenance that your home requires, you should invest in an outdoor addition such as a retaining wall.

Create Easily Usable Space for Landscaping

Trying to create a lush landscape on uneven land is not an easy task to accomplish. Instead of trying to make it work, you can just put in a retaining wall that gives you level land to work with for planting.

Separate Lawn from Plant Growth

Another part of landscaping that can get complicated is incorporating plant growth with your lawn. It is easier to keep both elements separate, which you can accomplish with a retaining wall. If you expect the wall to retain a lot of water, you can grow plants with high flood tolerance such as Leatherwood, Winterberry, Carolina Rose, Lady Ferns, or Wild Climbing Hydrangea.

Add with Multi-Purpose in Mind

A retaining wall, like those from Quality Lawn & Landscape, does not just have to be about creating an easy-to-maintain landscape. It can provide multiple purposes, such as acting as a backyard bench, which negates the need to add a separate bench. Depending on the kind of landscape you want to create, you can also use it as a primary visual feature. Instead of a basic stone wall, you can opt for something more decorative to increase backyard appeal.

An important decision that you need to make is choosing the material for your retaining wall. While all materials have their own pros and cons, wood is an excellent choice. The installation is not complicated, so you can expect it to be more affordable than poured concrete, which must be perfectly executed.

The best wood for this situation is Douglas fir, mainly for its ability to resist rot, which is the number one problem that you will run into when creating a wooden retaining wall. Although you only have a single best option, you can still find plenty of different shades to make sure your needs are satisfied.

Putting a retaining wall in your backyard is not a simple project, but it is one that can make your backyard look more attractive while also reducing the maintenance that your property and landscape needs.