With landscaping, change comes with the territory. Ames property maintenance is one part making changes and one part preventing them! And while some changes we can deal with, some are beneficial, and some par for the course, there are other changes that you, as a homeowner, should do everything you can to prevent! Losing your land due to erosion is one such change. Land loss can be dangerous on steep hillsides. But retaining walls are the hardscaping heroes you need to prevent your erosion from really going downhill. Of course, there are other reasons to use these walls too. And today, we’ll get into all of them. Highway Eyesore Though we’re sure grateful for their existence, few commuters look up at the grey concrete walls on the sides of the highway and think, “Gee, that’s pretty.” And that’s ok for somewhere we don’t live. We’re just happy not to be squashed by a boulder! But at home, we want a little more. And luckily, we can have it. We can construct retaining walls from a variety of material styles to fit the aesthetic you want for your home. Interestingly enough, there’s plenty of historical precedence for these more styled walls. Some Retaining Wall History You may or may not be surprised to learn that retaining walls have been around for thousands of years. Even more surprising? It appears that several cultures invented them independently of each other to solve their engineering problems. The earliest of these walls were in ancient Mesopotamia. They used sundried mud bricks to prevent flooding and control water flow. But ancient Egyptians weren’t far behind using these structures for their own purposes. Building Up Flower Beds One favorite use of landscape walls in modern landscaping is garden beds. Raised beds are a modification of these walls! But instead of using a wall to hold up an existing hillside, we build up walls and fill them with fresh dirt where we can then plant flowers. Raised beds allow homeowners to control everything that goes into their gardens. It also has the advantage of adding vertical interest to an otherwise flat landscape. Some popular designs include tiered gardens with something beautiful at each level, but even a short garden a foot off the ground, with soil held in by pavers, is technically supported by a landscape wall. Seating Another practical purpose, especially for tiered walls, is seating. The structure of a tiered wall naturally lends itself to multilevel seating. You can design the wall to be both a decoration and a set of chairs. Backdrop And speaking of decoration, an elevated flat surface, whether built to prevent a hill collapse, add seating, or create a garden, is an opportunity. Your wall can be the canvas for something new and beautiful for your yard. Using different materials, you can create a classic or modern look and even decorate the wall on your own once we build it. Then once you fill it with flowers, you can have plants draping down the side of your wall to create a striking picture. Erosion Prevention Naturally, one of the main ways people use landscape walls is still their primary purpose - retaining dirt. However, when you have a steep hill on your property, heavy rains can be a danger to it partially washing away. When your hill erodes, you’ll lose soil, and the plants within it will have a more challenging time surviving. That causes more soil loss creating a self-feeding erosion cycle. That’s disappointing as a gardener because no one wants to lose the plants they worked hard to raise. It’s also very messy and can get your driveway muddy. But worst of all, that erosion can be dangerous! In the extreme, erosion causes a landslide. Even if your property isn’t quite that steep, enough soil loss can create property damage from losing the hill itself to everything the soil lands upon. Let MasterGrass Build You a New Landscape Wall! If you have a steep hill on your property, want to add some new seating, or just want a new way to display flowers, MasterGrass is ready to build a new retaining wall for you. Don’t wait until erosion becomes a problem. Give us a call so we can class (and height) your landscape.