8 Stunning Retaining Wall Ideas to Enhance Your Outdoor Space

Retaining walls are extremely useful for helping to manage a sloping landscape. This outdoor feature isn’t just practical, though. There are many creative ways to use it to add character and beauty to your property. Some retaining wall landscaping ideas are even meant to be the yard's focal point. So, you can add these walls to your outdoor space even if they aren’t strictly necessary.

We'll share eight of our favorite retaining wall ideas to illustrate some of the possibilities. We hope they will inspire you when making a bold change to your outdoor space!

What Is a Retaining Wall?

The job of a retaining wall is to hold back soil, rocks, or other materials. If your property has slopes, embankments, or areas with significant elevation changes, you may need a retaining wall to help stabilize your land. Retaining walls are useful for stopping erosion and strengthening slopes.

You can also use retaining walls to sculpt and shape your landscape. Even if you don’t need them to provide extra support, they can be a visual design element on your property. Some of the best retaining wall ideas are purely decorative.

What Are Retaining Walls Made of?

When and if you decide to build retaining walls on your property, part of the design process will include determining the right material. You’ll need to make a decision based on the purpose of the wall and your style preference.

Concrete blocks are often used for retaining walls. Concrete is strong and durable. It can also be molded to mimic stone or brick. Beyond concrete, here are a few other popular material ideas for your retaining wall:

• Natural stone, such as limestone or local fieldstone
• Brick
• Modular concrete blocks
• Pressure-treated timber beams or planks
• Large stacked boulders
• Gabions (wire cages or baskets filled with rocks)
• Stacked soil reinforced with mesh or anchors

Top Retaining Wall Ideas

There are many ways to use retaining walls on your property, but eight of our favorite retaining wall landscaping ideas are:

1. Build Terraced Garden Beds

Transform your yard by using retaining walls to add terraces to your property. Fill each terrace with flowers, herbs, vegetable gardens, or even small fruit trees. If you’ve got a large, sloped backyard, this could be an incredible backyard retaining wall idea for you.

2. Create a Stairway

Make it easy to access all the parts of your property by using a retaining wall to add a staircase connecting the upper level of your land with the lower level. Have you always wanted to turn the lower part of your yard into a zen meditation garden or a secret gathering spot around a fire pit? A staircase retaining wall lets you access and utilize your entire property.

3. Display Your Artwork

If you’re already planning to add a retaining wall to your property, consider incorporating large rocks, sculptures, or mosaic pieces into the visible surface of the wall. You can even add lighting to flaunt your special features. Now you’ve turned a practical landscaping feature into a showpiece that can spotlight your creativity and turn your yard into a one-of-a-kind gathering place.

4. Make a Tree Ring

Do you have one or more large, gorgeous trees you want to show off and protect? Build a low wall around the specimen tree. The wall can protect the tree’s roots, keep the mulch in, and help define the space. For the ultimate touch, add landscape lights to showcase your trees at night.

5. Build a Living Wall

Another of our favorite backyard retaining wall ideas is to create a living wall. This idea can work with boulders, gabions, timber beams, or retained earth. Build soil pockets within the wall and plant seeds so that greenery grows through the walls. Consider planting cascading flowers or vines to turn your wall into a gorgeous living showpiece.

6. Create Unique Seating

Want to design a truly unique outdoor gathering spot for friends and family members? Add built-in bench seating on the top of your retaining wall so you can look out on the rest of your property. To make the space even more special, install a fire pit.

7. Add Privacy to Your Patio

One of our best patio retaining wall ideas is to strategically place L-shaped retaining walls to add privacy to your patio. This is an excellent option if your patio looks out onto a public road or if you have neighbors next to or behind you.

8. Put in a Waterfall

For the ultimate landscape show stopper, use your retaining wall as the backdrop for a descending waterfall or other creative water feature. The appearance and sound of cascading water will add tranquility to your property and will also be a great conversation starter at outdoor gatherings.

Choose the Right Landscaping Company for Your Retaining Wall

Take your time and make sure to choose the right company to install your retaining wall. Remember, a retaining wall’s primary function is to stabilize your property. Make sure the company you hire for the job performs the proper engineering prior to starting the project, to ensure the wall they construct is both safe and effective.

You also want to choose a company that understands and correctly implements your vision for the project. This way, you’ll end up with a practical and visually stunning retaining wall. Fortunately, The Grounds Guys® can do it all for you. Our local teams throughout the United States have the experience and knowledge to create a retaining wall that fits your needs, budget, and artistic vision.

We hope these retaining wall ideas inspired you to build something beautiful on your property. If you need help, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Working with The Grounds Guys means you also get the Neighborly Done Right Promise™, which ensures we’ll get the job done right!

Contact The Grounds Guys location nearest you today and request a free estimate on your retaining wall project.