Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Build A Retaining Wall Flower Bed
How to Build A Retaining Wall Flower Bed. A great outdoor project for spring or summer is to build a retaining wall. Retaining walls are used to reduce soil erosion, but they can also be built to create a pretty flower bed.
A great outdoor project for spring or summer is to build a retaining wall. Retaining walls are used to reduce soil erosion, but they can also be built to create a pretty flower bed.
Things You'll Need
Stones or pavers
Rock Chisel
Hammer
Gloves
Tamper
Determine How Many Stones or Pavers You Will Need
The first step is to figure out how many stones or brick pavers you will need for the job. While it is fairly easy to do the math, one simple way to measure how many pavers you will need is to take a string or rope and draw out how big you want your retaining wall to be. In my case, I drew a semi-circle with a rope around the window. I then measured out the rope to figure out how many stones I would need for my raised flower bed. Once you know how much material to buy, add another 5-10% in case one of the stones or pavers break. You can always return what you don't use.
Make Sure the Ground is Level
You will need to tamp the ground where you will be placing your stones or pavers to make sure that the ground is perfectly level. If the ground is not level it will cause your wall to be uneven.
Lay Down Your First Row of Pavers
Place the pavers or stones down in the area that you have tamped. Use a level, if necessary, to make sure that your pavers are at equal height from the ground. If they are not, you will need to tamp the ground to lower the dirt, or add some dirt to raise the ground up.
Staggering Rows
It's visually appealing to stagger the rows of the stones. To do this you will need to cut the material. Score the backside of the paver to create a shallow groove. Then use the hammer and chisel to break the paver in half. You can use this half to start a new row of pavers.
Continue Building
Continue building the retaining wall as high as you'd like. As I was only building a raised flower bed, I only built the rows 4 high, as I did not want the flowers to be much higher than the window sill.
Tips & Warnings
Wear gloves
Consider sloping the dirt that the wall will sit on away from any structure; in my raised flower bed it helps to prevent water intrusion
If you are having problems leveling the ground, you can spread sand to help level the surface
