Designing a Retaining Wall That Merges with the Surrounding Softscape for an Organic Design in Weatogue, CT

Your backyard is an extension of your home and it is also similar to a blank canvas for you to create your ideal outdoor escape. Landscaping a backyard is something that many homeowners become excited about when they purchase a home or even when they’ve been in the home for years but simply want to change it up. One of the things that can really tie a yard together is a retaining wall, especially for those in Weatogue who have an uneven or hilly backyard. Some homeowners like to have a modern or contemporary backyard, and some like to have a yard that feels more organic and natural. Both of these looks are easy to create for a professional landscaping company. 

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First Step

An important first step is to make sure you are working with the yard the way it is naturally. Utilize any hills to their fullest extent. By accentuating the hills and following their natural curve rather than leveling a hill and having a 5-10 foot wall that stops abruptly once the height of the hill has ended, the softscape feels complimented rather than completely altered. This kind of retaining wall is good for building stairs with, one that is more focused on functionality.

Utilize Your Backyard 

One of the best ways to create an organic and natural-looking retaining wall design is by using materials that are natural to the earth, like rocks. This is a great idea because it will feel like the backyard just happened to have a rock formation. A great way to create this feeling is by using different sized rocks stacked together. You can have all of the big rocks on the bottom or you could create a wall using mostly bigger rocks and have a “beach” of smaller rocks caressing the wall. This kind of retaining wall can be built at an angle so that the natural shape of the hill comes through and really helps with creating an organic feeling to the wall.

To design an organic Connecticut retaining wall, a great thing to do is to use organic Connecticut materials, like flowers. If you have a hill you are planning on building a retaining wall for, see if the ground is suitable for creating a garden. If the problem with the hill is active erosion, it may not be the right place for a garden, but if your retaining wall is merely preventative and the hill has soil and gets proper sunlight, you can plant some of the beautiful flowers that naturally grow in the Weatogue area. Not only does this help create an organic feeling to the retaining wall, but it is also eco-friendly and provides you with beautiful flowers or plants.

What to Avoid

There is something to try and avoid with this kind of project, and that is to avoid anything that may look or feel fake, commercialized, or something that stands out too much. For example, a modern twist for retaining walls that is starting to become popular in some states is to build a retaining wall with a specific pattern, i.e., a checkerboard or diamond shapes in the wall. While these retaining walls are beautiful, they are also suited to a softscape that the homeowner wants to stand out, something like an artistic statue.

Related: The Various Ways a Retaining Wall Can Be Used in Avon, CT Outdoor Living Spaces