Inexpensive Ideas for a Retaining Wall for Your Garden

A retaining wall is a beautiful addition to any garden that is filled with the potential to completely transform the look and feel of your garden. If you live on a slope or a hill, you may already have a retaining wall, but it is unsightly or just does not fit into the aesthetic of your garden; you might be considering changing up your retaining wall’s look to make it fit. Here, we have put together a list of inexpensive ideas for a retaining wall to put in your garden.

The Benefits of a Retaining Wall

There are many benefits of having a retaining wall in your garden. Let’s take a look.

Avoid Erosion

One of the biggest benefits of having a retaining wall in your garden is that it helps prevent erosion. It helps keep the soil in place and prevents it from washing away during a storm.

Improve the Aesthetics of the Property

A retaining wall can improve the overall appearance of your property. There are many different material options for your retaining wall, so you can choose what will fit in with your style. If your current retaining wall is not attractive, you can easily redesign it to improve the aesthetics.

Stabilize Landscape

If you live in a sloping landscape, a retaining wall can help strengthen and stabilize the landscaping. It will keep soil and rocks from rolling down the hill and possibly damaging your property.

Structural Support

A retaining wall can provide better structural support to your landscaping. It can help distribute the weight of dirt better, and it will prevent soil from shifting.

Increase Usable Space

Since a retaining wall essentially creates a level surface on a sloped landscape, you can create more usable space on your property by using one. This can help open up more space for your garden, for recreation, or even to add an outbuilding to your property.

Water Management

A retaining wall can be used to redirect water to or away from certain areas of your property. They are an excellent way to help you manage water drainage, and they can help prevent water accumulation and flooding. If you live in an area with heavy rain, having a retaining wall can help you keep water from accumulating in your driveway or near the entry to your home, making it a highly beneficial asset.

Increase Property Value

If your retaining wall looks great and is built to last, it can help improve your property value and curb appeal.

Inexpensive Ideas for a Retaining Wall for Your Garden

Now that we have looked at the benefits of having a retaining wall, let’s look at some of our favorite inexpensive ideas for fixing up your retaining wall or building a new one.

Gabion Cage Retaining Wall

Gabion cages can be a fun and unique way to build a retaining wall. While these are typically full of rocks when used for this purpose, if you have some vintage gardening equipment you no longer use, you can fill your gabion containers with those instead to create something that is unique to you.

Wooden Log Retaining Walls

For a rustic appearance, using wooden logs can be a beautiful choice that will make your home feel like it is a country home or near a log cabin. The logs can be stacked either horizontally or vertically, depending on the aesthetic you would prefer and the size of your logs. You can find logs from a lumber yard or possibly from some fallen trees, depending on your area. Treat the wooden logs with a preservative to help prolong the lifespan of the wood.

Recycled Tires Retaining Wall

If you want to create a unique retaining wall that keeps old tires from winding up in a landfill, you can build an entire retaining wall out of recycled tires. You can even use the center of the tires to hold flowerpots, giving you even more gardening space to play with.

Galvanized Steel Roof Panel Retaining Walls

If you love a modern or industrial look, galvanized steel roof panels can create an inexpensive retaining wall that looks beautiful. You can paint them to match the color scheme you have been dreaming of, too. The panels are weather-resistant and durable, and since the steel is galvanized, it is protected against corrosion and rust. This is an affordable and easy-to-find material that is great for your garden.

Wooden Pallet Retaining Walls

Wooden pallets are an inexpensive material for retaining walls that can give your wall a rustic feel to it. You can repaint the pallets to improve their appearance, or you can install faux stone or brick veneer on top of the wooden pallets, giving your retaining wall the look of stone or brick but without the price.

Recycled Concrete Retaining Walls

Concrete is not a material that is easily recycled, but this is a great use for it. The concrete is salvaged from construction sites, and it can create a unique and sturdy wall.

Cinder Block Retaining Wall

Cinder blocks are an inexpensive way to build a retaining wall on your property, and their rectangular shape makes them perfect for building. The only problem with cinder blocks is that they can be unattractive, but they are another building material that you can install faux brick on top of to make it look better.

Concrete Retaining Walls

Using poured concrete for your retaining walls can give them strength and stability, and they are affordable to construct. It is good in many weather conditions, so it should hold up for a long time without needing much maintenance. Concrete tends to be unsightly, but you can easily install faux stone on it, too, to give it a more attractive look. 

About the Author

Auz Burger is a freelance writer and an expert in faux stone and brick veneer and home DIY projects. She has a BA from Washington State University and has been writing and editing professionally for over a decade.