Homestyle Frame your shrubs and plants

Here are tips on how to build a garden wall

Want to improve curb appeal and handsomely frame your garden, shrubs or other landscaping focal points? Build a shallow garden wall comprising concrete blocks brick, or stone that ser ves as an eye-catching contrast or accent to plants, flowers, and outdoor décor.

A rigid and often tall retaining wall, thanks to its structural strength and engineering, is designed to hold soil in place along a mound of ear th, slope or hillside. By contrast, a garden wall is typically 12 to 24 inches high and commonly comprised of freestanding blocks — often two to four tiers high — meant to ser ve a more decorative function in your home’s landscaping design.

“Garden walls can delineate between specific functional areas, like a walkway or lawn. They create architectural interest by defining and suppor ting landscape beds. And they can transform spaces that normally may be unusable due to their slope,” said Joe Raboine, director of residential hardscapes for Belgard, the Atlanta-based manufacturer of landscaping pavers and walls.

“Most garden walls are built for holding landscape beds, raised gardens, and elevated patios—areas that work best with garden walls since they create structure and don’t put much lateral pressure on the walls,” he said.

Sabine H. Schoenberg, the Greenwich-based founder/ceo of Smar t. Healthy. Green. Living, a streaming ser vice that showcases gardening and home improvement content, said building a garden wall is a great DIY project.

“They are relatively quick to build but require some heavy lifting, kneeling, digging, and careful preparation,” Schoenberg said. “Just be careful not to build garden walls in areas where people can walk on the wall surfaces.”

Don Klosterman, a homeowner in Long

GETTY IMAGES Garden walls, which are usually 1 to 2 feet high, can be built as a DIY project, although they do require some heavy lifting.