Tips for Adding Lush Beauty Around a Retaining Wall in the New Albany and Powell, OH Areas
For a retaining wall in the New Albany and Powell, OH areas, you could be looking for ways to add to the beauty of the textures and colors of the wall. Some retaining walls are purely utilitarian yet they can be designed and built to be as beautiful as they are functional. Here are a few tips to consider when thinking about enhancing the area around the retaining wall with greenery or other plantings.
Native vs. Non-native
One important consideration is whether you want to include native or non-native plants. Native plants provide a variety of benefits to the landscape beyond beauty. Having evolved over time, native plants tend to be better suited for our soil and the amount of rain we receive. Because of this evolution, native plants don’t require as much maintenance, including additional watering or soil amendments. They also attract pollinators that help keep things flourishing throughout the growing season. Some beautiful native plants to consider include the pink perennial Wild Bergamot, the blue perennial Ohio Spiderwort, and the vibrant red Cardinal Flower.
While non-native plants may require some additional attention with watering and pruning, they can bring exotic colors, leaves, and shapes to your outdoor area. Non-native plants are selected for a variety of reasons, including their hardiness to extreme weather, their ability to complement other plantings, and extended blooming seasons. Though they may not have evolved to be perfectly suited for our environment, they can still be thriving additions to your landscape that bring in pollinators much like native plants do.
Mix and Match
With so many different planting options, there’s no need to limit your landscape design to a single type of planting. Using a mix of different colors and types of greenery can add some texture and diversity to the area. Flowers add some colorful flare that draws the eye. By adding colors that complement each other, you can create dynamic scenes that look cohesive. Native grasses add lovely texture that can help offset the rigid nature of a retaining wall. The way that grasses sway in the breeze can help bring new life, especially when surrounded by sturdier plantings. Small bushes and shrubs can add some height and break up the landscape of shorter greenery. Shrubs with deep green leaves are also nice to contrast against some of the lighter greens that are often seen in deciduous plantings. Creeping plants, like ivy, are unique additions that can not only add groundcover but also can be trained to grow up or down the face of the retaining wall to produce a green backdrop. Adding a few plantings of each type can help build a sustainable and gorgeous green space.
Seasonal Colors
Don’t forget about seasonal blooming! Understanding when a perennial or annual will bloom can help ensure that you always have beautiful blooms around your retaining wall. Including flowers that are early spring bloomers can help jumpstart the growing season while blooms in the fall can help things stay vibrant. There are even plants that produce colorful berries in the winter that can keep adding some pizzazz. Beyond flowering plants, having a combination of deciduous and evergreen plants that can help keep color through all seasons.
Related: RETAINING WALL: A VERSATILE SOLUTION FOR LANDSCAPE DESIGN CHALLENGES IN THE NEW ALBANY, OH AREA
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