Outside brick retaining walls add some design or an official look to landscaping. In case a brick retaining wall is extended, however, it may tend to look bare or plain. Spice up the wall and then give it more appeal by decorating it. Many options aside from the normal paint project can add character and texture to a brick retaining wall, such as plants and wall hangings.
Create a planting bed in the bottom of the brick retaining wall, and add shrubs or smaller trees to the bed. They’ll split the wall’s plain surface. If no soil is under the wall, as is true for a wall that is against a drive, then add narrow, decorative planters and build plants inside them.
Attach a decorative-styled trellis to the brick retaining wall with masonry screws. Plant climbing vines like ivy or climbing roses in the wall’s base, and enable the plants to cover the trellis. Using a decorative-styled trellis ensures that the wall nevertheless will have some interest if the vines die back in cool weather.
Hang decorative wall hangings on the wall, like wrought-iron designed bits, antique garden tools or glassware. The things to choose is dependent on the style of the surrounding landscaping, which is anything from coastal or rustic to Victorian.
Place potted plants in addition to the wall to draw eyes up and to keep guests from seeing a simple, plain wall. If needed, use plants that tend to spill over their pots, like creeping zinnias (Sanvitalia procumbens), therefore they develop down above the wall, breaking up the straight line of the wall’s top. Creeping zinnias, which can be annuals, work well in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9 but may also develop to some degree in most zones.
Add decorative lighting to the wall. If possible, connect the lights to an electric source so that you can control them readily. If electricity isn’t available, use solar-powered lighting. Attach the lights to the wall, or place them across the wall’s top ledge. Include plants involving the lights for an interesting impact.