How to Build a Retaining Wall in Michigan

Retaining walls can be built of numerous materials types, natural stone such as fieldstone and quarried stone, man-made pre-cast or cast in place concrete wall systems, brick, timber, composite materials (plastic and wood particles combined), and even metal.  My preference is to build retaining walls in natural stone, but generally, the cost of natural stone is significantly more than that of man-made materials due to mining/quarrying costs and installation labor costs.  Michigan fieldstone boulders are an exception to this rule since they require less foundation preparation, and are more common in West Michigan than is quarried stone, and thus costs less in labor and materials.
 


This retaining wall was built by Omega in 2013 using seven tons of Michigan fieldstone boulders hand picked from Grand Rapids Gravel, and planted using material from Bohemia Nursery in West Olive, MI.

The wall and steps seen here were built by Omega Brick & Landscaping using Burnt Red Blend Wallstone/Wedgestone and Stratford Pavers manufactured by Hanson.

Built by Omega Brick & Landscaping using Antique Wallstone and Wedgestone Wall in Grand Rapids Township near Frederick Meijer Gardens

 I built this wall several years ago on Philadelphia SE in Grand Rapids, MI using St. Clair PISA 2 retaining wall by Unilock.

 

Split Chilton Wallstone, a natural limestone mined in Wisconsin, was used by Omega to build this wall in Ada, MI

 

Regardless of the materials being used, all retaining walls share fundamental building requirements that ensure long-lasting structural integrity.

1. Properly placed and compacted foundation material to keep your retaining wall from sinking or tipping. 

 

2. Geo textile fabric to separate base and backfill material from native soil which, left to its own device, will seep into the base and backfill material and degrade them as well as seep through the front of the wall. 

3. Properly placed and compacted backfill material to keep water from undermining the your wall or, in the case of wood, rotting it.

 

4. Carefully placed and leveled retaining wall foundation.

 

5. Properly sloped soil above the retaining wall to direct water away from the wall or over the wall.

 

When preparing your site for a retaining wall, whether replacing an existing wall or building a new one, consider all surrounding structures and land formations. These structures and formations can have a significant effect on the survival of your retaining wall by directing water toward or away from your wall.

If water will be directed toward your wall as things stand, you will need to redirect the water by installing drains and drain tiles or by changing the slope of the land formations. Which you choose has much to do with the amount of labor and equipment cost. Drains and drain tiles are inexpensive in and of themselves. However, installing them can require significant time and equipment costs. The quickest way to install a drain tile is with a trencher such as the Ditch Witch. In Grand Rapids, MI, I rent this machine from Advanced Rentals. http://www.advancedrentalcenter.com/products_43_Trencher-30-x-4.html?cat=2&sub=11 .

Dig your trench a minimum of eight inches wider than your retaining wall material.  Dig deep enough to lay down a minimum of six inches of crushed concrete or gravel (your base material) plus the height of one block, timber or stone.  Your will bury the first layer of your wall below grade.  In this case, because the soil here is clay and tends to hold water, in order to ensure minimal shifting and upheaval in I dug twelve inches below grade. 

 By digging 12 inches below grade, I was able to install eight inches of crushed concrete and still have room to bury my first course of retaining wall block.  Better safe than sorry.

Retaining walls built in Caledonia, MI for use as raised planting beds.
These are part of the system seen in the pictures above demonstrating proper base preparation.

 

Once your trench has been dug, lay out your geo textile.  Run the fabric from the front of the trench, down into the trench and up the back side of the trench and hill you are retaining.  Use large staples to hold the fabric in place both front and back of the trench.  Once the retaining wall is completed, you will need to pull the fabric over the front and back of the trench to cover the base and backfill material, so be sure to leave at least one foot of fabric beyond the front of the trench and two feet above the hill.  Also, allow enough slack in the fabric for the crushed concrete and stone to settle without tearing it.

 

Crushed stone from Grand Rapids Gravel.  Not the angular nature of the stone.  This allows the stone to be compacted and keeps it from shifting as happens with rounded pea stone/gravel or washed stone.

To make it easier to level your first layer of stone or block, consider laying a layer of chips n dust or stone dust on top of the crushed concrete approximately 1/2"-1" deep.

In Grand Rapids, MI, I purchase all of my crushed concrete and crushed stone from Grand Rapids Gravel.

Once the crushed concrete is fairly level, it is time to begin laying the blocks or stone.  You must place each block/stone individually, leveling each from front to back and side to side.  Level your first unit using a six or twelve inch level, tapping it with a heavy rubber mallet to lower set it deeper into the crushed concrete where it is too high.  If you need to add material under the block to get it right, use chips n dust, or stone dust.  It easier to level blocks and stone on chips n dust or stone dust than it is on crushed concrete.  Lay the second unit next to the first, using the first to level the second. 

Crushed stone is the preferred material for use behind retaining walls. Check them out at http://www.grgravel.com/ Try to install a minimum of twelve inches of crushed stone behind your wall. It is best to place the stone as you go to ensure proper compaction on filling. I install the stone after each level of retaining wall. I usually use a hand held tamper rather than a plate compactor. A plate compactor tends to push the the retaining wall our of alignment, requiring you to go back and push blocks back into place. If you are using fairly heavy retaining wall units (over 80lbs each), you will be safe using the compactor and save yourself a lot of manual labor. Be sure while you are putting in the backfill material to keep the geo textile fabric from pulling away from the native soil. You don't want to create gaps in the fabric where the soil can sift through and undermine the backfill and wall.

You may be required to cut the stone/block as you build in order to get a tight fit between blocks.  The best option is to rent a concrete saw or a large brick/block saw from a local rental company such as Home Depot or Advanced Rental here in Grand Rapids, MI.  These saws are equipped with diamond blades that make quick work of these cuts. 

Do not use blocks smaller than half the length of the standard units if at all possible.  They can become unstable and can be pushed out of the wall.  If you must use smaller pieces, use masons adhesive/glue to hold them in place by gluing them to the blocks above and below them.  Otherwise, the only time you should use adhesive is when you get to the capstones.  The capstones should be glued down using two beads of adhesive running lengthwise along the top of the previously laid layer of block: one bead two inches from the back of the block, one along two inches from the front of the block.  Try not to place the glue too close to the front.  If you do, the glue will ooze out and be exposed on the front of the wall.  The glue is difficult to remove.

When setting the capstone, use a rubber mallet to tap each block down to achieve proper adhesion.

 

For assistance with design or installation of your retaining wall,

 

Call Brent Langley today @ (616) 328-3258.



Nature Photography and Landscape Photos Available For Purchase

I did not discover my artistic abilities until my twenties when I started doodling during boring college classes. Eventually, I found I could sketch photographs and live subjects fairly well in pen and pencil.  Unfortunately, I never took drawing classes. That will happen eventually.

I took one black and white photography class at GVSU back in the day. Loved it!  Exposure to photography opened my eyes to a world of art to which I was not previously atuned. It gave me another artistic outlet and introduced me to artists like Ansel Adams. His work is truly inspirational as I am sure most of you are aware. Before this, my exposure to photography was simple family pictures, such as those seen on most lowly livingroom or hallway walls. Nothing fancy. Just point-and-shoot.

With the advent of my own family, artistic pursuits fell by the wayside. I continued working in landscaping, and took up pen and pensil to render designs, and sketch. But photography was limited by available funds and time. (35 mm cameras and film was an expensive habit to support).

Recently, I took up photography again using my new Rebel. Digital is a blessing. Because of my many years in landscaping, and my love of the outdoors, including rock climbing, biking, hiking and running, I have begun by focusing on landscape and nature photography. I am interested in art portraits, but that pursuit will wait.

Delphinium and Waxflower Still Life
Boat Shack on Thornapple River in Cascade, MI

Boat Shack on Thornapple River in Cascade, MI 

 

 Thornapple River Shore Cascade, MI

 

 Shot on Reeds Lake Boulevard 

Shot on Reeds Lake Boulevard  

 East Grand Rapids High School Crew Team's Reeds Lake Dock in December Early Evening

 

Manhattan Park: Winter Woodland Stream

Nature photography assists me in studying natural formations (rocks, cliffs, hills, valleys, and mountains, streams, lakes, ponds and shores), as well as growth habits of plants and plant communities.  These natural habits and patterns help inform my landscape design.  My goal in photography and landscape design is to identify and artistically interpret what I see in an aesthetically pleasing way.

As I continue to add to my collection, I will post on my blog and make my work available for purchase.  If you are interested in purchasing a digital copy or print of any of these photos, let me know and I will make the arrangements.  All works seen on my site are copyrighted and all rights reserved.

Meanwhile, enjoy my work.

If you would like me to capture your gardens or property in photos, feel free to contact me via my blog or at (616) 328-3258.

Brent Langley

Foliage: Form, Color and Texture

When shopping for new garden plants, it is easy to hyper-focus on flowers.  Big box stores create dramatic displays of heavily flowering perennials grouped together on shelves, right where they will catch your attention.  The beauty of those massed flowers really draws the eye and entices the senses.  What could be more beautiful in your yard than to mimic that stunning display.  Oceans of purple flowering Salvia or Veronica bringing color to your drab gardens.  Splashes of orange and red Poppy.  Swaths of yellow Daylillies and Black-eyed Susan bursting with color.

The plants you see flowering on the shelves now, most likely will not be flowering two weeks from now. You are seeing plants at their flowering peak.  For retail garden centers, timing is everything. The stores and nurseries work together to ensure stocked plants are in their seasonal prime.  So, plants that flower in early spring, will be sold in late winter and early Spring, when they are showing off their colors to the best of their ability.  Summer flowering plants are stocked in late Spring or early Summer.  Fall flowering plants are displayed in late Summer or early Fall.

Stores are not attempting to rip you off.  But don't be fooled by wishful thinking.  These plants will not flower forever.  Most plants bloom for three to six weeks.  Then you are left with leaves and stems. 

So, when purchasing your plants, consider the form, color and texture of a plant's foliage.  Between periods of flowering, foliage holds a garden together.  Consider using plants for the sake of their foliage and count the flowers as a bonus.

The challenge: planning your garden to ensure interest throughout the growing season.  You can plant swaths of perennials, grasses and shrubs to create dramatic displays of your own.  But keep in mind the limited flowering period of each plant.  Plan for flowering lulls.

Ornamental Grass and Grass-like plants:
The variety of available grass and grass-like plants on the market today is astounding.   There are ornamental grasses ranging in size from six inches to ten feet tall.  Some clump, some spread, some weep, some stand upright.  Grasses can be found in red, white, blue, silver, purple, black, variegated, striped, spotted and solid, broad of leaf or narrow. These plants flower in Spring, Summer, and Fall in plumes of red, pink, white, silver, brown, purple....  My point is this: grass offers a wide range of options that can bring interest in form, texture, and color. 
Consider some of the ornamental grasses and grass-like plants below to bring beauty to your gardens.

Calamagrostis brachytricha  - Korean Feather Reed Grass

Korean Feather Reed Grass matures at approximately 24" tall and 30" wide.  This plant tends to be fairly loose in habit, especially when young.  This grass does well in partial shade.  I would use Korean Feather Reed Grass in the foreground of large flowering perennials such as Black-eyed Susan and Cone flower.  The foliage color contrast with these particular perennials



 

 Blue Spire Oat Grass

Festuca glauca'Elijah Blue' - Elijah Blue Fescue 

This Fecue is a well controlled mounding/weeping grass that tends to be a deep steel blue and grows approximately 1' tall and 9" wide. 

 

 Stipa (Nasella) tenuissima - Ponytail Grass

 

Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Overdam' - Overdam Feather Reed Grass

 

Ornamental Grasses can be left standing through Fall and Winter to add form, texture and color to what could otherwise be a bleak or drab garden.

Astilbe

Coral Bell

For more tips and tricks to creating a lush and beautiful garden, continue reading my blog.

For help designing, installing or maintaining your landscape, feel free to give Brent Langley a call at (616) 328-3258.  Thank you



Favorite Michigan Spring Perennials

Last year, I took some time photographing some of my favorite plants.  I will be  using these photographs in my blog to highlight and suggest various plants for the changing seasons. 

Snowy winters, such as this, can be a burden. I know, this year has started out very rough for those of us living in Michigan. The snow continues to fall on a very regular basis, and the temperatures have failed to rise.   Result: messy roads, dirty cars, daily shoveling, kids stuck at home with nothing to do but play video games or watch TV, dogs stuck inside and getting restless like the rest of us.So, the idea that there are actually seasons here: hard to remember. I have two feet of snow in my front yard. Great fun for the Lab/Blue Healer puppy we adopted this past summer. Not so exciting for those of us tired of shoveling snow day in and day out. I for one long for Spring. Eventually, it will come.

A Rare Sunny Day Walking on Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids - Woodlands and Wetlands

It can also be a blessing for photographers like me who love to capture the majesty and beauty of nature.  It's a winter wonderland seen generally only in the U.P.  For the first time in my life, I have actually considered purchasing snowshoes.  Of course, those frigid temperatures and wind chills are not encouraging long treks or extended exploration.

This is a rare site: a hardcore runner enjoying a solitary run along this winter-closed lane fronting a frozen Reeds Lake in early January.

To help lift our spirits and coax Spring to come forth sooner, here is a sampling of those lovely Spring plants.  They can add color and texture to your garden once winter (and the snow) finally disperses.  These perennials are hardy in Michigan and other zone 5 locations.

Bergenia cordifolia 'Winter Glut'

is an evergreen perennial that does well in both full sun and partial shade.  It's broad, almost succulent leaves are deep green during the summer, but turn burgundy in the fall.  The color is similar to that of Barberry 'Crimson Pigmy' in Spring. Bergenia holds its color late fall through early Spring when it sends up the beautiful flower head on a 3-6" stem.  Leaves get about eight inches long and five inches wide.  The overall size of the plant is 1.5-2' wide and 10-12" high.

Spanish Bluebells - Hyacinthoides hispanica

These bulbs must have been in my garden before I move to my home in East Grand Rapids, MI in July of 2000.  They have multiplied and spread as I have transplanted various plants from one section of my property to another.  The flowers appear in late Spring on 6-10" stems from the center of a thick-leafed and succulent, upright plant similar to Hyacinth.

Veronica umbros 'Georgia Blue'

Georgia Blue Speedwell does well in full sun to partial shade, grows approximately six inches tall and spreads as much as three feet.  Plant this as a ground cover or in a rock garden or wall to spill over the stone.

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' flower

Grow this evergreen, mint-green, variegated, broadleaved perennial in partial to full shade.    With daily watering, it can be grown in full sun, but be warned, in full sun, its leaves tend to dry and turn brown.  The Forget-me-not like flowers appear in mid to late Spring on stems a few inches higher than the leaves.  This sky-blue to purple flower is stunning against the rough-leafed background of the Brunnera.

Daffodil

Pulsatilla vulgaris  'Heiler Hybrids'- Mixed Pasque Flower

 

This perennial prefers a well drained soil in full sun with regular watering.  It grows 1' tall and 12-18".  I just added this plant to my garden last year after seeing it at Bohemia Nursery in West Olive, MI.  Bohemia has a wide variety of plants, mostly perennials, which are hard to find at other nurseries in West Michigan.

Heuchera 'Silver Scrolls'

Heuchera is another beautiful "evergreen" perennial prized mostly for its foliage.  Numerous varieties are available, most are have a purplish tint with veins that are either darker purple, brown, black or silver, white.... Ok it is really difficult to narrow down the colors of the Heuchera.  Too many varieties.  The flowers appear during summer and fall.  But you will enjoy the foliage year round (assuming it isn't covered by two feet of snow).  Most varieties withstand full sun and partial to full shade.  More regular watering is needed in full sun to keep the leaves from burning.  A stong plant once established in most sites.

 Iberis sempervirens - Candytuft

Candytuft does best in full sun, but can handle partial shade.  It flowers mid-Spring to early Summer, and grows 6-12" tall and up to 2' wide.  Does beautifully in a rock garden or the front of a border as filler between larger flowering plants.

 

 

Asarum europaeum - European Ginger

European Ginger is a non-agressive evergreen ground cover that does great in partial to full shade.  Its leaves are glossy and deep green.

See some plants you would like to add to your garden?  Need help planning, installing or maintaining your landscape? 

Give Brent a call at (616) 328-3258