How the Retaining Wall, Stone Edging, and Plantings Came Together
This project extended across much more than one planting bed. The homeowners were improving the front retaining wall, the landscape surrounding the home, and both sides of a long driveway, so the different improvements needed to feel like parts of one property rather than separate projects completed at different times. Their review also makes clear that material selection mattered to them, with Excel Landscaping helping select the stone used for the new front retaining wall.
The retaining wall became one of the most prominent permanent features in the finished landscape. Choosing the stone with the homeowners allowed the wall to complement the house while giving the front planting area a defined structural edge. Because the wall would remain visible year-round, its appearance needed to work with the landscaping that would eventually surround it rather than simply function as an isolated hardscape feature.
That same attention to definition continued beyond the wall. Both sides of the homeowners’ long driveway were neatly edged, and additional stone edging was incorporated through the landscape. Establishing those boundaries helped organize the larger planting areas and created cleaner transitions between lawn, beds, driveway, and the new retaining wall.
Once the permanent edges were established, the planting work could fill out the design. Approximately 50 plants were installed across the property, including ornamental grasses, dwarf crape myrtles, trees, shrubs, and perennials. Using several types of plant material allowed the landscape design to combine different heights, forms, and seasonal characteristics instead of relying on one repeated planting throughout the front yard.
The completed project included:
- New front retaining wall
- Stone selected with the homeowners for the retaining wall
- Stone edging incorporated throughout the landscape
- Both sides of the long driveway neatly edged
- Approximately 50 new plants
- Ornamental grasses
- Dwarf crape myrtles
- Trees, shrubs, and perennials
- Coordinated front-yard landscape installation
- Completion in approximately two working days
The amount of work completed within that timeline was one of the things the homeowner specifically highlighted afterward. Their review noted that the crew arrived at sunrise and worked through the day, including during rainy conditions. More importantly, the different parts of the installation were completed as one coordinated transformation rather than leaving the homeowners with a finished wall surrounded by unfinished landscape areas.
That coordination is visible in the final result. The retaining wall provides a strong permanent feature near the home, while the stone edging carries similar definition through the surrounding beds and along the driveway. The new plantings soften those hardscape elements and give the property a fuller landscape rather than allowing the wall or edging to dominate the design.
For the homeowners, the finished project delivered both the structural improvement of a new retaining wall and the visual impact of a much broader landscape installation. Instead of treating the wall, driveway edges, and planting beds as separate upgrades, the project brought them together into one front-yard design. The homeowner described the final result as exceeding expectations, with the new wall, stonework, and approximately 50 plants creating the finished appearance they had hoped to achieve.