How to Retain a Wall Block Planter

A wall block planter is built with rocks or blocks of stone

Wall block planters can be placed in various locations to outline the side of a house, around a patio or a deck. You can build a wall block planter using rock, stone or concrete block that is stacked to a specific height. Retaining the wall block planter is done by using the weight of the material as you stack each row. However, you will first need to determine where the wall block planter will be located.

Things You'll Need

• Flat garden rock or block
• Tape measure
• Garden hose
• Spray paint
• Shovel
• Tamper tool
• Landscape fabric

Instructions

1. Measure the width or length of the area you want to place the wall block planter with the tape measure.

2. Lay a garden hose on the ground to make an outline in the shape of the border for the planter.

3. Mark the outline on the ground with the spray paint. Excavate the area behind the outline to remove the grass with the shovel. Dig down at least two inches to get a base layer of dirt.

4. Create a flat surface for the stone by using a tamper to compact at 12-inch wide section of dirt where the stone will be located.

5. Place the garden stone or block on the ground to create the base for the wall. Lay the stone or block on the ground along the paint line you made in step 3.

6. Continue placing the stone or block on the wall until you reach a height of 18 inches.

7. Place landscape fabric on the inside of the wall of the planter box. Use the stone or block near the top of the wall to support the landscape fabric.

8. Fill the area behind the rock planter wall with dirt and begin planting flowers and plants to complete the project.

Tips & Warnings

• Landscape fabric will prevent weeds from growing through the rock wall or border.

References

• Ron Hazleton: How to Build a Rock Wall Planter
• The Gardener's Rake: Garden Planning, Build a Rockwall Planter