How to Use Gabions to Fix Commercial Landscaping Problems

One of the first things one notices about a piece of developed property is the landscaping. A beautifully landscaped parcel conveys volumes about the business or residential property owner, and it's almost always good.

Not every parcel of land, however, is large and flat and easy to work with. Scenic mountain views can be breathtaking, but they involve working with steep slopes. Lakeside and other wetter properties can be prone to drainage issues. Desirable properties in urban areas might be space-constrained and located in close proximity to less attractive venues. Fortunately, creative landscapers have a few tricks up their sleeves when addressing such challenges, and the creative use of gabions is one of them.

What Are Gabions?

The word gabion comes from the French gabbione, which means "big cage." They are boxes, baskets, cylinders, or longer, flatter, mattress-shaped containers made of wire mesh and filled with stones, concrete, sand, or other weighty materials. Typically stacked and held together with galvanized steel wire, they provide structural support to landscaping design while also allowing water to be channeled appropriately through them. Functional and aesthetically appealing, gabions are used to create privacy walls, retaining walls, raised garden beds, seating, and various other features. Because of their flexible, modular design, it is easy to build them into the unique contours of a property.

Gabions for Slope Stabilization

Steep slopes offer magnificent views, but when subjected to heavy rainfall, they bring an added risk of soil erosion, water runoff onto neighboring properties, loss of vegetation, and even landslides. They are also difficult to mow. Gabion-built retaining walls stabilize slopes, control erosion, and allow for the creation of flatter, terraced gardens for easier maintenance. And because they are porous, hydrostatic pressure does not build up behind them and cause wall degradation. Long, flat gabion mattresses combined with erosion-control plants like periwinkles and creeping phlox are especially useful in this scenario.

Gabions for Visual Screening

We don't get to choose our neighbors, but we can create visual screening on our own properties to maintain a certain level of peace and tranquility. Innovative contractors often build gabion walls filled with decorative stone from suppliers, or they pair them with climbing plants. The end result is an attractive, cozier outdoor urban space that also reduces noise levels from adjacent properties.

Gabions for Dealing With Standing Water

Land isn't always level, and it is not unusual for a landscaper to have to deal with sections of a property that become oversaturated and unable to sustain vegetation. In such cases, landscapers sometimes create French drains--a perforated pipe covered with gravel and enclosed within a gabion cylinder--that redirect water elsewhere, such as to a rain barrel. It's a simple idea that both solves a problem and makes better use of natural resources.

Important Considerations

As simple and budget-friendly as gabions are, there are still important things to consider when planning a project using them, including but not limited to the soil, slope, and drainage conditions of a property. If plans include a retaining wall, consider the height of the intended wall, its load-bearing capacity, and whether or not additional reinforcements will be needed. Above all, be sure to abide by all local and state building codes and accepted engineering standards.