Plans
From this view you can see the necessity of this retaining wall construction. Before we created the wall, the erosion was actually cutting under the foundation of the home. I guess this wall could be termed as a necessary element.
As I stated before, the pre fab retaining wall was the most cost effective solution to this area. However, don't let that limit your imagination to what could be done with this design. This desert design could take on a whole new look if the walls were created from natural stone or the same stucco that the house is made of.
The coreopsis (yellow flowers) are an adaptive and not a native desert plant. If you didn't notice, these coreopsis are a different plant variety than those in the front. While they're the same color, they're a slight different shade, texture, and shape of flower. This is one way of creating contrast without adding too many elements.
There's not much else to this side. Besides the retaining wall for erosion control, it's mostly for drainage. To access the back area there is a walkway of step stones and then ground cover. Not much else.
