Question
QUESTION: Hi Marc,
We just finished pushing our slope which is very steep and built a retaining wall.  Our problem now is that the slope ends a little bit higher than the retaining wall by about 2 feet.  It looks chopped up.  We think we need to do some grading or planter but not sure what o do exactly.  Do you have any suggestions?   Thank you.

ANSWER: Sounds like the wall ended up about 2 feet too short.  If the soil being retained is rock or near-rocky soil, then it should stay in place, but presents an ugly challenge, as not much is going to grow in exposed rock. Still, there are ways this situation can be handled.  Do you have a picture that you can send, perhaps?

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Santana slope   QUESTION: Hi Marc,
We did the wall based on the specs of the city of Torrance.  Yes, here is a picture of it.  Hope you can see it well.

Answer
Ah, looks very correctable, with a little time & patience. You live in Zone 10, and the plant material that you can select from is pretty generous. (http://www.hgtv.com/topics/garden-zone-10/index.html)

I looked at the City of Torrance Building & Safety detail and it didn't show any back-of-wall drainage.  Was there any installed?  Rainwater coming off of your slope can add tremendous pressure to the back of the wall, so IF there was no sub-drain installed, the first thing I'd add is a way for the water coming off of the slope to "get to an exit".  That is a safety item and should not be ignored.  

A wall drain should look like this: http://www.radconstructioninc.com/images/illustrations/Raised_Drainage4.gif

If you cannot install it all the way to the bottom of the back of the wall - it looks like it has already been partially back filled - Something is 100% better than nothing!  

Second, depending on the style of the rest of the yard (formal/architectural, cottage/country, Spanish, Asian, etc) softening the slope with plants or boulders are in order.  Here are some excellent images to help you: http://www.houzz.com/slope-planting.  

Smoothing the "chopped up" look is just going to take a bit of hand-grading and finesse with a shovel and some topsoil (once you've got the drainage concern squared away). Having a ground cover (thyme, sedum, rosemary, Hottentot Fig) spill over the face of the wall really can soften the harshness.  

I notice that up-hill is a touch barren too. I would stick to just a handful of plants (no more than 5 or 6 varieties of plants), and perhaps more of what you've already got going on, so that it doesn't start looking too jumbled together.  I think that adding more Bird-of-Paradise (Strelitzia reginae) below the wall would tie the slope to the rest of the yard.  A worthy goal is to not decorate it with one of everything that was on sale at Home Depot.

Finally, I would also consider painting it to match the house or decking, if that is what is below it. Perhaps even the cap & face as two different colors.  Then, if there is room in front, adding a bench or pots cal further "break up" the sense of elongated concrete hardscape that the new wall created.  

Hope these suggestions help you out!  Congrats, Ana, on a great-looking wall. ~Marc