The landscape world is one that goes through all sorts of trends, and one item that’s gaining popularity in recent years is known as the gabion. A format involving wire baskets filled with rocks to create a retaining wall alternative, gabions are both attractive and inexpensive to install, two of the primary reasons they’re becoming more popular.
At Lawn Care Experts, we’re proud to offer a wide range of landscaping enhancements and elements, from retaining walls to natural stone borders, custom brickwork and any other unique look you’re going for, including a gabion. What exactly is a gabion, where does this term and theme come from, and how is the gabion commonly used in landscaping? Here’s a quick primer.
Gabion Basics, History and Revival
Taken from the Italian gabbione, a gabion refers to any enclosure that is filled with inorganic material. The most common such material here is rocks, but others like brick or concrete may be used in certain situations. The format involves filling up the baskets with this material, which ideally is aesthetically-pleasing, then using them as borders or other outlines.
Gabion structures date back thousands of years, all the way to ancient Egypt where they were used to protect the banks of the Nile river from erosion. Over modern times, they’ve been used for everything from engineering projects to aesthetic landscaping jobs. Gabions are both pleasing and environmentally-friendly, requiring no concrete or mortar at all. They are also very affordable and easy to install, plus will last years or decades without any major maintenance.
Gabion Landscape Uses
There are several ways gabions have been reinvented for landscape use today:
- Retaining walls: This was the original purpose for gabions, and it remains a major use of them today. Gabions bring an industrial look to any landscape with their texture, plus provide great protection and bordering definition for your yard.
- Flower bed edging: Rather than a raised stone border, some landscape owners choose to go with gabion cages for edging their flower beds. This is affordable and simple.
- Benches: For those with benches in their landscape, consider tucking gabion cages underneath a board or stone slab to create an enhanced look.
- Planters: Making a gabion planter box is easy, involving building the wire cage and then situating a block of polystyrene in the middle. From here, just place a plastic flower pot on top and fill in the surrounding area with stones, then fill the pot with soil and whatever plants you prefer.
- Visual complement: In other cases, landscapers use gabions simply for color and texture to complement other parts of the landscape, using them as an accent piece for decoration, backdrop or a related need.
For more on gabions within landscaping, or to learn about any of our landscaping or lawn maintenance services, speak to the staff at Lawn Care Experts today.