Planter Wall Repair

A few days ago I completed 24+ hours trenching/backfilling, building and installing two stabilizing walls perpendicular to the the long planter wall I built four years ago. [See HERE, then HERE, then HERE for that saga.]

Above is the 23ft-long front planter wall I constructed in May '06 using 2-1/2” x 3-1/2” Interlocking Landscape Ties from XPotential Products [Winnipeg, Canada].

Above shows cross-section of the ties. An 8-ft length of this material weighs 37 Lb! Company out-of-commission since Oct '06 due to destruction of factory via fire. Supposedly will produce again around Sept '10. [So retail inventory is VERY limited. Closest outlet with stock is 30m North -- so I drove there last week to buy 7 pieces, although only needed 5.]
Above shows the tilt-out of that long wall over four years. Unrelated to soil pressure, but rather that the material flexes fairly easily [no wood!]. I noticed modest flex-out at top at installation, but discounted it as a problem. Evidently gravity felt otherwise. You can rest one end of this stuff on a step, for example, then step on it... and material will remain curved..... unless you straighten via same method.

Above shows that flex-out moved that angled wall at right end, pulling apart the joint!
Above shows that wall is now vertical. Note that I had to raise the downspout 12-inches. It's directly above the NEW WALL [54-inches-long, 103 Lb]. New wall [5-layers-high] sits on four lengths of 1/2-inch "rebar" driven into the ground to [hopefully] inhibit movement toward driveway.
Installed two triple-galv straight mending straps to connect NEW WALL to long wall.
Above shows NEW WALL #2 at right end. Used two L-shaped triple-galv mending straps to hold new wall to long wall AND two 6-inch exterior lag bolts to fix angled wall to new wall. [Three "rebar" up inside lowest layer of NEW WALL material.]
I had to remove the spiral spruce tree shown in top photo -- not for planter repair, but because it was dying. Apparently not enough sun. Only got about 3-4 hours-per-day, and then only in Summer. Shoulda read the label more carefully before purchasing in June '06. Oops.

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