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A railroad tie, crosstie, or sleeper is a beautiful, versatile item to use in landscaping, with multitudes of uses that are limited only by one’s imagination. Railroad ties are highly affordable building and landscaping products. Used ones are priced and sold having between one and four “good” sides. They can be obtained in less than nine-foot lengths at a per-piece rate and nine-to-seventeen foot lengths by the foot, all at very reasonable rates from railroad materials salvage companies.

I would think that second-hand railroad ties have been in landscaping and gardening use ever since the original leftover railroad tie. The raw and natural beauty of them can improve any project. They can be applied as strictly decorative accents, as components of function, or as some combination of the both of them. They can be readily combined with other types of landscaping materials or kept separate in creating myriads of designs, textures, and patterns that, once again, are only limited by one’s imagination.

One of the most common, and perfect, landscape uses for railroad ties is probably that of building retaining walls. Railroad ties are big and heavy enough that they aren’t likely to go anywhere after they’re in place. They’re able to hold however much dirt is needed to be held. Railroad ties can easily be arranged in many different configurations, including singly as a low horizontal retaining wall; multiples on top of each other in offset layers; ties stood up on their ends to look like yard dividers or fences in varying heights, even heights, or alternating heights and stood together, apart, straight, angled, or in curving lines. One more typical use for railroad ties is in making raised flower beds. These can be made on top of any surface, with single or stacked ties, going up a terraced incline or hill, or following curved path lines by being cut into shorter lengths.

Railroad ties make beautiful stairs of all types: stairs up to front doors, with wrought-iron handrails; up to decks; up winding hillsides; and bordered by all kinds of retaining walls, raised beds, or fences. Ties look great as patio and deck edging and as patios and decks-in patterns of all kinds, including circular. Ties make gorgeous stepping stones, placed in groups in complicated patterns, even circular, or placed individually with stepping spaces between them.

Railroad ties also have multitudes of other uses, including as hammock poles, handrails, bridges, tables with benches, park and garden benches, raised or ground-level pond edges, raised tree planters, raised planters with benches suspended between them, gazebos, edging for soft foam play pits, sandpits, cabin foundations, arbors and trellises, pavilions, fireplace mantels, outdoor swings, tree houses, sculptures, household furniture, and barns. People have for many years been finding out the wonders of landscaping with used railroad ties-maybe it’s time for you to bring your ideas and imagination with you on your visit to your local railroad materials suppliers.

Want to find out more about (http://akrailroad.com/OnlineCatalog/Products/tabid/59/Default.aspx) railroad materials salvage, then visit AK Railroad’s site for the best (http://akrailroad.com/OnlineCatalog/LandscapeTies/tabid/99/Default.aspx) railroad materials suppliers for your needs.