Now you can turn unusable, steep hillsides into productive, decorative gardens that also serve as retaining walls with Hold-A-Hill planter blocks from Hold-A-Hill of America, Salt Lake City, Utah.

"Hold-A-Hill blocks are interlocking 'V'-shaped blocks that are stacked along hillsides or around buildings and then back-filled with dirt. The blocks are made of precast concrete that won't decay or become infested with insects that could invade your home," says M.C. Frehner, company president.

The basic block is 12 in. high, 36 in. wide and weighs 80 lbs. Blocks are set in level rows, at an angle of 51 degrees to the horizontal, with each row set back 10 in. from the row below it. They interlock, forming diamond shaped planting spaces.

"They're lightweight so they can be carried into place without heavy equipment. Most anyone can learn how to install them and do a professional job," says Frehner.

Special corner blocks are available to turn an entire terraced hillside at an angle of 30, 60 or 90 degrees, enabling retaining walls to go around a hill, or into a cove.

Frehner says the blocks can be used as raised bases around lamp posts, as window wells for basement windows, to line ditches and streams and in any location where controlling erosion is important, along with many other uses.