Retaining walls are used to stabilize and retain in position earthen embankments, such as those bordering highways. Such walls have been made of concrete blocks having various configurations, the blocks generally being stacked one atop another against an earthen embankment with the wall formed by the blocks being canted back into the earthen wall. The blocks may be formed so that upwardly open spaces are formed in the wall in which bushes or other vegetation can be planted. In addition, individual blocks of such walls may have anchors that extend rearwardly into the earthen embankment to more securely support the blocks. Anchors of this type are known in the art, and reference is made to Jansson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,865 as showing blocks and walls made from such blocks.
It is generally desired that retaining walls of the type described exhibit certain favorable characteristics, among which may be mentioned the ease with which the retaining wall can be assembled, the stability of the wall (that is, its ability to maintain structural integrity for long periods of time), and the ability of the wall to admit and disburse rainwater.
Although retaining wall blocks commonly are supported vertically by resting upon each other, it is important that the blocks be restrained from moving outwardly from the earthen wall that they support. By utilizing anchor configurations that support only individual blocks in a course of blocks, the alignment between adjacent blocks in a course or between different courses may be difficult to achieve and perhaps more difficult to maintain through years of use.