Retaining wall to hold slope from patio

I have a walk-out basement that exits to a patio. The slope at the side of the house is about 3' above the patio level at its highest, then drops off as it goes away from the house. I want to put in a wall (3' at the highest end, and about 10' long) to keep the dirt from washing out over my patio.

I've gotten the dirt out, but I don't know what type of stone to use here. I've looked at PaveStone that's at the big-box stores, but it recommends no more than two feet. And I'm not sure what kind of back fill or drainage help I need behind the wall.

Any pointers and direction is greatly appreciated. I'm very new to retaining walls. I've attached a picture of it; the wall will need to corner at the point the patio ends, and come in, since there is a gas line just a bit further out (the yellow flags).

 

Good, you've already researched and found that retaining blocks from a home center are not appropriate. I would look into similar style blocks but those engineered for retaining walls. The blocks are similar but generally bigger and heavier and with better interlocking between blocks and from row to row of blocks. I use Keystone brand but there are several others that are also very good.

Don't let the larger size and weight of the engineered blocks scare you. The larger size means you need fewer blocks so the wall can be built surprisingly fast. Whichever brand you choose they will have installation instructions that describe every step in the process including drainage behind the wall.

 

Boulders, they are readily available at landscape centers and can be purchased in sizes from 6" to 2'.

Med sizes are easy to move with a wheel borrow and the nice thing if they don't require a significant base, and if they do shift a little you wont even notice unlike a block wall.

Your wall is minimal, throw some fabric behind the rocks, backfill behind the fabric with gravel, plant some small flowering plants in the cracks and you have a nice looking backdrop.