My landscape experience stems from many years in Phoenix, where upfront costs were negligible, and the yearly maintenance costs (i.e. property maintenance, irrigation & other bills) were not a concern.  Hence came the important aspect of water-wise, sustainable xeriscaping for the desert climates.  With water being scarce, xeriscaping in the southwestern climates is very popular and a landscapers solution.  Desert landscaping & xeriscaping is such a beneficial, long-term solution that many city governments are offering cash rebates and tax rebates just for converting sod to desert landscaping.  Xeriscaping has been a very popular method of landscaping, and landscape designers have adapted this style for many of their clients.

As a Arizona landscape contractor, it’s the landscape designer’s job to design all aspects of desert & xeriscape ideas.  From Sonoran desert landscapes & Phoenix Landscaping, which include many assortments of Arizona cacti, saguaros, and agaves to Southwestern Xeriscapes that usually include many mid-level desert environments that can’t quite tolerate the hot Arizona summers.  Desert landscaping & Xeriscaping often include many of these following types of plant species:

1. Traditional Color Plants- These desert landscaping plants are standard, normal desert plants that require standard water usage.  Some plants have high-flowering properties and attract hummingbirds.  Some common species that landscapers love are the cherry and russian sages, Echinacea, gaillardia, gayfeather, iris, lamb’s ears, yarrows, asters, columbines, or coreopsis.
2. Arizona Desert Plants- Many of the species above would not sustain an Arizona summer, which is the reason for a second list of Arizona landscaping plants.  Red Bird of Paradise, Arizona Yellow Bells, Orange Jubilee, Texas Sage, Baja Fairy Duster are all popular favorites among the Phoenix landscape contractors.  Other standard species you will find in hot xeriscape regions may be the creosote, bursage, mexican hopseed, feathery cassia, ruellia katie, or bougainvillea species.
3. Xeriscape Grasses- Landscape designers use grasses for accents or to fill in large areas.Pampas grass is one of the largest growing xeriscape grasses that can grow to over 6′ tall.  Deer grass is a great choice for grass accents too.  Groundcover & grouping grasses offer a nice fill-in effect in some of the milder climates of the southwest (blue fescue, blue grama, and others).
4. Agaves- There are many various species of agaves, that range from the little agave parryi to the huge 5′ tall agave americana.  Agaves are very drought tolerant and perfect for xeriscaping because of their low maintenance and slow growth.
5. Cacti-  Arizona landscape designers have the great selection of many selections of cacti – but most commonly, the Saguaro cactus (native to Arizona).  Saguaros make an excellent, bold impact on any desert landscape because of it’s huge mass and ability to look great during low-water conditions.  Cacti in desert xeriscaping will drastically reduce the need for water usage, and some incredible cacti considerations are:  Old Man, Totem Pole, Mexican Fence Post and Cholla.
6. Desert Trees- Desert climate trees also require less water and less maintenance.  Properly placed trees and large shrubs can provide natural shade for some plants, as well as provide some natural wind break.  Landscape Designers love the Palo Verde, mesquite, and desert willow for some of their professional projects.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR LANDSCAPING PROJECT:

• Review the regional requirements for xeriscaping species, plant locations and restricted varieties.  Because of their high water consumption and demand, some locations don’t allow the installation of turf or grass.
• Research landscaping & xeriscaping plants that are good for your specific location.  Not all plants grow in all regions – in fact, some will do quite poorly if planted in the wrong space.
• Research rainfall for your location and this can help you find plants and setup & plan for a good drip system.
• Use groupings of plants, different colors, and mounding.  A good idea is to use big species of trees or plants for focal features, and under plant with smaller, colorful plants.
• By watering in the morning, you can avoid excess evaporation, and more water will be used by your trees & plants.
• Practice great irrigation methods – watering daily is not required, you should train your xeriscaping to use less water.
• Remove old flowers & foliage to increase blooms & blooming seasons.
• Reduce the quantity of sod in xeriscape designs, since they require lots of water.
• The use of Phoenix landscape designers is a superb investment when considering the best of SW landscaping & Xeriscaping.

Water Scarcity

In case you reside where water is rare then a desert landscaping idea can provide your yard with a worthy solution. Simultaneously, it does however pay to understand that even deserts have a mix of unique conditions which also means that there is variety in type of plants that are sure to endure in different desert conditions.

One of the more compelling reasons why it pays to opt for a desert style for your backyard is that this type of landscaping does not mean that it is necessary to change over your entire yard. You can decide to plant cacti and also add other components of the desert in certain parts of your backyard. Some great alternatives which include planting oleander and purple sage in addition to pampas grass.

In addition, when giving your yard that desert look, you will need to pay attention to certain special aspects like selecting the right kind of soil; generally, you should not select heavy organic and slow draining soil as these may make the roots waste away. Next, you must ensure safety of the plants and so it means avoiding those plants that are toxic or which may have many thorns. Lastly, you should mix in and match those desert plants as well as grass which in general grow together in normal desert regions.

Desert backyard landscaping could add beauty to almost every backyard, but be sure that you do your homework before you undertake any home landscaping project.  You are going to need to interview a number of landscape architects, in addition to visiting many nurseries, large club stores, and even look online, before you finalize your projects.