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5 Ideas for Turning Your Phoenix, AZ Home Into a Gorgeous Desert Landscape

December 12, 2019

Although Phoenix, AZ, is located in the upper Sonoran Desert, most homeowners do not take full advantage of the gorgeous desert scenery when it comes to their landscaping. Instead, they trade in the gorgeous modern desert landscaping for conventional styles that try to mask the natural beauty of the desert surroundings.

But there’s no time to mourn over lost design opportunities and desert homes masquerading as dwellings suited to other climates. No! We’re here to talk about how your Phoenix home is in need of a makeover that involves switching to designs that incorporate desert landscaping ideas. Here are a few possible things that you can incorporate into your yard:

What Is Drought-Resistant, Desert Landscaping?

In order to understand how to best turn your Arizona home into the perfect model of modern desert landscaping, you first need to understand what desert landscaping entails; desert landscaping is a natural take on yard design that typically involves using various features and elements that embrace the settings of a desert environment.

In order to do this, a yard will need to have various drought-resistant ground coverings, meaning that they need little to no water to survive. These are then compounded with plants and other low-maintenance backyard elements that are curated and arranged to make your Arizona home a visual hit.

How High-Quality Process Gets You High-Quality Desert Landscape In Phoenix

Many people tend to think that because their Phoenix home is already in the desert, they do not need to try very hard to achieve exceptional modern desert landscaping. However, when it comes to quality landscaping designs, there is no such thing as shortcuts or phoning it in if you want the results to be worthwhile. That is why the companies that implement a high-quality process tend to create some of the most spectacular yard makeovers.

Process centered around quality implies taking the time to sit down with the client and talk through ideas and aspirations that can be brought to life. It also means obtaining the materials and manpower required to get the job done within the agreed-upon timeline. This level of quality and dedication is what separates the businesses that create mediocre yards from the businesses that create yards that could grace the covers of magazines.

5 Simple Ways to Make Your Arizona Yard a Gorgeous Desert Landscape

If you want your Phoenix yard to look as magnificent as possible, you’re going to need the expertise of a successful Arizona landscaping company. Here are a few features that you can add to your next complete landscape design project to transform the yard into a gorgeous desert landscape.

1) WATER FEATURES

People often think that because they live in a desert, they can’t have a yard with a pool or other types of gorgeous water features. However, by strategically including certain types of water features into your Phoenix yard, you can really help improve its overall quality and visual appeal.

Elements like waterfalls help keep the water moving so that it evaporates under the hot sun much slower while simultaneously elevating the overall look of the yard. The water will also reflect and amplify the beauty of those gorgeous Arizona sunsets.

2) ARTIFICIAL TURF

When it comes to Arizona landscaping and planning out your next project, one of the biggest decisions you have to make is choosing the type of grass in your yard. Will you choose sod or artificial turf?. What you plan to use your yard for will have a major impact on which choice is right for you. However, if you are trying to accomplish a stunning desert landscape, then you are usually better off choosing artificial turf for your yard.

This is because artificial turf is drought-resistant and incredibly low-maintenance. Therefore, when the hot Phoenix summer arrives, you can feel confident that your grass is going to remain in good condition the entire season, even if you end up having to leave town for a few weeks.

3) DESERT GARDEN BEDS

When it comes to designing the perfect desert landscape, rather than using a traditional raised garden bed, it is usually a better choice to go with a desert or dry garden bed instead. Although the basic idea behind them is the same, desert garden beds specifically include types of plants that require very little water and can easily survive in arid conditions.

This style, which is widely known as xeriscaping, usually consists of succulents and other drought-resistant plants. The best of these plants/flowers that grow well in Phoenix, AZ include Parry’s Agave and Elephant’s Food. But in order to provide your yard with a splash of color, you should also pick out something like Moss Verbena or Eremophila Maculata. The red of the Eremophila Maculata combined with the purple of Moss Verbena will make your yard match the stunning colors of the Arizona sunsets.

4) SUFFICIENT LIGHTING

When night falls, your beautiful desert landscaping will be hard to make out without proper lighting.

If you want your pristine yard on display 24/7 (or if you want to navigate your yard after dark without walking into a grandiose cactus) then you are going to want to make sure to invest in sufficient lighting throughout your yard.

Placing subtle lights near some of the more unique decorative features can be a great way to help keep the same level of beauty in your yard even once the sun goes down. You can also choose to go with a fire pit or fireplace in your yard in order to provide that extra bit of light—and warmth. As any true desert dweller knows, the desert gets chilly at night.

5) STEPPING STONES

Desert-themed landscaping tends to include a lot of rocks as an alternative to traditional grass. While this style looks great, it can also make walking across your yard a bit of an uncomfortable challenge (and forget the kids jumping through a sprinkler). That is why it is a great idea to include a fair amount of stepping stones throughout your yard.

When mixed in with smaller pebbles, these large stepping stones can not only provide a convenient walkway, they can also be an aesthetically-pleasing addition to your yard and is easy enough to incorporate to your overall design.

Desert Landscaping Process: What to Expect

To put the advice of this article into action, you will need to get in contact with our team of landscaping professionals. We have handled hundreds of similar projects and are always looking for the next exciting challenge.

Through this combination of expertise and passion, we will be able to give you high-quality results and a complete desert landscape that you can be proud of. The tried and true process consists of the following steps:

  • We will get on the phone with you in order to better get acquainted and understand exactly what it is that you envision for your outdoor space. 
  • You’ll look through our galleries and point out which specific features you are interested in. Then you’ll fill out an Online Project Inquiry form. 
  • We meet in person as part of the in-home visit from our design expert. This will allow for a much better understanding of your outdoor space. 
  • Our team will combine your ideas with our expert opinions and use these concepts to create a fully customized CAD drawing or 3D rendering of what the final product will look like. 
  • You will come to our office to have another 30 to 60-minute meeting, which is when we will go through our custom design. This will be your opportunity to make any adjustments to the design before it is finalized. It will be when we hammer out the details of budgeting, timelines, and other logistics. 
  • One more 30 to 60-minute meeting will be conducted at our office once again in order to show how we’ve implemented any changes made in the last meeting. This also gives you an opportunity to pick out the final colors and materials that you are looking for as well as see the final price breakdown and finish completing the contract. 
  • We will create a scale drawing of the work plan and call you to arrange a start date for the project. 
  • Construction then starts and is continued until the final product is done.
  • Once the construction has finished, we will conduct a 30-minute walk through in order to ensure that you are completely satisfied with every element of your yard.
  • At the end, you’ll sit back, enjoy, and invite your friends over to see your gorgeous new landscaping!

With this thorough 10-step process, getting your own perfect desert yard is now easier than ever before. In order to get started implementing your desert landscaping ideas today, contact our team of professionals and have your landscaping dreams come true. 

If you’re ready to bring your dream to life, please contact us today — reach out online via email or our online form, or pick up the phone and give us a call.

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Author: Holly Banghart

Holly, our senior designer and sales manager since 2010, brings expertise in design, industry certifications, and Master Gardener qualification. She crafts functional outdoor spaces tailored to clients' needs with manageable maintenance. Holly excels in conquering design challenges, turning yards into captivating landscapes. If you seek to enhance your outdoor space, Holly stands ready to transform your vision into reality.

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