Southwest Xeriscaping and Desert Landscape Ideas

The finishing touch to every new home project, house remodel or commercial building is Landscaping. It’s what makes the building, the exterior, and the overall project beautiful. Landscaping also should be designed and installed to accent the architectural feel of the building or home. Landscape Designers and Landscape Architects often provide excellent ideas in residential and small commercial landscaping – such as landscape design, exterior environments, backyards, and residential landscapes. At the same time, landscape designers should be conscientious of upfront costs, maintenance costs, and long term upkeep.

My background stems from many years in the Southwest, where upfront costs were negligible, and the yearly operating costs (i.e. water bills, landscape maintenance, etc.) were not a concern. Hence came the important aspect of water-wise, sustainable xeriscaping for the desert climates. Water is not available in the southwest areas, so Xeriscaping is very popular for homeowners and landscape companies. Many new residences are not allowed to have turf, and the local officials entice by offering cash rebates for converting turf areas to xeriscaping. Xeriscaping has been a very popular method of landscaping, and landscape designers have adapted this style for many of their clients.

Providing many different design styles and ideas is the main goal of our Phoenix landscape contractor. 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:

Traditional Color Plants- These xeriscaping plants are standard, normal landscaping plants that require normal water usage. Some of these species are known to attract hummingbirds, bloom continuously for months, and have lots of flowers. Some common species may include: Arizona columbine, Artemisias, asters, columbines, or coreopsis.
Arizona Desert Plants- Many of the species above would not sustain an Phoenix summer, which is the reason for a second list of Arizona xeriscaping 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 common plants you may see in hot desert climates may be Mexican honeysuckle, creosote bush, bursage, chuparosa, ruellia, bougainvillea, or cassias.
Xeriscape Grasses- Desert Landscaping designers use grasses for accents or to fill in large areas.Growing over 7′ tall, Pampas grass can provide a serious visual feature or wind block in any desert landscape. Muhly grass is an excellent choice for accents too. Some ornamental grasses such as fescue, blue grama, and others can actually fill in large areas and act as a ground cover.
Agaves- There are many unique species of agaves, that range from the tiny agave parryi to the huge 6′ tall agave americana. Because of slow growth & little upkeep, the Agave is a great solution for xeriscaping in the southwest.
Cacti- Arizona xeriscaping designers have the great selection of many species of cacti – but most commonly, the Saguaro cactus (native to Arizona). Saguaros make the perfect statement for any desert sustainable landscape because of it’s ability to look great with NO water usage. Cacti in desert landscaping will drastically reduce the need for water consumption, and some unique cacti considerations are: Fish Hook, Golden Barrel, Twisted Cereus and Cholla.
Desert Trees- Desert 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. Some common xeriscaping trees include the Desert Willow, African sumac, chitalpa, and elm tree.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR LANDSCAPING PROJECT:

Review the regional requirements for xeriscaping species, plant locations and restricted species. Check your local rules and regulations for high water use plants like turf – it may not be allowed.
Find out which landscaping & xeriscaping plants that are good for your specific location. Some plants will do poorly if not planted in the proper region.
Research annual rainfall for your location and this can help you find plants and setup & plan for a adequate sprinkler system.
By using groups of plants, you can create mounds of different sizes & colors. When using small groups of low plants, use large groups of trees and shrubs as accents.
By early morning watering, one can bypass excessive evaporation.
Practice great irrigation methods – watering daily is not required, you should train your xeriscaping to use less water.
Cut wilted flowers & foliage to improve blooms & blooming lengths.
If you have sod or turf in your xeriscape, then make sure you irrigate properly and reduce runoff.
The contracting of a Phoenix landscape designer is a great investment when considering the best of SW landscaping & Xeriscaping.