Desert landscaping ideas: 8 ways to create a verdant oasis
Table Of Content
Acknowledge and celebrate the beauty of seasonal changes in the desert. Plan your landscape to showcase different blooming periods, ensuring a dynamic and ever-evolving visual experience. Peg Aloi is a gardening expert and former garden designer with 13 years experience working as a professional gardener in the Boston and upstate New York areas. She received her certificate in horticulture from the Berkshire Botanical Garden in 2018. Think Green – Design | Build Landscape is here to help you build the outdoor living space you have always dreamed about.
How to get the Backyard of your Dreams
This could easily lead to problems like sunburns alongside probable discomfort. By using pergolas in your landscape, you can give yourself some refuge from the shade when you need it. Water your plants sparingly, following the specific needs of each plant and adjusting based on weather conditions. Regularly check for weeds and remove them promptly to prevent competition for water and nutrients.
Desert Mosaics: Intricate Patterns with Pavers and Stones
2022 ASLA PROFESSIONAL AWARDS - American Society of Landscape Architects
2022 ASLA PROFESSIONAL AWARDS.
Posted: Fri, 30 Sep 2022 19:14:30 GMT [source]
The desert contains a wealth of plant life, as well as unique regional stones and artifacts that, when combined, make up an otherworldly realm of beauty and style-setting nuance. Whether it’s a cozy reading corner, a meditation zone, or a hammock under the open sky, infuse your personality into the design, making your outdoor haven uniquely yours. Amplify the allure of your desert landscape with mirrored installations and reflective water features. These additions not only create optical illusions but also enhance the perception of space, making your outdoor haven feel larger and more enchanting.
The Dos and Don’ts of Arizona Desert Landscape Design
Creating areas with several of these cacti smattered around can look brilliant. Replace water-intensive grass with gravel, drought-resistant ground covers, or artificial turf, maintaining the aesthetic appeal while conserving precious water resources. Choose outdoor furniture made from sustainable materials to enhance the eco-friendly aspect of your desert oasis.
Choose pieces that harmonize with the natural surroundings, elevating the aesthetic appeal of your outdoor space. Maximize space and add a touch of modernity by creating succulent walls. Vertical gardens featuring a variety of succulent species not only save ground space but also serve as eye-catching focal points.
Make cacti and succulents a focus of your desert scheme
Large sand beds can be used to grow cacti, and southwest-style pots make an ideal display for succulents. Use hanging lights, large rocks, metal garden art, and statuary to decorate your inexpensive desert landscape. Artificial turf is a wise alternative for lush green lawns in a dry climate. Spread a grassy turf along the yard and add some desert plants such as wildflowers, Ficus, or Palm to boost appeal. For advice, we turned to Phoenix-based landscape architect Steve Martino, who grew up in arid, rocky terrain.
Ornamental grasses like Mexican feather grass, deer grass, and little bluestem, are low-maintenance and can grow just fine on their own, even in arid desert conditions. Use large ornamental grasses to create a focal point in your sand beds, or use smaller varieties as a border for small succulent gardens. If you live in areas where there's plentiful rainfall and high humidity, you can still include desert landscaping ideas using plants suited to your region. Jeff Clark, a horticulturist at High Country Gardens in Santa Fe, recommends a sun-heated site with quick-draining soil. You'll find microclimates suited to xeriscape plants bordering west- and south-facing foundations, stone paths, rock walls, and in the "inferno strip" between sidewalk and street.
Rocks and stone work well in desert landscapes because they’re naturally occurring material that enhances the appearance of your yard. In desert landscapes, it’s best to keep these walkways paved and clear. To keep the natural look consistent, many homeowners choose to use stone walkways. These ideas will help you set your own desert exterior up in a way that will make you happy to enjoy the sun. Consider installing a drip irrigation system that targets the roots of the plants, minimizing water loss through evaporation.
Native and Drought-Tolerant Plant Selection
You can create your own desert paradise with a pool surrounded by the plants and shrubbery of your choice. Mixed in with the harsh desert climate, having a pool such as this can be your own little slice of paradise. Trying to develop lush colors in the desert can be a very difficult task.
Avoid the trap of monotony by incorporating a variety of plant textures, colors, and sizes. Uncover the secrets of harmonizing these elements to create a visually appealing and dynamic Arizona desert landscape. When planning a garden, it always pays to lay things out ahead of time. If you build your desert garden as you go, you may get ahead of yourself and end up with too many cacti and not enough rocks, or too much wall art and not enough flowering plants.
Use cinder blocks or rectangular stones to construct a fire pit to make your landscape feel more authentic. This inexpensive desert landscaping idea is the perfect choice for anyone who plans on entertaining in their effortlessly beautiful desert backyard. That wooden privacy fence the HOA insisted you install may not fit in very well with your southwest theme.
Group plants with similar water needs together to create efficient irrigation zones. The foundation of a captivating desert landscape lies in the selection of native plants. Opt for resilient succulents like Agave and Aloe Vera, creating a harmonious blend that thrives in the arid environment.
Recirculating fountains are particularly popular because they don’t easily fall prey to excessive evaporation. Additionally, many homes with swimming pools have water features such as waterfalls, bubblers, and fountains. If there’s one defining feature of the desert, it’s the arid environment. Deserts aren’t well-known for their large water supply, which can be used to your advantage in landscape design. These walls are also a great way to add a pop of unnatural color to your landscape design.
Design structures that complement the natural surroundings, using materials and colors that harmonize with the arid environment. Ensure a balanced energy flow by arranging elements in a way that promotes harmony and a sense of well-being within your outdoor sanctuary. Embrace sustainability by incorporating salvaged materials into your desert landscape. Weathered wood, recycled metal, and reclaimed stone can add a rustic charm, creating a space that feels both timeless and eco-friendly.
Comments
Post a Comment