Archive for May, 2010

Get the right soil preparation and the best sod for the climate and great Arizona lawn care tips from the pros.Maintaining a Peoria, Arizona lawn installation can be quite the challenge at best. Arizona lawn care presents a homeowner with an entirely different set of challenges that are not present in many other states. Extra efforts are needed, especially in the extremely hot and dry summer months, making it difficult for Peoria, AZ lawns to survive – let alone thrive.

The first step to having an easy to maintain lawn in the desert of Arizona that always looks beautiful is having the right type of sod installed in your yard. And, although for the most part, desert landscape design will use a minimum of lawn space, with some careful effort following a few basic tips the best way to create and maintain vibrant and lush Arizona lawns.

Soil quality in Peoria is basically alkaline and sandy, with patchy areas of clay. The sandy soils here reduce the sod’s ability for moisture and nutrient retention that is necessary to produce vigorous, healthy lawns. Arizona lawn installation companies will prep the soil appropriately to allow better drainage and rooting in clay and improve moisture retention in sandier soils. Proper soil preparation will assist your lawn in making the most of the watering it receives. Most yards will have different areas of the two soil types that must be addressed for great looking, lush in Peoria, AZ lawns.

Adding composted humus to both types of soil found in Peoria AZ yards assists clay in draining and sand in adopting better moisture retention. This also helps increase your Arizona sod installed to get everything it needs out the quality fertilizer a reputable Peoria landscape company uses. Additionally, the humus installed with soil prep for Arizona lawn installation also serves to protect the lawn’s root system.

Irrigation systems, Peoria, Arizona homeowners are the smart choice for those who have sod installed in their desert landscape design. This allows your lawn to never get too dry while you are busy doing what you must do. Arizona lawn installation is an important part of your home’s curb appeal value, so you’ll want to keep it lush and vibrant at all times.

The best Arizona lawn installation companies will offer you fertilizer and lawn sprinkler systems maintenance service. This will allow you to have a great looking Peoria, Arizona lawn and not have to worry about when and what to feed your lawn. You’ll be free of the hassle of dragging around hoses, as well as not watering enough, or watering too little. Your automatic irrigation system should be set to provide your sod with about 1 ½ inches of water using a slow, rain-like method for deep moisture penetration.

One area that many homeowners who have Peoria, AZ lawns shouldn’t overlook is the proper mowing procedures. You’ll want to protect your investment with good Arizona lawn care ensuring your grass is not damaged and remains healthy. Your lawn will also look far greener if you mow only with sharp blades on your mower. Dull blades rip the grass, leaving frayed surfaces that turn white in the sunlight. It is highly recommended that you maintain a mower blade height between 2 ½ to 3 inches from early spring through to late autumn.

Maintaining the longer hot weather grass height on your Peoria, Arizona lawn will help provide a protective shade for root systems of Arizona lawns. For both you and your lawn, mowing in the evening as the sun sets is best. This allows you more comfortable conditions for yard work and the grass blades time to heal the cuts before the sun next reaches its maximum height. In winter you should drop your mower blade height for mowing at 1 to 2 inches.

If you decide to fertilize your new Peoria, Arizona lawn installation on your own, remember it will get hungry. You should be applying a high quality slow-release lawn fertilizer every 30 to 45 days. Don’t overdo the lawn feeding though. Lawn fertilizer burns when it is applied too heavily. To learn more about Arizona lawn installation and automatic irrigation installation services, don’t hesitate to contact Desert Crest.

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The biggest element for outdoor living patios and courtyards in Arizona? Water features to enhance New River landscaping.One of the hottest topics splashing around in the Arizona landscape design community today is the addition of water features. These outdoor living area elements can be as simple as courtyard fountains or elaborate as cascading waterfalls with multiple ponds inhabited by colorful fish and beautiful water plants.

Instilling a rejuvenating mood and evoking a setting of serenity to New River outdoor living patios or courtyard designs is something not possible to create in any other way. Water features add many benefits to your Arizona landscape design. Transformation of a place or a mood is simple with water; it has always had this affect on a space and a person. The reason is the fact that splashing water emits raw beneficial serotonin into the air around water features in nature. Applying this attitude adjustment to your Arizona landscaping can create the perfect escape you need from the outside world and its headaches.

One of the more popular types of water features used in New River landscape design is backyard ponds. The well designed landscape pond is great looking through the windows of your home and an attraction that beckons friends and family to gather and absorb the tranquility. The ambient sounds provided by Arizona water features like ponds and courtyard fountains will always deliver soft background music enhanced by mood elevators as a natural resource for outdoor living areas.

Increasing the beauty and relaxation of pool decks in Arizona with waterfalls is wonderful. Adding the enhancement of night lit waterfalls around the pool deck? New River landscaping can hit a whole new zenith. As part of patio designs, in Arizona courtyards or greeting guests in your outdoor foyer – you can extend the enjoyment of water features to all hours of the night and day with underwater lighting.

Adding fish to your New River pond design will definitely make it into the focal point for your outdoor living patio entertainment. You, your family and all your visitors will become enthralled watching hours of fish activity.

However, before you get too excited about how adding water features in New River landscaping can become a valuable and entertaining asset, there are two important decisions to make that include its location and size.

Take into consideration two elements when choosing a location – sun and visibility. You need a spot in your New River landscape design where sunlight shines at least four hours per day so any aquatic plants can bloom. You can place water features in the shade if you do not include blooming water plants. Also, adding plants to the rocky edges of Arizona water features like ponds and waterfalls deliver half of the beauty you would expect from outdoor living area enhancements as part of your landscape design.

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Replacing lawns with xeriscape landscaping is getting more popular in Arizona. Get the facts straight first.Even if you can afford that lawn watering bill, many people are becoming more conscious about conserving fresh water in Arizona. Landscaping in the desert can be quite lovely without any constantly thirsty fine turf expanses, At the very least , changing lawns to desert landscape for the majority of the current square footage makes a lot more sense.

Small lawns used in your outdoor living spaces are far more water conscious that huge expanses of green grass. They do add natural cooling effects to the areas around them, far more so than pavers and flagstone does. The front yard is the first place to start going native, removing lawn for xeriscape plants and Arizona landscape rock. After all, no one lives in their front yard. In this area you only need your curb appeal looking manicured, colorful and alive.


This is the desert, so xeriscaping at the curb fits in very nicely with the area.

Before you had a lawn the ground around your home was a natural desert, lawns are aliens to the greater Phoenix area. Arizona landscaping companies can change your grass to desert plantings however, doesn’t mean you will no longer need to water anything in your yard. If you want wild desert with whatever God allows to grow there without any help from you, just tear out the lawn and let Nature take its own course. It is doubtful any homeowner today would want to do so, and even more doubtful your community bylaws would permit you to do so. The alternative is you need a well planned Arizona landscape using xeriscape plants where your is grass right now.

Drip irrigation and the proper soil amendments will change lawns to desert landscaping that is vibrant and thriving. Unlike watering your grass right now, drip irrigation runs small amounts of water beneath the surface only to the roots of the desert and drought tolerant plants. There is no waste of water for desert landscaping in Arizona, with automatic drip irrigation. The fact is that hand watering with the hose from above as most people do, in an effort to conserve water… wastes a lot more precious water than you even realize. The uppermost level of the soil is not where your desert plant’s roots are, but that is where you will be watering them. This causes a lot of plants to become very sad looking.


You will save money if you get rid of grass, change to desert and water lightly.

Just don’t forget that your curb appeal is your landscaping. In Arizona, homes won’t look near as welcoming without nicely laid out xeriscape landscaping design. That is if you use drip irrigation to ensure that each plant or cacti receives water when it needs it and in the right amounts… in the places it is supposed to be. It is not that watering your landscaping in Arizona is a waste. As with anything else, moderation and a keen planning offer you the biggest savings and the best solution to most issues you need answers for.

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No matter what size your budget is, the best landscape design, Arizona homeowner will cost less over time.

Professionals at Arizona landscape design can apply their talents and skills with computerized or hand drawn landscape design plans.

All of us are looking for ways to save money on our household budgets these days. Yet, when it comes to the biggest investment any homeowner makes, it is important to be budget-minded while ensuring your curb appeal is intact. Additionally, inferior Arizona landscape design will always end up costing you far more than curb appeal value, saving money on your landscape designer will cost you greatly over time. Cheap landscape designers in Arizona will be those who lack the knowledge needed to create stunning desert landscapes that will increase in beauty over time.


Landscape design is like taking a picture and waiting a year for development.

In the Phoenix area and across the country, it become harder with each passing year for professional landscapers to purchase large, more mature plants. This issue is driven by costs and price levels for both the nursery operation and the consumer. Saving money on your Arizona landscape design should be done with the size of the plant material installed and not on the selection your professional desert landscape designer uses to build beautiful plantings that will thrive for many years.

While not all plants for the desert will be really costly, the right plant in the wrong place will cost you more to maintain over the passing years than the alternative. Don’t sacrifice ease of maintenance for your xeriscape design attractiveness. If your budget is really tight, you would be farther ahead money wise to do the planting in stages working in waves from the foundation out. Many times your professional landscape designer will work with you in deciding what large trees or cacti can go in with the first phase to give dimension to your yard as you work within a limited budget. It is not unusual for Phoenix area homeowners today to find they must increase their curb appeal on a 3 year to 5 year plan.


Getting the xeriscaped landscaping you want planned is step one.

Don’t piecemeal your landscape design in Arizona and use different designers and installers. You need the same artistic talent to create good flow and consistent beauty all over the property. The best AZ landscape designer will be as talented with desert plant selection and placement as they are in doing patio design and driveway installation.

Do be sure to check the references of any Arizona landscape design company. The design and installation contractors that are voted into the Ranking Arizona Top 10 will always be your best bet for saving money on landscape maintenance while not sacrificing quality of workmanship or knowledgeable use of plants for the desert climate. The best designers for Arizona landscaping today will have a website and a large number of AZ landscaper reviews published by actual clients on places on the internet that are not connected to their website. Remember that excellent customer service is as important as beauty when it comes to saving money on your landscaping in the greater Phoenix area.

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