Desert Crest Press

An essential part of any Arizona home is an inviting approach for guests and curb appeal. We make the most of courtyards in our Southwestern architecture. Whether you want traditional adobe or natural stone walls to enclose and add ambiance to this semi private outdoor room, both compliment home designs here in the desert.

Unlike the majority of other landscape design components, hiring a contractor to plan and install your front courtyard requires masonry skills for its most important element … the walls.

The use of an open front porch as is popular in many regions of the country, but they aren’t technically a room. Courtyards in Scottsdale serve as outdoor rooms that extend beyond a public area solely for greeting guests. Granted, the front porch is a gathering spot on a hot evening in many locations, but these home features are public areas open to any bypassing traffic. Here in Arizona, courtyards are a private to semi-private space and many make use of them as a cooling, relaxing place in addition to using them as sort of an outdoor foyer.

Today’s courtyard walls can be low or tall, depending on the preferences and taste of the homeowner. Natural stone masonry walls are popular for enclosing courtyards in Scottsdale and many other Arizona locations. These courtyards become a handsome accent to our adobe home walls. For a more fluid look that blends beautifully with a house’s exterior, stucco courtyard walls are the perfect choice. This allows your stone mason to match the color of your home or even accent it in certain parts of the design.

Stucco courtyards allow for less geometry used in the shape of the walls, such as the curves seen in the image above. This particular courtyard is shaded most of the day, offering a welcome space for both arriving guests and the members of the household. The same pavers used in the sidewalk approach were used to create the courtyard floor and bring a welcome accent color and texture to this outdoor room’s appeal. The traditional open iron gate and lighting fixtures add much to the overall exterior design.

Once inside this enclosure, a courtyard fountain adds to the cooling of the space as well as to its overall decor. Water features are a popular addition to the design of courtyards in Scottsdale and around greater Phoenix as well. Naturally, you’ll want to include low maintenance plants in beds or attractive containers to soften the masonry and assist in cooling the air in your private outdoor room.

The result on this particular courtyard’s design adds great value not only to the curb appeal of this residential property, but also to creating extended and useful space to retreat from the sun, yet enjoy fresh air. Working with Desert Crest to design an install a courtyard makes the process smooth and without the hassle or delay of calling in other companies to handle different parts of the construction. We are licensed and insured to do the entire project from breaking ground to the final touches.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Everything about this informal shrub to small landscaping tree is lovely. Whether you prefer yellow or red flowers, the Bird of Paradise is an excellent addition to any lower elevation Arizona home.

The small leaves are arranged on the branches in a manner that is reminiscent of ferns imparting greenery that is beautiful in it’s own right. This will make Bird of Paradise and enjoyable plant in any Phoenix or Glendale landscape design even in the months it isn’t blooming.

Long months of vibrant color will be present though, as the Caesalpinia pulcherrima will provide a riot of brilliant blooms from March through October. You will want to be sure to only plant Bird of Paradise in full sun for abundant flowering and to allow it to grow with the most attractive and full shape. This particular Arizona landscaping plant doesn’t look near as wonderful in a shaded location. It should never be situated on the north side of a building or tree if you are to enjoy it’s beauty completely.

For homeowners in the greater Phoenix area and Glendale, landscape design that is lush and tropical in appearance is very tempting. The more demand for ample moisture can be a drawback with some lush plants that will thrive in our desert climate though. Not so with the Bird of Paradise which only needs to be watered once a week to maintain excellent health, vigor and produce scads of gorgeous blooms. This allows it to be a low maintenance shrub or ornamental tree that many Arizona homeowners will find an asset to their outdoor living areas and curb appeal.

The Bird of Paradise will grow to be taller than it is wide with a mature presence of 6-15 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide. While it is truly a fluffy shrub in the plant kingdom, with proper shaping it can be trained into a tree form. It’s rather narrow width makes it a great selection for today’s smaller yards. Adding it to your Arizona landscape will be easy as it will tuck into a rather small space and eventually add fluffy height as it ages.

Don’t worry about summer heat here being too harsh on your Bird of Paradise. As long as it’s watered once a week while actively blooming, it will sail through the hot months and continue to be a great looking plant for your yard or patio landscaping. There is only moderate cleanup needed so don’t be shy about placing these great looking plants next to the patio, driveway or sidewalk.

Winter temperatures can cause frost damage to Bird of Paradise in Glendale landscaping. This is easily cleaned up in spring and the plant will quickly regenerate new growth as the days grow warmer. In a really harsh winter, this plant may be killed back to the ground. Not to worry though, simply cut it back and the roots will regenerate a whole new shrub for you to enjoy for months on end. Its a great addition to your Arizona xeriscape landscaping that is well maintained with light periodic irrigation.

(Image courtesy of creosoteshadow, Creative Commons.)

Popularity: 25% [?]

Besides the obvious method of looking at the nursery pot tag,  there is an alternative method for discovering which Arizona or Phoenix landscape plants will be drought tolerant.

You may find it interesting to know that nature has endowed plants with distinctive features that make it possible to sort them into probable growing condition hardiness. Perhaps, like animals, the leafy inhabitants of the planet has also developed certain physical traits that allow them to deal with elements of their native environment and survive.

For xeriscaping landscaping and creating beautiful yards in Paradise Valley, Phoenix or Anthem, landscape design choices will tolerate the extreme heat as well as exhibit low water requirements. Curiously enough, all those that do well here will neatly fit into one or more of the following descriptive appearances categories.

Stems and leaves are thick and fleshy:

• Cactus
• Sedums
• Succulents
• Penstemon

Leaves that are coated and waxy:

• Yuccas – some such as Mojave Yucca
• Creosote Plant
• Cactus – some such as Beavertail Cactus

Leaves that are very fuzzy or densely covered with a hairy surface:

• plants like lamb’s ears or Stacys)

Foliage that has a blue, silver or gray hue:

• Aloe
• Salvia or Sage
• Agave

Long narrow leaves:

• Palo Verde
• Sago Palm
• Ornamental Grasses
• Desert Daisy

Leaves that prickly or have spines:

• Dyckia
• Globe Thistle
• Cactus

This is just a short and partial sorted list of the flora diversity that we enjoy in our yards in this part of the Southwest. As you look around at the native desert plants as well as those that do nicely in a manicured, but low moisture requirements any Phoenix, Paradise Valley or Anthem landscape design – you instantly see that all of them fit neatly into these physical characteristics.

The reason that xeriscaping landscaping plants have these characteristics is to assist them in keeping all available moisture within the stems and leaves and to deflect the intense heat of summer in this part of Arizona. It is also why so many big leaved plants whose foliage consistency is thin and delicate do not thrive here in the desert. Their physical characteristics scream ‘must have consistent water availability’.

Still, it is possible to enjoy gardens in our courtyard or patio design featuring plants with different levels of water needs without being wasteful with our precious fresh water supply. The most effective way for any Arizona landscape design to maintain great beauty with minimal irrigation during the many dry months of our year is to amend the soil before planting each area. This controls the availability of moisture and assists the roots in always having the right drainage conditions. Phoenix landscapers with good plant knowledge can create a xeriscape design that is not 100% super drought tolerant plants that will flourish for many years around your Paradise Valley or Anthem home.

Popularity: 28% [?]

The best looking swimming pool landscaping will include plants for softening all the pavers or travertine and tile work. All over Phoenix, Scottsdale and Glendale adding a water feature is becoming increasingly popular. Some people opt for swimming pool fountains. These can be great for ambiance set in pillars along the edge of the pool and give you so many options for styling and materials used in designing them.

As is seen in the pool and spa design in this image, Glendale swimming pool fountains don’t have to look like a fountain at all. We also see a lot of interest around the area for combining Arizona waterfalls to pool landscaping. Natural rocks and rushing water have always complimented each other so nicely.

The finished effect in this pool landscaping design is striking visually and relaxing at the same time. The smooth texture of tile and light texture of stucco look great by themselves in pool design. Adding landscape boulders, some great looking plants and tumbling water… and you have a destination getaway just waiting for you to enjoy it.

While it wouldn’t look at all natural to create a high waterfall on level ground, some height and length of run can accomplish great sound and a realistic setting. This particular pool landscaping design has great contrast between the light color of the pool coping and spa, the pavers pool deck and patio, and the echo of the paver tone in the rocks that form this Arizona waterfall .

Here the swimming pool water is recirculated through the falls and the rocks seem to spill right into the water, as they would in nature. While there is length to the this pool water feature, it doesn’t take up important patio space, because it is worked into the niche behind the spa and curves around to the pool’s edge. Basically, this waterfall design connects a short, rock strewn stream to the falls. The entire length is also running on an incline that disappears into the pool at water level.

The most economical method of adding Arizona waterfalls to your Phoenix, Glendale or Scottsdale area yard is by having it installed to work in conjunction with your pool water. Swimming pool fountains naturally make use of this same water source when adding them to pool landscaping. When designed well, these backyard living water features offer both sound and sight beauty.

Popularity: 36% [?]

The swimming pool is definitely a most important feature in backyard landscaping for anyone living in Arizona. For homeowners around Phoenix, pavers used for the patio and pool decks many times merge into one continuous expanse, due to today’s smaller residential properties space limitations. The result is low maintenance pool landscaping that is mainly comprised of paving stones or natural stone tiling that provides instant flow for family use and more entertainment area.

Naturally, adding softscaping with easy to care for and drought tolerant desert plants is important to the ambiance of Phoenix pool landscaping. Without the lovely texture and greenery, your outdoor living spaces lack the depth and warmth they need. Colorful flowers are also very popular for adding vibrancy and accenting both the planting and the natural stone work or pavers used for the hardscaping.

Pool decks with natural stone paving are beautiful, but it is important to make sure the stone type selected will not be slippery when wet. For this reason, travertine stone tiles are often seen in pool deck design around Phoenix and Scottsdale. Unlike Arizona flagstone, the surface of travertine tiling is smooth and flat, along with not being slippery when wet due to its somewhat porous composition. Additionally, for pool decks, this stone is light and heat reflective allowing for far more comfort in walking around in your bare feet in the heat of summer.

Pool landscaping for many homeowners in the Scottsdale and Phoenix areas also includes swimming pool fountains and waterfalls. Blending Phoenix pavers for pool decks with natural stone wall fountains in a complimenting blend or even contrasting range of hues can create some stunning outdoor living spaces. Like all other backyard landscaping features, swimming pool fountains can be custom designed to suit your vision of what will be awesome. The addition of running water adds more than just visual aesthetics too. It helps to cool the air, supplies energized ions that are naturally soothing and relaxing, along with increasing the available moisture in the air around your pool.

The days of utilitarian plain concrete pool decks is definitely over. Desert Crest now designs and installs pool landscaping that features either Phoenix pavers or natural stone paving all around this area of Arizona. We see more and more homeowners requesting swimming pool fountains or waterfalls with added drama from lighting. This makes the most of including the pool in your overall backyard landscaping and outdoor living patio, especially when you place a shady ramada or pergola in a prominent spot.

Popularity: 41% [?]