Desert Crest Press

It’s a rare Arizona homeowner that doesn’t want to add the most color from blooms to their xeriscaping landscaping as possible. It wouldn’t be stretching the truth one bit, to say that this request is a number one requirement given to landscape designers nationwide. So we are never surprised when this is one of the first things a Phoenix or Glendale landscape design client adds to the list of what benefits they want most from their new outdoor areas.

Oleanders are a great plant for landscaping in Arizona around this region. While most homeowners are aware that there are dwarf and standard sized plants available in these long blooming evergreens, many don’t know that there are really different types of oleanders. Additionally, some of these ornamental shrubs and trees aren’t as tolerant of lack of water as others are. This is something that is important to anyone’s low maintenance desires from xeriscaping landscaping.

As is frequently an issue when using common names to identify plants for landscaping in Arizona (or anywhere else), some of these misnomers can cause a homeowner problems in their plantings.

Nerium oleander is the proper name for the most drought tolerant selections for xeriscaping landscaping. These woody evergreens are available in a variety of colors in white, pinks and light reds – as well as some bicolored blooms. There are dwarfs available such as Petite Pink and Petite Salmon Oleander, which will mature at 4 feet high and wide. The regular Nerium oldeander selections will mature at 10-20 feet tall and over time present you with a small ornamental tree that bears abundant blooms most heavily in spring and fall. It isn’t uncommon to see blooms on these rugged xeriscaping landscaping plants in summer though, making them very popular for Phoenix and Glendale landscape design.

On the other hand, Mexican Oleander, requires more moisture assistant to remain looking great. This is not to say that it cannot thrive in xeriscaping landscaping in Arizona. These large shrubs, sometimes trained into a tree-form, just require a bit heavier drip irrigation or watering schedule than the standard oleanders do.

Mexican Oleander is also commonly referred to as Yellow Oleander and isn’t in the Nerium family, but is related to it. This plant’s proper name is Thevitia peruviana, and produces blooms that are usually yellow, but is available with soft apricot blooms too. This relative of the Nerium oleander matures at about 10 feet high and wide.

This is a very handsome plant in Glendale landscape design for xeriscaping landscaping, It has a beautiful open form and great texture. Thevitias have the same water requirements as grass though, and do get cold damage at about 25 degrees, as opposed to the more cold tolerant Neriums showing no damage until temps drop to about 15 degrees.

Image courtesy of mccheek (creativecommons 2.0).

Popularity: 17% [?]

Travertine imported from quarries in Mexico is a great choice for creating stunning courtyard flooring, sidewalks, pool decks  and patio designs. The Arizona climate allows this more fragile stone tile to be long lasting and wear beautifully in Scottsdale and Phoenix outdoor living spaces.

Combining travertine pavers and stucco masonry to echo the look of adobe allows your Phoenix or Scottsdale landscaping to blend nicely with the look of an Arizona home and the natural colors of the desert landscape. Sometimes it is easy to forget that residential landscaping was meant to look at home with the overall unmaintained areas stretching to the horizon. While all homeowners seek to frame their homes and outdoor living spaces with great beauty that may be exotically foreign to the surrounding natural areas, the use of natural stone can easily create just the right balance.

Many of our Scottsdale and Phoenix patio designs make use of both upright structures, and steps for different levels to complete the hardscaping area. This particular travertine pavers outdoor living space’s design is right at home on the waterfront in Sun City. Here traversing the change in grade from the walkout level to the boat dock was done with matching the color of stucco masonry to one of the darker tones in the stone tiles.

This low maintenance landscape design is perfectly suited to the homeowner’s lifestyle and makes a wonderful asset to their property as well. Stucco masonry was used to create the step risers, raised planter and garden walls capped by hand cut travertine coping. The outdoor living space’s stone paving has given this homeowner a look is very stylish and elegant, yet relaxing and large enough for entertaining when the need arises.

When considering your options in Scottsdale or Phoenix patio designs, using natural stone paving like travertine pavers gives you the benefit of timeless beauty. While design trends come and go as we all know, stone paving has never gone out of style. Since outdoor living spaces and other paved surfaces are important parts of landscape design as well as being a more expensive part of any home improvement installation, it makes a great deal of sense to select a hardscaping material that will not soon look outdated.

It would be a simple thing to add outdoor fireplaces to travertine pavers patio designs or water features using this same type of combination of stucco masonry and natural stone paving. You’ll have a selection of colors to choose from in travertine making it easy to create just the right accent or blend between your Phoenix or Scottsdale landscaping and the colors of your home.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Sweeps of manicured green and lovely blooming plants give a new dimension to homes around Glendale, Scottsdale and Phoenix. Landscaping adds so much to a home’s exterior appeal, and this property definitely has beauty everywhere you look. Obviously, this isn’t a brand new installation. It’s easy to see right away that the roses along the courtyard walls are growing into maturity and covered with many blooms. Nor are any seams present in the lush Phoenix lawn that make this hacienda styled home so outstanding looking.

There is more maintenance involved in having such a lush Phoenix landscape design. While many assume that all lawn grasses are heavy consumers of water, the right type of sod will be very acclimated to our high temperatures and arid climate. After many years in professional landscaping, we find that the hybrid Bermuda grass varieties developed especially for Arizona are the lowest maintenance and require the least amount of water to remain beautiful. Depending on the type of soil and sunlight conditions in a given yard, our Scottsdale and Phoenix landscaping installations will have either Tifgreen, Tifway or EZ-Turf sod.

This homeowner loves flowers and many red and white blooming plants that do well in Arizona landscaping without a huge amount of care and maintenance have been included here. Lady Banks Roses is a predominant plant on the public side of these low stucco masonry walls. The lacy height of low growing palms with broadleaf ground cover create a welcoming look for visitors approaching the traditional Spanish ironwork gates that allow entrance into the yard.

While many courtyards today are small and secluded due to smaller property sizes being common, homes with more yard space can enjoy more expanse to these outdoor living spaces. This is especially true of homes beyond the city limits. Adding Phoenix lawn in any sized area isn’t just great looking, it actually helps to lower the temperature around a house by a few degrees. While Phoenix landscape design traditionally uses stone as ground cover, this material naturally radiates both heat and cold.

Including lawn grass around the perimeter of patios and pool decks definitely creates more welcoming outdoor living spaces. Not just for their lush, exotic appearance here in the desert regions of Arizona. Anywhere around Scottsdale, Glendale and Phoenix, landscaping can help to reduce the amount of energy needed to cool your home. Large trees and green spaces are known to be natural ways to keep a home more comfortable in all seasons.

Popularity: 17% [?]