Desert Crest Press

The most common type of driveway paving has long been asphalt, as it is far less expensive than concrete. Something you might want to think twice about having as part of your Scottsdale or Phoenix landscaping – or anywhere near outdoor living spaces. There are  more cost effective paving materials that are lot safer to have in your yard.

Not only are Phoenix pavers better looking, they contain none of the toxicity that asphalt sealcoat introduces to your property.  Additionally, asphalt is a very high maintenance pavement to have on Scottsdale and Phoenix driveways. Yes, it is the least expensive option at first, but requires sealcoat applications no farther apart than every two years to prevent the paving from deteriorating.

With driveway pavers, there is no maintenance costs to worry about every couple of years, or even annually. The surface is ready to walk on or drive on the moment the Scottsdale or Phoenix landscaping crew drives away. It will look beautiful from day one and continue to do so for up to 100 years. No fading, sealing or cracks to repair. Phoenix pavers are ten times stronger than driveway concrete.

This past week, an alarming discovery was made regarding cold tar seal coating used nationwide on millions of miles of driveways, playgrounds, parking lots and streets. This is the most commonly used type of asphalt sealcoat and contains extremely high levels of benzo(a)pyrene. This chemical is so toxic that any business that dumped a barrel of it behind the building would instantly become defined as a  polluted industrial zone – violating all manner of environmental laws and be facing a mighty costly hazardous waste cleanup.

Worse still is the fact that as coal tar seal coat breaks down between fresh applications, the dust is tracked into homes and offices everywhere. So in all actuality, this toxicity doesn’t just stay outside in Scottsdale and Phoenix driveways, it blows around your Arizona landscaping, is tracked onto outdoor living spaces and into pools and waterways. Why we never question the safety of somethings is really surprising. After all, a substance that smells as bad as asphalt sealcoating couldn’t be good! The nose, as it were, should know when something is acceptable and when it isn’t.

In Scottsdale or Phoenix, pavers in your driveway, sidewalks, courtyard flooring or for patios and pool decks is never going to be toxic or require this constant resurfacing. They are far more valuable to your residential asset value than many people assume. Imagine if the now alerted EPA decided that our streets, parking lots, playgrounds and driveways were now a threat to the environment that must be eradicated immediately. The paving industry did some hard lobbying to get coal tar sealcoating approved as safe to use. This toxic substance shouldn’t be in your Arizona landscaping, let alone in the street that runs by the curb where your mailbox stands.

Most people, myself included, really never gave asphalt much question. It’s everywhere, a part of daily life. However, after reading this news item found by chance, it would be hard to accept having sealcoated paving anywhere and most especially in my Scottsdale or Phoenix landscaping. Paver driveways, patios and pool decks are a many leveled benefit of values that goes far deeper and wider than their beautiful surface. From all angles, in any corner of Scottsdale and Phoenix, pavers the least costly and longest lasting material for your home.

Popularity: 12% [?]

From Tuscon to Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona landscaping interest for homeowners continues to focus more and more on xeriscaping landscaping for it’s low water use requirements. Many are concerned about the natural environment, which is definitely a good thing. The wise point of, “Waste not, want not” applies to just about everything in the world.

There is more than one environment to be concerned with though, when it comes to home landscaping. The purpose of a Scottsdale or Phoenix landscape design actually addresses a variety of requirements that should never be ignored. This applies to any type of landscaping from lush tropicals to xeriscaping landscaping.

Your property – that area of ground between the parcel boundaries, is the environment that you and your family live their life within. So, the effect of keeping this mini environment in a state of being pleasant, comfortable, inviting and uplifting is important to every person in residence’s well being.

This private environment has a dual nature. The property surrounding any house is a sizable portion of it’s real estate value. So, your Arizona landscaping of any theme or focus must appeal to a wide variety of people at all times as well. Smart homeowners in any state, keep their residence in a state that would allow it to be put on the market with short notice. One never knows what tomorrow holds. This practice also includes the exterior of the structures, as well as the Scottsdale or Phoenix landscape design that creates the living framing of view and use.

Protecting and nurturing both of these mini environments is just as important as protecting the natural environment.  Then there is the economy the right Arizona landscaping brings to your household budget. Everyone wants to save as much money on monthly household bills as possible. Cutting back on water use is not the only way that switching to xeriscaping landscaping will effect your expenses and lessen the amount of stress on the natural environment you are personally responsible for.

Large trees are the most economical means of reducing the amount of energy your home uses. Properly selected and placed in your Scottsdale or Phoenix landscape design, trees are proven to reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 25%. Yet, they must have enough moisture to flourish and grow quickly and provide the many benefits they do inside and out.

Notice that xeriscaping landscaping is low water use, and not no water use. While everyone is on the bandwagon that Phoenix, Arizona landscaping is wasting precious fresh water and bad for the environment. We suggest you have some further lifestyle adjustments to make besides adopting xeriscaping plants to fill the yard with. Lets look at other ways any person today is throwing away water that could be put to good use – more than once.

Dish water, laundry water and bathing water amounts to a large number of gallons used every month in any residence. This is known as gray water. You wouldn’t reuse it or want to drink it, but your Arizona landscaping could definitely benefit from it. In truth, the standard household plumbing system that allows gray water to drain away is very wasteful. Gray water should be plumbed into a holding tank and put to use in nurturing a pleasant private outdoor environment. The same could be said about storm water – even here in the desert, where rain is a once in a while event.

Professionally planned Scottsdale or Phoenix xeriscaping landscaping will definitely be low water use and yet fulfill it’s personal environment benefits through the use of proper soil preparation, plant selection and drip irrigation. For the most economical and environmentally friendly Scottsdale or Phoenix landscape design, a call to Desert Crest will put you on the right path very quickly. In the meantime, think twice about dumping the rest of that glass of water down the drain.

Popularity: 14% [?]

For most homeowners around Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona landscaping their patio area and turning it into outdoor living space is high on the list of necessities. We can’t say as we blame them, a well designed backyard living style of patio ensures that this will be a pleasant, comfortable space with feature elements that expand the meaning of home.

One of the first things needed is shade for relief from that intense summer sun. Adding ramadas and pergolas creates a cooler space that everyone naturally gravitates toward.

Ramadas can be designed to have many different  looks. This one is a trellis ramada style with open sides and timber slat roof. In this clean contemporary outdoor living space the white masonry posts give the feeling of no barriers. The color of the red cedar cross members and roof slats adds great accent color in just the right amount to keep the patio design’s sleek charm.

Rather than making that wood tone more prominent by matching the stone masonry material used in the outdoor fireplace’s design, the stone selected only softly echoes its presence. The same natural stone was used in the design and construction of the patio bar island. In keeping with the clean, cool expanses of white, the base of the island is finished in the same white stucco masonry as the ramada’s posts.

There are many details like this that must be considered when planning your Scottsdale or Phoenix, Arizona landscaping. Patio designs or hardscape are the foundation of outdoor living spaces that enhance your home and lifestyle.

One wouldn’t imagine that all this stark white intermittently interrupted with cooling green would result in such a beautiful and inviting space, but that is exactly what this homeowner now has beyond the back door. Sometimes simple can be far more attractive than we think. Just look at how relaxing and pleasant such patio designs can be.

Properly placed plants are minimal, making this a very low maintenance yard that is big on impact, yet very soothing. There is just enough use of subtle color in the soft grays and red tones of the stonework from the outdoor fireplace’s facing and the counter of the bar seating island. Over it all is the drama and surprise of the ramada’s natural red cedar roof. Unusual and very striking in a low-keyed and elegant way.

Popularity: 18% [?]

For most homeowners around Scottsdale and Phoenix, landscaping that meets their needs must be colorful, striking, drought tolerant and low maintenance. The plants we use in desert xeriscape design must also be able to withstand the heat of summer sun without a lot of fuss. Not only is the graceful Red Yucca popular with people – hummingbirds love it too. is clean, doesn’t shed, is drought tolerant, interesting and colorful, easy to maintain, extremely cold hardy, takes full sun and reflected heat with ease, attracts Hummingbirds and has a graceful, arching form.

Hesperaloe parviflora as it is formally known, is a wonderfully interesting succulent  that adds great architectural quality to anyone’s xeriscaping landscaping in Phoenix or Scottsdale. Due to its massive appeal though, many times it is used in far too large of an area. To get the biggest impact from Red Yucca, it is best to use it as an accent plant. You’ll get far more impact from your Arizona landscaping with this plant as a highlight, rather than a major player.

A member of the Agave family (hesper-aloe), Red Yucca is a hummingbird magnet when at full bloom. Since most of us are as fascinated with these tiny nectar lovers as they are with red blooms, this is just one more benefit of having this drought tolerant plant in a spot where you can enjoy it all. Additionally, due to the non-messy nature of not dropping a lot of plant debris, these are great accent plants anywhere – even for pool landscaping.

The red to pink colored blooms sit atop long, graceful stems than can be up to 8 feet tall. They are borne in elongated clusters of trumpet shaped florets that are 1.5 to 2 inches long. Once the blooms of Red Yuccas are spent, they go into the next phase of adding interest to xeriscaping landscaping in Phoenix and Scottsdale with interesting seed pods that add texture to your plantings.

You’ll get the best performance from the Red Yucca in a full sun location in your Arizona landscape design. While they will tolerant a shadier spot, you won’t get the full impact of those beautiful blooms as they will be far less abundant. When first newly installed, the plants will require good moisture practices, but once established in your soil they need very little water to thrive. Over watering will make the plant look shaggy, so be sure to watch how much moisture you give them during the adjustment stage in your yard.

This is a very low maintenance plant that is well suited to our desert climate. Before winter you will want to clip out all of the old flowering stems, but that is pretty much all the tasks it will require of you. It isn’t picky about soil types beyond wanting good drainage, so if your spot in that Scottsdale or Phoenix landscape design you want to plant them in is clay, do be sure to amend the area well for best results.

While winters here are mild, we occasionally get cold spells that can cause problems with some plants we use for landscaping in Phoenix and Scottsdale. Red Yuccas are nicely cold tolerant even should temperatures drop into the teens.

The plant itself requires little to no maintenance except for the need to remove spent flower stalks at the end of the growing season so it is perfect for those looking for ease of maintenance. Red Yucca has a long growing season from late spring to late fall. The plant is very tolerant of the low winter temperatures typical of the desert and is cold hardy to the low teens and below. These plants can also take inadequate soil conditions. As long as the soil adequately drains Red Yucca will be tolerant of most soil conditions. All in all, its just right for Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona landscaping.

Closeup image of flowers courtesy of John Novak.

Popularity: 13% [?]