Looking for Inspiration: Low-Maintenance Desert Landscapes
I have been dreaming of converting our backyard into a beautiful, low-maintenance desert landscape.
Right now, it has a large area of grass surrounded by large, flowering shrubs against the wall. I would have loved to have taken out the grass years ago, but my husband and son protested since they would throw the football back and forth each evening before dinner.
low-maintenance desert landscape
But, now my son is almost 12 and often throws the football over the wall, so now I have been give permission to at least start thinking of converting the backyard.
Often, on my way home from a landscape consult, I will mentally design my new backyard garden. I have some concrete ideas, but there is still a lot to be decided.
Whenever I see a landscape area that I like, I stop to take a picture. I have quite a few pictures that I have taken of landscapes that inspire me.
Here are just a few…
Red flowering Chuparosa, growing underneath native mesquite and foothills palo verde trees. A hedgehog cactus grows by a large boulder. Mexican bird-of-paradise, trained as trees are growing in the background.
Goodding’s verbena, chuparosa and brittlebush blooming with creosote bush in the background.
Desert ruellia provides an attractive background for golden barrel cacti. This area needs to be pruned once every 2 years.
Young palo verde tree with potted artichoke agave.
I am still in the “designing inside my mind” stage, but will soon need to put things down on paper. I have my drafting supplies ready to go once I am.
Of course, the entire project hinges on having enough money for large containers, big boulders, trees, plants, dirt for mounds and paying someone to rip out our grass.
I would hope to be able to do this next winter, but we will see…
Which one of the landscape areas above do you like best?
Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
1,2,and 4. I don't like the one with the desert ruellia and cactus. Like the one with the verbena and boulders, really pretty.
I like #2,4,5 pics the best. #2 only needs to remove the seemingly unnecessary nursery tree stake. #5 wins of those 3 – seems those are grouping smaller boulders, which costs less that huge ones…to me, boulders can be out of place in areas without them or that are too flat, while mounding is cheaper and works most anywhere.