Living in an area with a desert climate poses some unique challenges for landscaping ideas around your home. Arizona gets just a few inches of rain each year, so irrigation presents a challenge. Also, many kinds of grasses and desert plants can’t survive in the summer heat. Still, Arizona residents want a beautiful green, healthy lawn just like people who live anywhere else. This fact is especially true when you’re getting ready to sell, and you want to appeal to people looking for a new home. Here are a few tips on using desert landscaping ideas to improve your front yard landscaping and the curb appeal of your home.
Try Xeriscaping
Xeriscaping is a method of landscaping around your home explicitly developed for dry climates. The plan uses water conservation techniques such as drought-tolerant materials, mulch, and efficient irrigation. One of the favorite materials in xeriscaping is bark. It’s an excellent landscaping option to help increase curb appeal. It looks great around trees and in plant beds, and it comes in many colors to add some variety to your landscaping ideas.
Plants that use very little water are also part of xeriscaping. Cacti and palm trees are common choices, and so are vines. You can even choose some flowers that bloom in cooler weather to add color to your desert landscaping ideas.
Consider Artificial Turf Instead of Grass
Artificial grass or turf is a popular way to get the look of a natural front yard without all the seeding, sodding, and watering. You also don’t have to weed or mow an artificial lawn. However, turf is not maintenance-free, so you want to consider how much you’re willing to do to keep your front yard landscaping looking its best. Turf should be brushed down and rinsed off occasionally.
For landscaping ideas, you can consider doing an entire lawn in turf or just specific areas. Many people turf small spaces around the house and trim them with stone or other plants. Using colorful stone to create shapes adds color and dimension to your yard. Keep in mind that turf is hot underfoot in the summer, so it may not be the best choice if your family spends a lot of time at home running around barefoot in the yard.
Be Smart With Your Water Usage and Water Features
If turf isn’t for you, and you want natural grass, it’s possible to get that beautiful green in the desert. However, you want to plan carefully for the strategic use of water. When you go shopping for your grass seeds or your sod, look into drought-tolerant varieties that require less water. If you’re maintaining rather than planting a new lawn around your home, your watering schedule is essential. Avoid watering in the afternoon because the sun at its brightest evaporates the water. Instead, watering early in the morning or after dark lets the grass keep more of the moisture.
How long you run your irrigation system over your back and front yard is as important as what time of day. It’s also important to consider how often your lawn needs watering. As a further complication, your watering plan must adjust with the change of each season. Cooler weather means less watering is necessary.
Water features, such as fountains and ponds, are a lovely way to use water effectively and efficiently in your landscaping ideas. The flowing water adds a relaxing feel that appeals to potential buyers, and you can choose from all shapes and sizes to find one that suits your home. Self-contained fountains use minimal moisture, so they’re friendly to the environment. Instead of pulling water from your house, the fountain recirculates a few gallons of water. You can add a little more water as needed to keep it full. If fountains aren’t for you, consider a simple birdbath.
Create a No-Water Riverbed
With a bit of creativity, you can create the look of flowing water across your front yard without using any liquid. A dry riverbed across your lawn consists of a trench dugout in the shape you desire and then lined with river rocks. You can even add a garden bridge over the riverbed, as long as you’re mindful not to interfere with the walking path to your house. Not only do they improve curb appeal, but these beds also cut down on erosion, and if strategically placed in your landscaping ideas, they can help improve drainage.
Avoid Plants That Lose Leaves and Fruit
Bushes and trees that grow in a desert climate are beautiful, but you probably want to avoid anything that sheds many leaves or lots of fruit. They tend to create a look of clutter and drabness in your front yard. The mess requires a great deal of cleaning to keep it looking neat. Fruit is incredibly messy on patios and sidewalks. Instead, when you’re thinking through your landscaping ideas, opt for plants and trees that don’t lose many leaves around your house in any season.
Use Rock to Introduce Some Color
Homeowners in Arizona sometimes choose no grass at all for their lawns. Instead, you can use crushed rocks to cover the grounds. These rock lawns require less maintenance than natural grass or turf since they don’t need mowing or watering. You may still need to weed and rake the rocks to keep them tidy.
Choose different colors in rock to get the look you want and improve your home’s curb appeal. Rocks can be just as versatile as flowers and plants. Stone, gravel, and granite are common choices, and you can choose different levels of crushing to get different textures. If your landscaping ideas don’t include covering the entire lawn of your house, you can still use the rock to trim around your plants.
Try Elevation to Add Dimension
Even if your lawn is flat, you can create dimension by adding hills and shapes covered with gravel or stone. Drought-resistant seeds might even grow some beautiful flowers on your hills. Your imagination is your only limit. The hills improve your curb appeal without having to add many desert plants to your landscaping ideas.
Add a Seating Area
If a potential buyer enjoys dining outdoors or spending time playing outside on the lawn, a nice seating area is appealing. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, either. A pretty bench under palm trees, some simple chairs on the porch, a hammock, or a swing are excellent landscaping ideas. Accent pillows and cushions add color and comfort.
Where to Learn More
Contact Mesquite Landscaping in Queen Creek to learn more about how to use desert-friendly landscaping ideas to improve your home’s curb appeal. We can help you bring your vision for your desert landscaping to reality or create something from scratch using the latest design tools.
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