Your landscape doesn’t need to be green and lush to look beautiful and welcoming. These landscapes are just too much of a burden in desert-like environments and will consume both your money and time to thrive. Well-designed desert landscapes look stunning and don’t require as much effort to maintain. They also have drought-resistant plants that don’t require as much water. If you want your outdoor landscape to look great but don’t want a traditional green backyard, here are some desert landscaping ideas for you.
3 Desert Landscaping Ideas
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Grow Desert Native Plants
Native plants have adapted to the weather and climate conditions of the surrounding environment. They’re also very resilient so they can withstand shortage of water, extreme temperature variations, and other such problems. Your backyard will almost always look beautiful and lively because of the resilience of these plants. You can choose from a number of native plants and introduce some color and variety into your backyard. The commonly used options in desert landscaping ideas are:
- Succulents – Cacti, yucca, agave, aloe, and sedum.
- Colorful Plants – Autumn sage, begonia, bunny ears cactus, yellow columbine, and Texas red yucca.
- Ground Cover –California fuchsia, myoporum, and wine cups.
- Trees – Palm and Blue Palo Verde
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Create Depth with Various Height Plants
If you want to add depth and dimension to your backyard, you need to include plants of different heights. You can also use planters and other such installations to create dimension. This will make your backyard look alive and interesting. If plants are all placed in the same level, your backyard will look flat and boring. You should also include different colors and textures into your landscape.
Experienced landscape designers recommend that you mix sculptural plants with softer ground cover-like plants. For example, a few aloe plants placed on the ground with low-growing myoporum plants will present an interesting contrast of structure and textures. That will ensure your landscape doesn’t look flat or boring, even when the plants aren’t flowering.
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Incorporate Artificial Grass in your Desert Landscaping Ideas
If you want a water-wise landscape, you can’t install a lawn with a natural turf. There are a few grass species that are considered drought-resistant, but they’ll still consume some water. The best alternative to real turf is artificial turf because you don’t need to water it at all.
People hesitate to use artificial turf because they believe it will look like plastic and won’t appear natural. That was true in the past but it’s no longer the case. Modern artificial turf options available in the market have varying grass blade lengths and colors so the entire turf doesn’t look unnaturally uniform and monotone in color. The different grass blade lengths, colors, and shapes come together to form a very natural-looking turf.
Most modern turfs will also last for over a decade and come with warranties so the slightly higher initial investment is worth the many advantages it offers. These advantages include:
- No mowing, fertilizing, and pesticides.
- Easy to clean and maintain.
- Your backyard will always look green and lush.
- You will save water.
If you want natural turf, you should choose drought-resistant grass or ground cover plants. Gravel is also a good alternative to turf as it is very attractive and can cover a large area. Gravel is a natural fit in desert landscaping
If you’re still uncertain about desert landscaping, you should consider consulting with a landscape designer. They will consider your home architecture, budget, and preferences before they recommend desert landscaping ideas that will suit your property.