Good landscape design will enhance your home, reduce your work, and provide what you need and want in your outdoor living spaces.  Good designs should look good all year.  A well-designed landscape should provide a retreat where homeowners can rest, relax, entertain and enjoy the outdoors!  Whether you need a new landscape or it’s time for a redo, starting with a good landscape design will reduce frustration and increase your satisfaction with the end results.

Scottsdale Landscape Design

Here are just a few helpful landscape tips:

- Hardscaping — walkways, patios and  pool decks – should be roughly a third of the overall space.  Hardscaping can be attractive, servicable and it doesn’t require water or mowing.

-Turf — natural turf or artificial turf – also can be about a third of the landscape space.  Natural turf is the most water, labor and pesticide consuming plant in the landscape, so keep just enough for visual balance and  play area.  Artificial turf or putting greens are becoming more popular in Arizona landscape designs because gives the look of natural grass without the maintenance and cost of water & pesticides.

- Maintenance — Reduce maintenance on turf areas — Don’t plant shrubs, perennials and other lone plants in the turf and avoid turf on extreme slopes, narrow or awkward areas where the mower won’t fit or that will require a lot of edging.

- Edging — Good edging will reinforce your design line and help keep grass in the lawn and out of other areas.  Pavers, brick and concrete are some of the more common materials used as a border.  If planting beds contain creeping ground cover and shrubs, it’s a good idea to separate the two with edging.

- Plant Selection — Select plants that won’t take over beds.  Everybody know to choose plants that are native or adapted, but are you aware that some well-adapted plants may be spreaders?

Gilbert landscaping

- Irrigation — A well planned and designed irrigation system is vital in your Arizona landscape design!  In Arizona we can’t depend on the rain to keep our plants alive.  It’s important to audit your existing system regularly along with changing your watering cycles with each season.  Often once an irrigation problem is identifed they are usually easy to fix.

If your thinking about starting your new landscape or wanting to renovate your older landscape, calling a reputable landscape designer and contractor could save you time, money and a lot of frustration in the long run.  At Dream Retreats we’ve been designing and installing residential landscapes in the Phoenix and surrounding areas for over 20 years.  We offer FREE in-home consulations.  Give us a call or contact us through our website!