Landscaping and your Lawn in Arizona:

Like anything else, landscaping is all about goals. What do you want your yard to look like? Maybe you want a balanced yard or something a bit more organic and off center. Or, maybe your goal is energy maintenance. You'd then want to choose plants that will provide shade, prevent weed growth, and use as few resources as possible. Figuring out your goals will start you in a direction right away.

Ultimately, landscaping provides focal points for your home. Just as the flow of a room inside your house can be influenced by the furniture and its placement, plant type and placement is key. However, plants are a much more permanent fixture of a home and therefore require much more forethought. Taking your time and choosing the right plants will determine how you maintain your Arizona yard for years to come.

One big mistake often made is planting trees too close to a home, ultimately threatening the foundation or the roof. Many plant these trees when they are small and don't seem to be a problem. It's only years later when they are established that the issues become apparent. This same issue applies to lawns. If you plant a tree that will be blocking a large majority of sunlight, you are going to have difficulty maintaining anything more than a patchy Arizona lawn.

Major considerations for choosing plants are as follows:

Height and Width

-Consider the mature size of the plant when thinking about this. This is perhaps the most important consideration.



Form

-Consider the shape of the plant at maturity. Will it rob your Arizona lawn of too much sunlight? How will it complement your yard and it's shape?



Texture

-As a general rule of thumb, you want to be using plants with finer textures in greater numbers than those with coarser, thicker textures.



Seasonal Interest and Color

-Think about the changing look of your yard through the different seasons. Make sure that there isn't too much contrast between colors and bareness of plants.

The landscaping of the yard can be one of the most influential in changing the way a home is perceived. It can take a house that looks the same as every house on the block and suddenly bring it to life. You can use landscaping to highlight features you would like while hiding others you do not. It is yours to do what you want with, just make sure you think about all the different scenarios, as plants grow!

When one thinks of their yard, ultimately it comes down to the grass. When winter arrives, many varieties of grass except Palmetto St. Augustine are compatible with winter lawn overseeding, so you can have a beautiful, green lawn year round. Every yard is different, so selecting the right variety of grass is important, especially in Arizona. Please visit this Arizona grass varieties page to help find the right grass for your new lawn.