February is a month that tends to make a boring garden look its worst. The common reliable landscape shrubs like oleander, bougainvillea, and lantana are barely blooming if at all. Texas sage is deeply asleep so any gaps in the landscaping are very obvious.
The good news is this is a great month to install plants in the low desert. Here are some tips for making a front yard landscape design that is attractive and eye catching.
Four Seasons of Color
Take stock of the types of plants you have in your existing landscaping. Many plants have a season when they are most active, and a season when they are least active. Try to incorporate plants that are cool season blooming because many landscapes in Scottsdale and Phoenix have an abundance of heat-loving plants like the aforementioned bougainvillea.
Some cool season active plants include blue emu bush Eremophila hygrophana, purple lilac vine Hardenbergia violacea, and Valentine emu bush Eremophila maculata.
Tie it Together
A simple way to improve the curb appeal of a landscape is to use a repeating plant selection that ties the yard together. Choose a small flowering groundcover, for example, that can be placed in groupings and other parts of the yard to make the overall design seem like a continuous whole. Purple lantana is a solid choice for this. It’s commonly available, adjusts well to drip systems, and is more drought tolerant than other lantana.
Plants that are more native and drought tolerant than lantana include blackfoot daisy, angelita daisy, and gooding’s verbena. Try identifying one section of the yard to add 3-5 of the plant you’ve chosen, then scatter a few more in other empty spaces in the yard. This will go a long way to make the landscape feel like a unified space.
Formal or Informal?
Some plants are naturally informal, meaning they tend to be asymmetric, messy, or otherwise suitable for meadow plantings and natural desert looks. Some people prefer this. Many of our native plants are naturally informal. Other plants have neatness and symmetry that lend well to hedges and formal plantings.
When making a landscape design, it’s good to take into account how formal the existing plants are and how the existing design is arranged before making a plant list. Also, decide if you have a preference between formal and informal plants.
If You Want More Help –
There are so many other considerations in desert landscape design. To make a quality yard that survives the summer, factors like exposure requirements, irrigation needs, soil quality, microclimates, and upkeep of the plants need to be weighed. You might prefer to hire a desert landscape professional to make the plan instead.
Check out the rest of my website if you are interested in having a design made for your yard. I do installations as well. I’m a certified nursery professional with 7+ years in east valley horticulture, and I’ve learned a lot of tricks to keeping the desert garden healthy and beautiful. Client satisfaction is important to me. I work mostly in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Tempe, and Fountain Hills but feel free to ask if I can meet you somewhere else for a consult.
I’m scheduling consults now for this spring planting season. My woman owned business is insured. I get results. Please don’t hesitate to reach out on my contact form and I’ll get back to you quickly.
Paige Maloney | Arizona Landscape Designer 