Designing the perfect outdoor living space when you live in a desert climate certainly comes with a few extra challenges. You may not be able to pull off a lush, green yard surrounded by tropical flowers, but you can still have a beautiful, relaxing outdoor living space. The key is to embrace the local climate, focus on landscaping that doesn't require much water, and provide plenty of shade from the bright desert sun. Here are a few ideas for creating your own backyard desert oasis:
Focus on Xeriscaping
Instead of fighting against the hot sun and lack of rainfall, xeriscaping as a landscaping strategy helps you embrace and work with the conditions you have. Xeriscaping means working exclusively with plants that grow naturally in your climate, as well as alternative landscaping objects like stone.
Start by hiring a landscaping company who specializes in low-water and desert landscaping. They will help you put together a plan for a beautiful xeriscaped yard, incorporating low-water plants, flowers, succulents, and decorative grasses. Decorative rock gardens, mulch, and stone pathways can add additional visual interest, without needing water or any significant upkeep at all.
Put in a Large Patio
A desert backyard may not be the spot for tons of grass, but that just means you have the space for an extra-large patio. Just think, with a large patio you will have room for a table and chairs, and perhaps some lounge chairs or an outdoor sofa for gatherings. You'll even have room for a fire pit, which will be the ideal spot to roast marshmallows under the stars on a cool desert night.
Don't Skimp on Shade
Anyone who's lived in the desert for a while knows that the hot desert sun is no joke. Plenty of shade is the key to being able to enjoy the warmth without risk of sunburn, sun exhaustion, or riskier effects of excessive sun exposure to skin cancer and premature aging.
An oversized patio umbrella may be adequate, but another idea is to have a large retractable sunshade installed that can provide shade for the entire patio. You can even read or use your laptop without squinting when the sunshade is in place, and can simply open it again when you want to be more exposed to the elements.
By following these tips and working with an experienced local landscaping company, you will soon have a uniquely beautiful outdoor living space your friends and family will love to spend time in.
Share2 March 2018
About a year ago, I realized that part of the reason the plants in my yard kept dying was the fact that they were planted in the wrong places. I didn't pay much attention to which plants needed certain amounts of light, and it was costing them their lives. Several of the plants were really struggling to live, and it was really hard to see. I realized that if I ever wanted to make things right, I would need to create a landscaping plan that would work well for the natural landscape of my yard. This blog is all about understanding landscaping.
