The other day Nic and I had some friends over. We were sitting outside enjoying the beautiful Fall weather, and my friend, from out of nowhere, suddenly asked her husband, “Why don’t our plants look as good as theirs?” My answer, “Well, it helps being married to a landscaping expert!” While Nic’s passion is plants, being outdoors, and creating beautiful, usable outdoor living areas, many of us don’t have the time or skill to consistently upkeep our yards. Arizona landscape maintenance can be relatively easy though. The key is planning. When planning out the design for their yards, many homeowners consider things like cost, aesthetics, and water usage, but don’t really take into consideration maintenance. Arizona landscape maintenance is vital to the beauty and health of any yard. It is kind of like with our bodies…many people say loosing weight is the easy part, it is keeping it off that is the true challenge. Anyone can have a beautiful yard for a day, a week, or even a few months, the challenge comes with keeping it beautiful. Below are some common Arizona dessert landscaping plants with tips on how to care for them. There are also pictures of what a well maintained plant looks like as well as one that has been neglected. In these pictures, one can see how far a little TLC can go!

Last weekend, I went on a quick trip to San Diego with my in-laws. My mother-in-law loves plants and is always looking for a new addition for her yard. While in San Diego, we spent an afternoon at Balboa Park, taking in the beauty and cooler weather. My mother-in-law was taking pictures of the plants, and was dreaming up landscaping ideas for her yard. This prompted me to remind her that we live in the DESERT, and conditions are just so different here. While those plants in San Diego were beautiful, planting them here would most likely be just a disappointment and waste of money. As such, I want to share some of my favorite desert landscaping plants that are just as beautiful, very affordable, and very easy to maintain.