To get grass or not????????????? (Phoenix: credit, neighborhoods, luxury)

[eddiek]

Desert landscape for the desert area. Save the water- there isn't as much as people think

[military spouse]

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

The problem is that the city has to treat your waste before they can send it down the line. That is what you are paying for. Not sure how other states opperate, but in California that is also a part of life. California is also a dessert.

We actually did pay for sewage where we came from, but utilities were very inexpensive. Our bill included electricity, sewer, water and trash. We were all-electric. Our bill ranged from $59-250/month. The average was probably somewhere around $100. We only paid 4 cents/kwh. Of course, the local income tax made up for it!

[BillyBaroo]

Originally Posted by military spouse

I do know that I don't want a huge yard of rock. I want some sort of division. Could we still do a curbed area in the center with a different type of rock or something else? I went to both the library and Barnes and Noble looking for a book with ideas, but they seemed to only feature either plant material or hardscaping, but none with both incorporated into a desert landscape.

Are you familiar with the term "Xeriscaping"? Do an internet search with that term and you should find a lot of ideas how to landscape in our desert environment. It's important to know that xeriscaping doesn't mean zeroscaping. There's a lot of landscape companies that will try to sell you on a design with mostly rock and very few plants. Some of them may also try to convince you that xeriscaping means not having any grass. There's no problem with having grass as long as it's done wisely. For example, I would never consider grass for ornamental purposes. I have kids and a couple dogs so I have a need for a small area of turf. But instead of placing it in the middle or far away from my home, I want the design to use turf next to my house where I also get the cooling benefits. One of the most important aspects of xeriscaping is placing all the plants in zones where every plant has similiar irrigation needs. Also, consider your backyard as an extension of your home. We're lucky in Arizona because we can use our backyards all year. Consider expanding your back porch, install a pergola, or even build an outdoor kitchen.

Xeriscaping in the landscape

Right now is a good time to plant trees because they can get established before the hot summer temperatures hit. One of my favorites is the Chinese Pistache.

Backyard Gardener - The Chinese Pistache Tree, April 14, 2004

Here's a good site to get some ideas for what you want your yard to look like.

Complete Landscape Design for Do It Yourselfers

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

California is also a dessert.

Mmmmm. Does it have chocolate on top? Whipped cream?

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Mmmmm. Does it have chocolate on top? Whipped cream?

Sorry about my spelling. Yes there are parts of California that are very sweet. And there are other parts that are very sandy and dry.

[Lee151]

Having a small patch of grass in the back yard isn't nearly as bad as doing the whole yard or the front yard in turf.

Use a sprinkler system for sure. Know that most people over water their lawns. They do not need daily water or even every other day water. I see rotted over watered lawns all over the Southwest.

There are tons of desert adapted trees and shrubs, perennials, flowers and ground covers. Far too many have barren yards of rock with a palm or two. No need for this. There are a many great plants available to you.

You will need some kind of a shade structure and a patio for best use of your yard. You can use such outdoor living spaces year 'round. There are misters for summer.

Plants for Dry Climates is a good resource also the Sunset Western Garden Guide and Gardening in Arizona. All available rather cheap on Amazon. If you aren't at all into gardening there are still lots of low maintenance plants that can give you a cool lush looking landscape without high water use.

[military spouse]

Originally Posted by Lee151

Having a small patch of grass in the back yard isn't nearly as bad as doing the whole yard or the front yard in turf.

Use a sprinkler system for sure. Know that most people over water their lawns. They do not need daily water or even every other day water. I see rotted over watered lawns all over the Southwest.

There are tons of desert adapted trees and shrubs, perennials, flowers and ground covers. Far too many have barren yards of rock with a palm or two. No need for this. There are a many great plants available to you.

You will need some kind of a shade structure and a patio for best use of your yard. You can use such outdoor living spaces year 'round. There are misters for summer.

Plants for Dry Climates is a good resource also the Sunset Western Garden Guide and Gardening in Arizona. All available rather cheap on Amazon. If you aren't at all into gardening there are still lots of low maintenance plants that can give you a cool lush looking landscape without high water use.

Thanks!! We do have a covered patio that is under the roof of the house. It is accessed from the MBR and the family room. We are going to have the patio extended with either pavers or stamped concrete with a curved edge and a winding sidewalk to the side of the yard with the gate (did this in a house in Sierra Vista, AZ and loved it), but the rest is undecided. We want lots of desert-appropriate plants. I just want to break-up the rectangle in the backyard. Right now, the dog tracks in a ton of dust. I guess we need to do something quickly!!

[Lee151]

One of the nicest yards I've ever seen in Phoenix had raised beds around the perimeter made with rocks and railroad ties. Big wide beds. They planted trees first, Mesquites, Palo Verdes, a palm or two and then large shrubs like Thevetia, Oleanders where they needed to block bad views, and then smaller shrubs and flowers along the edges. The lawn was in the center and extended to the patio. There were boulders and garden art out in the beds. They were covered with gravel but the plants grew so thick it was very very lush. You could not see much of the neighbors at all. They watered everything when newly planted and then hardly at all except for the tropical stuff up next to the house. There were no cactus at all. They had dogs, cats and grandchildren who played and didn't want any spines. There was a fountain out in one of the beds and another one on the wall of the patio. They opened up the back of the house with French Doors that slid sideways so that the kitchen and bar area was open air to the patio. They had misters and ceiling fans on the patio. I spent a lot of time there, it was a great example of what you can do without cactus and without being barren in Phoenix.

[BillyBaroo]

Originally Posted by Lee151

Plants for Dry Climates is a good resource also the Sunset Western Garden Guide and Gardening in Arizona. All available rather cheap on Amazon. If you aren't at all into gardening there are still lots of low maintenance plants that can give you a cool lush looking landscape without high water use.

The Sunset Western Garden Guide is one of my favorites, you can find everything in there.

Here's my favorite resource, I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to landscape their yard. It's $30, but I've used it more than anything else I have.

WRRC - Water Resources Research Center (http://ag.arizona.edu/azwater/products/cd/index.html - broken link)

[vegaspilgrim]

If you live in a city that's in the SRP water service territory (Tempe, central Phoenix, the older parts of Mesa, I think), then your water is actually dirt cheap... I would say, go for the grass. I've heard people claim that flood irrigation is actually more efficient than sprinklers. Not sure if that's true, but something to investigate. If you are not on SRP water (most new homes on the edge of town are not), then xeriscaping is probably a good idea. I have got to say though... fake grass is one of the most assinine ideas I've ever heard of.