Yard/Plant/Landscaping Help (Phoenix: home, live, garden)

[RenW]

Having lived in other regions of the country for most of my life, now that we have bought a home in the Phoenix area I've found it full of plants that are mostly strange and alien to me. Since we don't have the money for landscapers we have a lot to learn on our own. I'd like to try to find a way to learn as efficiently as possible what the plants are in our yard, how to take care of them, and local considerations for growing plants and vegetables.

What good local or online resources have people found?

Is there an Arizona focused local (or online) group that could help?

Our backyard had grass but we are looking for an alternative. We don't have an irrigation system so we ultimately would like a low water yard.

Our most immediate concern is our cactus and agave plants. Some are not doing well and my guess was from lack of water during the recent heat wave. I've watered them recently, but I'm not sure how often to do so in the heat of summer. With houseplants it can be a good idea to prune dying parts so that the plant doesn't use resources to try to heal them. I'm not sure if the same applies for cactus and agave. I certainly want to keep them alive!

[BigEinAz]

Visit the local arboretums and landscape yards. Plenty of free help there.

[wit-nit]

OP here is a good start: https://extension.arizona.edu/gardening

[Burning Madolf]

In addition to what wit-nit posted Arizona Municipal Water Users Association has some good info. I just got their free magazine of over 200 low water plants and it's a very good base of info.

[Voebe]

Wit-nit is right, that the extension is a good source. They're not reliable about returning calls, though, so you have to stay on top of them.

There are also quite a lot of garden clubs around, so find one or two in your area. If I remember correctly, I think there are even one or two with a special focus on cacti.

[Sandlapper3396]

A good source for gardening and gathering opinions in general about desert landscapes. It's a forum more so than a reliable source of information. But I have found some of the individual experiences more accurate than the resources which generally group plants by region instead of microclimates.


Home Design Discussions - GardenWeb


Your local nursery can also be a great source for the reason stated above.

[raimeiken]

If you're on facebook, join these local gardening groups. They're quite active and lots of people there can help you.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/70141802175/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/117349221754832/

[ajonesaz]

The long stretch of intense heat killed a lot of plants. Hopefully that's not the new norm, otherwise we are going to have some landscaping issues.


My favorite desert plant is the lantana. They are nice looking and nearly impossible to kill, they love the heat.

[MNSvenska]

Originally Posted by ajonesaz

The long stretch of intense heat killed a lot of plants. Hopefully that's not the new norm, otherwise we are going to have some landscaping issues.


My favorite desert plant is the lantana. They are nice looking and nearly impossible to kill, they love the heat.

I like the bougainvillea. They love the heat, but, like lantana, they need Spring pruning after the frosts are over.
Btw, My neighbor's lantana bush attracts pigeons.