Yard Plants (Yuma, Goodyear: rental, Home Depot, landscaping)

[AOYAS]

Hi. A bunch of the flowering bushes I have in my backyard died due to the frost that we had this past winter (I didn't know to cover them).

It seems that the non-flowering plants survived, for the most part, but almost every flowering tree/bush/plant I had has died. Now I just have a bunch of dead plants in my backyard, with weeds starting to grow up around them. I finally have the time to try to remedy this yard problem, but I don't really know where to start. My husband said that this weekend, he'll remove all the dead trees and weeds, so that I have a clean slate to work with.

My question is, would it be worth it to have a landscaping company (or nursery?) deliver and plant new bushes/plants for me? Or should I go to a nursery and purchase the bushes/plants myself and have a landscaping company plant them for me? Or should I buy the plants myself and plant them myself, without the help of a landscaper?

I'd like to spend as little money as possible, but I don't have any experience buying plants (let alone desert plants) and/or planting them myself. I don't know what type/size plants I'd like, but I'm pretty sure I'll want bigger, bushy plants that will cover a lot of area, so that my yard doesn't look desolate. I will be pulling up a dozen or so fairly medium- to large-sized flowering bushes (bougainvillea and such) that died, so I'll need enough shrubs/plants to adequately cover the newly-empty areas. I already have an auto-drip system in place around the perimeter of my yard, so I don't think I'll need to do anything in that arena. I'm nervous that I will do it wrong, if I attempt to plant everything myself, and they will all die. But, like I said, I'd like to save as much money as possible.

--Does anyone have a recommendation for what course of action I should take?

--Can this all be done for less than $1000 dollars (hopefully a lot less!!), or will this cost me a fortune, no matter which way it's done?

--Anyone have any company recommendations? (I live in EMR in Goodyear)

Thanks so much for any help you can offer! I'd truly appreciate it!

[aj661]

Originally Posted by AOYAS

Hi. A bunch of the flowering bushes I have in my backyard died due to the frost that we had this past winter (I didn't know to cover them).

It seems that the non-flowering plants survived, for the most part, but almost every flowering tree/bush/plant I had has died. Now I just have a bunch of dead plants in my backyard, with weeds starting to grow up around them. I finally have the time to try to remedy this yard problem, but I don't really know where to start. My husband said that this weekend, he'll remove all the dead trees and weeds, so that I have a clean slate to work with.

My question is, would it be worth it to have a landscaping company (or nursery?) deliver and plant new bushes/plants for me? Or should I go to a nursery and purchase the bushes/plants myself and have a landscaping company plant them for me? Or should I buy the plants myself and plant them myself, without the help of a landscaper?

I'd like to spend as little money as possible, but I don't have any experience buying plants (let alone desert plants) and/or planting them myself. I don't know what type/size plants I'd like, but I'm pretty sure I'll want bigger, bushy plants that will cover a lot of area, so that my yard doesn't look desolate. I will be pulling up a dozen or so fairly medium- to large-sized flowering bushes (bougainvillea and such) that died, so I'll need enough shrubs/plants to adequately cover the newly-empty areas. I already have an auto-drip system in place around the perimeter of my yard, so I don't think I'll need to do anything in that arena. I'm nervous that I will do it wrong, if I attempt to plant everything myself, and they will all die. But, like I said, I'd like to save as much money as possible.

--Does anyone have a recommendation for what course of action I should take?

--Can this all be done for less than $1000 dollars (hopefully a lot less!!), or will this cost me a fortune, no matter which way it's done?

--Anyone have any company recommendations? (I live in EMR in Goodyear)

Thanks so much for any help you can offer! I'd truly appreciate it!

Damn, too bad you live on the "THAT" side of town, I'd give you a hand! The $$$ depends in part on how large the yard is, how many and what type of plants you need/want. I wouldn't hire someone to do something I can do myself. Did you know that Home Depot and Lowe's will replace or refund your money when you kill your plants? Hang onto the receipts and take the dead stuff back to the store!

[Ponderosa]

Didn't realize you lived in EMR. There's a good nursery on Jackrabbit Road (Jackrabbit Nursery) owned by a local family. They have nice plants and will give you all the advice and assistance you need. Can plant for you too, but it's easy to DIY. The place is located north of I-10 at around Yuma Road. You get to Jackrabbit by turning left at Elliott when leaving EMR and driving a couple miles west to Tuthill Road (four way stop) and then going right and crossing the river. Keep going straight until you see the nursery on the right. Home Depot is an option but I'd recommend a real nursery to get an idea of what grows and works and what doesn't and how to care for your plants. .

Also, on your rocks, there is a rock place on McDowell west of Estrella Parkway. Take Estrella past I-10 (under the overpass) to McDowell make a left and go down a couple miles till you see the place on the left side of the road. They have a big rock and garden display area, sell BBQs etc.

FYI: There is a rental place a little north of the Jackrabbit Nursery. Every homeowner needs to know where there is one of these. If you are going to plant anything big, rent the electric shovel. EMR is basically rock and very hard to dig by hand.

[AzDreamer]

I recommend that you drive around your area and take pictures of the kind landscaping you like. Also take some pictures of your yard. Call the nurseries in your area and see if they have someone that can help you plan your project. That's what I did and we were pretty happy with the results.