Landscaping ideas for your Havasu desert backyard, front yard or garden

Arizona Landscaping ideas

            The reason many Lake Havasu City, Arizona yards aren’t primarily lawns, isn’t because grass doesn’t grow here.  When we lived on the California side of the lake, we had a grass area, which was green year round, and occasionally would attract the wild burros, who would find their way into the backyard.
            My mother’s backyard in Lake Havasu City was a small grassy lawn area, and in spite of the regular visits from the bunnies, it thrived.     
            In our first Lake Havasu City house we had a small lawn area along the side of the house (approximately 5 x 12 feet).  The grass wasn’t for us, it was for our dogs.  Instead of doing their business in the landscaped backyard (and that can be pretty disgusting in the landscape gravel), the dogs always made their way to the grassy patch, out of sight of our pool and the section of the yard we used. It worked great, kept the shoveling duty confined to one space, and kept our backyard looking nice.

Yards without Lawns

            Of course, water consumption is one reason many avoid lawns in their desert backyard.  But surprisingly, that isn’t the main reason you see more designer gravel or rock than green. The reason?  Many of the residents of Lake Havasu City came from the Midwest, or back east, and frankly, they are delighted to have an excuse to not fuss with lawn maintenance.

Flowering Plants for Desert Landscapes

            As you can see from the following photographs, there are many ways to landscape your yard, adding beauty and color, while conserving water and your time.  We’ve collected photographs of flowering plants that do well in our area, along with trees that will compliment your landscape.
           Personally, my favorite flowering plants and bushes are Bougainvillea and torch plants, which are both hearty and colorful year round. Yet, the dropping petals can cause havoc for the swimming pool. While I rather like the look of the colorful shattered blossoms along my patio, which gives it a Tuscany feel, most people (such as my husband) thinks it just looks messy.

River Rock Dry Creek

            A popular landscape idea for the desert or Havasu is the river rock dry creek, which is often incorporated into a homeowner’s landscaping design. Artfully arranging river rock to create the look of a creek, gives the yard the appearance of water, where there is none. Add a few flowing plants (on a drip watering system) and it will reinforce the concept that water is present…or has been recently.

Terracing your Yard

            Terracing your front or back yard is an interesting way to deal with slopping terrain, without leveling the area. Landscape retaining walls are popular in our area, and there are a variety of materials to create walls, from do-it-yourself projects, to more elaborate works by skilled craftsmen.

Artificial Turf

            And while I said many local landscapers don’t bother with grass or lawns, some homeowners still incorporate small patches of the green stuff into their landscaping design.  Yet, not all of those green patches are the real stuff, many are artificial turf.  Although initially costly to install, overall they save in water, and hold up surprisingly well over time.
            Some friends of ours have their entire back yard, around their swimming pool, in artificial turf.  It looks real enough, but the big plus is how it cools off the entire area.  Amazing how grass cools down our desert yard.  Another plus, there are no gnats or other bugs, associated with lawn sitting.  It was almost like having an entire back yard carpeted…yet instead of carpet, it looked like real grass.  Frankly, I really liked it.  Unfortunately, it was a little rich for my pocketbook.

The Ocotillo

             When compiling landscaping ideas for the desert, it is natural to think cactus. Personally, cactus is something I would cautiously add to my landscape.  I particularly dislike cactus placed along walkways, or by the entry doors.  Those are areas that everyone who enters your home must past by.  And if children are entering, do you really want them to grab a handful of cactus on their way in and out of your home?
            One cactus I do like is the ocotillo, which would never be considered a walkway plant. The ocotillo is more of a centerpiece, occupying an open space, where it can spread out and bloom freely, showing off its colorful blossoms.

 Yard Ornaments

           Yard ornaments are also big in our area, and can play an important part when putting together your landscaping plans.  Sometimes lawn ornaments are simple metal cut outs of familiar desert animals, and sometimes…sometimes they are life size, like the gorilla to the left.  
           Another yard ornament of sorts is the rock waterfall.  You see them around town, and they can give the landscape a cool refreshing feel.  Even better when they have water!  With the high evaporation in our warm climate, it can be pretty costly to keep water in our fountains and waterfalls.  Often rock waterfalls are a landscaping feature installed by the developer, then later abandoned by the homeowner.

Colored Gravel

            There is one sure landscaping feature that most of us will incorporate into our desert landscape, and that is landscaping rock or gravel, available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Prices vary, beginning with the less expensive grey rock.  When choosing colored rock, consider your home's exterior paint color.  What may look beautiful in your neighbor's yard, might be garish and unsightly when paired with your house's color.

          While it is common to use the landscape rock or gravel  as groundcover in our desert landscape, larger rocks or boulders are also used as interesting accents.   In the photograph (lower left) the landscaper shaped the plants for a more traditional and manicured appearance, and added accent boulders along with the colored gravel.

Drip System for
Ease of Irrigation

          If you want a greener and more alive groundcover than the gravel, yet have no desire to bring out the lawn mower, there are some groundcovers, and lower growing bushes that will  carpet your yard, while thriving in our desert terrain.  But a reminder, you will need a watering drip system to keep your green plants alive. Hand watering in our climate is not practical.  A property designed watering drip system will not only keep your plants alive and thriving, in the long run it will help you conserve water, when compared to hand watering.
            In many ways a water drip system helps to make your yard maintenance free.  Almost.  You will still need to regularly check, to make sure the lines are free of rocks, breaks, or  damage. If the electricity goes out, you may need to reset your timers.
            The truth is, there is no such thing as a completely maintenance free yard.  Even if you refuse to plant a single plant, and cover your yard with gravel, adding a couple boulders for accent (which some do), when the rain comes, you will be surprised at what pops up!
           While Havasu doesn't get a lot of rain, it does get some.  And when we do get precipitation, sometimes that comes in the form of a monsoon.  Overnight wild flowers and wild grass can spring up, and literally cover a yard within days. If weeding your yard is not something you want to do, you can consider having it sprayed by one of the local pest companies, to keep the weeds away.  Some people dislike using weed spray, while others believe you can spray responsibly.
          Good luck in landscaping your desert yard, we hope we've given you a few ideas!

Bobbi Holmes