


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.
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.
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.
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 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.

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.
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 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 right.

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.
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.
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!