Landscaping Ideas: How to Embrace Your Lawn and Garden

If you live in the arid climate of the American Southwest, gardening can be a little more challenging. With a dry climate, hot sun, and very little rain throughout most of the year, making your lawn and garden come to life with greenery and color can be a tough job. Here are some tips to help make your landscaping in the Southwest easier and more manageable for beautiful results.

Plant A Hummingbird Garden

Hummingbirds migrate through much of the Southwest as they head even further south towards Mexico. You can plant some colorful flowers that will hold up well in this climate and attract these beautiful little birds to your garden. Plants like the Mexican honeysuckle will give your garden bright and beautiful pops of purple, and they're a hummingbird favorite. The standard Southwestern aloe plant also attracts hummingbirds thanks to its sickly sweet center, and it will last throughout the year. Other plants you can use include penstemon and chuperosa.

Try Container Gardening

Container gardening will give you the ability to move your plants to different areas in your garden, and keeping them in pots will help them retain moisture better. Plant beautiful blue agave in a large ceramic container for a really eye-popping effect. This plant holds up well in the desert climate and can grow to quite an impressive size. Other great plants for containers include a range of succulents and cacti, all of which can handle minimal watering. This will give your garden a real visual appeal without worrying about the need for heavy watering or irrigation. Use pots in different colors, shapes, and sizes for an even more dramatic effect.

Choose Hardy Perennials

Some species of perennials hold up well in Southwestern climates, and they can add a nice, soft edge to an otherwise rigid desert style garden. Evening primrose is an excellent choice and will give your garden beautiful soft pink hues. It is a low-growing plant that makes a great addition for garden edging or along walkways. Another good choice for desert climates is the lantana. This plant grows tiny blooms of a variety of different colors like yellow, white, and purple. Lantana can be found in a groundcover or bush version, and both will give your garden a wonderful splash of color that can hold up to dry, hot conditions.

When it comes to living in the Southwest, landscaping can be challenging, but it can also be a lot of fun to try new plants and new ways of gardening.