Lifestyle Landscaping

Landscape Choices

For Your Home

Featuring

Arid, Semi-Arid and Lush & Efficient Landscape Styles

2

What is Lifestyle Landscaping?

There are several factors to consider when choosing the landscape style for your home:

Low Water Use - Desert friendly landscapes are the key to maintaining the beauty of the desert while conserving its most valuable resource - water.

Function - Play area for pets and kids? Having barbecues? Watching birds & butterflies?

3

What is Lifestyle Landscaping?

Maintenance - Would you rather relax in your garden or work in it?

Aesthetic Appeal - Flowers, dramatic plant forms, birds and butterflies – what makes you say “oooh!”

Backyard Wildlife Habitat - Backyard habitats are vital to local wildlife who have lost habitat to building and development throughout the Coachella Valley. Learn about desert ecology in your own back yard!

4

Lifestyle Landscapes: Arid • Semi-Arid • Lush &

Efficient

Arid – slow growth, dramatic plant forms, big flowers, low water use, very low maintenance

Semi-Arid – slow to moderate growth, dramatic plant forms, colorful flowers, low to moderate water use, low to some maintenance

Lush & Efficient – faster growth, colorful plants, some turf area for recreation, moderate to high water use, moderate to high maintenance

5

Arid Low to no maintenance

Slower growing, low water use plants

Often uses decorative rock or mulch

May provide year round colors and blooms

Interesting plant forms and textures

Uses only 1/3 the water a turf lawn would use

6

Semi-Arid Low maintenance

Often uses decorative rock or mulch

May include limited turf for entertainment or kids & pets play area

Mix of low and medium water use plants

Uses only about half the water that a turf lawn would use

7

Lush & Efficient Higher maintenance

May include limited turf for entertainment or kids & pets play area

May incorporate areas of faster growing, medium to high water use plants

Maintenance of irrigation system is a must

Uses about 2/3 the water that a turf lawn would use

8

Turf Lawn Very high maintenance

Turf often turns brown in hot summer temps even when watered regularly

Turf does not fit the warm, beautiful desert look or ecology

Maintenance of irrigation system is a must

Uses about 3 times the water that a desert friendly landscape uses - higher water bills

9

Beautiful Desert Landscapes

10

Beautiful Desert Landscapes

Hot Springs Park (shown at left) features a path with signs explaining the hydro-geological makeup of the area. The path and fountain area showcase beautiful desert landscaping. The Hot Springs Park fountain is at the corner of Palm Dr. & 8th St. in Desert Hot Springs, CA.

11

For more information and resources on desert

friendly landscaping, visit www.ayreslandscapesvcs.com

Many cacti and succulents have large, gorgeous blooms, and may send out several blooms at once.

Visit local parks and nature preserves to see which plants and flowers grow naturally in your climate. Many of these may be incorporated into your desert garden.