Desert landscapes are one of the easiest to plan, create and take care of. Nevertheless, they inspire with the natural beauty of succulents and cacti, and the calming earth tones of the rocky ground.
If you are not convinced of the effortless beauty of desert gardens, take a look at these 25 Stunning Desert Landscaping Ideas for Your Front Yard.
1. Be Trendy
Desert gardens appear to be on the trend in some hot regions. They offer many advantages over traditional gardening.
The gravel soil retains the needed water, maintenance is close to zero, the drought-tolerant plants create structural interest.
2. Use Gravel And Stones
To let the water remain in the soil rather than run off, cover the garden bed with gravel. Larger stones are not used only for decoration.
They help water absorb, cover uneven parts of the garden and protect fro the pins or pointy spikes of the cactuses or succulents.
3. Create A Dry Creek
Dry creeks are perfect for sandy or rocky soils. In addition to creating interest, dry creeks are also good for covering uneven parts of the terrain.
Use rocks of a color different than the main soil to let them stand out.
4. Create Tiers
A desert garden limits you to the plant kinds but doesn’t limit you to shapes and layout. You can create interest by planting the cactuses or succulents in raised garden beds.
Use different rock sizes to differentiate the tiers of the garden for an enhanced landscape pattern.
5. Cacti Garden
Cactuses are the most common plants for desert gardens. Their natural habitat is recreated on a smaller scale, allowing them to develop well and showcase their unique beauty.
And if you think that a cactus and a succulent are one and the same thing, you are wrong. You can recognize a cactus by the “hair” or the “pins” on its stems. Also, cactuses do not produce leaves.
6. Add Color With A Ground Cover
There are ground cover plants that love the heat, the rocky or sandy soil and feel good long time with no water.
If you want to add a pop of color to your desert garden, consider wooly thyme or creeping juniper.
7. Imprve The Curb Appeal
The well-designed desert garden can enhance the curb appeal of your property. Choose the right plants, a good area and soil cover that suits the plants.
Whether you go for gravel, sand or rocks, each of them will create a natural look.
8. Create Sculptures With Rocks
The desert garden is the perfect place to show off your rock collection or make unique sculptures from rocks. If there are existing rocks, create the garden around them.
If there are no large rocks around, you can create various designs with these natural materials.
9. Desert Garden With Perennials
Add a pop of bright color to the desert garden with a perennial kind that thrives in such an environment. That can be rosemary, lavender, salvia or why not аntirrhinum.
To complement the burst of color, add containers with blooming flowers. The planters can assure the best growing circumstances for the types of plants you have chosen.
10. Focus On Agaves
Agaves are the perfect plants for a desert landscape. There are more than 50 varieties of agave so creating a pattern in such an environment is possible and even easy.
You can take advantage of the different colors of the leaves of agave plants and the various sizes depending on the kind.
11. Use The Curves Of The Terrain
Sloped terrain is not a disadvantage for a desert garden. On the contrary, the slopes can be used in the design. Check out this beautiful garden layout. The descending terrain creates a dynamic and interest.
The gravel and the sand are kept in place with large flagstones that create sculptural accents.
12. Minimalist Desert Garden
Decomposed granite is a great soil cover for desert gardens. Its fine texture and dark color mimic asphalt and pair visually well with modern fence designs.
The decomposed granite is suitable for the growth of cactuses and succulents.
13. Combine With Artificial Turf
If you miss the lawn in your desert garden, you can always opt for artificial turf.
It has become very popular in such landscape designs because of the low maintenance and water preservation.
14. Grow Cactuses In Containers
You can add containers to the desert garden. They allow you to add plants that are not suitable for the sandy or rocky soil and also to create beautiful landscape designs.
The pots themselves are also a means to make a statement. You can reuse old terracotta pots and give them new bright colors with paint or you can find unique treasures at the thrift shop.
15. Create Contrast
Artificial turf can be used to let your desert garden stand out.
The natural green color contrasts with the beautiful earthy tone of the gravel, where different cacti and ornamental grasses thrive.
16. Some Shade
It is a fact that cacti love full sun but this doesn’t mean that they cannot tolerate a little shade.
Shady trees like Arizona cypress, palo verde and similar feel good in desert conditions and help decrease the temperatures in the garden and the house in summer.
17. Yuccas, Cacti And Agaves
The plants in this sandy garden fascinate with their texture. Yuccas, cacti and agaves cover the desert garden bed to create interest in height. The agave creates thick and pointy foliage.
The gaps between the agaves are filled with tall yuccas. The front line is left for the cacti which are shorter but very interesting in shape.
18. Create A Border Of Cactuses
The drought-tolerant plants can be used to create a border for a traditional garden.
To ensure that the growth environment is optimal for them to thrive, cover the soil with a thick layer of gravel or pebbles.
19. Create A Pattern By Mixing Different Plant Families
In this appealing desert landscape idea, the rocky sand hasn’t limited the gardener’s creativity. The garden starts with a low creeper, continues with a row of agaves, then purple succulents and low shrubs.
As the plants alternate, their height increases for a bold interest. The highest plant representatives are cactuses and palms.
20. Fall In Love With The Desert Garden Color Palette
Traditional desert landscapes combine a mix of earthy tones- terracotta, sandy and cool tones of blue, green and grey, which are usually added by the plants.
Using natural stones and sand adds visual interest to the desert garden and complement the succulents and cacti that live in it.
21. Create Interest With Pots
Any desert garden can become appealing with a splash of color. The easiest way to bring brighter hues to the earthy-toned garden is to add pots.
This garden landscape features a modern layout. The most attractive part of it is the vivid yellow pots.
22. Complement The Outdoor Architecture
Complement the gate of your southwest home with a beautiful and organized desert garden.
If there are solid fences or a hacienda-like entryway, use these structures to grow climbing plants that like the rocky soil. Bougainvillea, jasmine, and ivy feel good in such conditions and will create interest in height in this desert garden.
23. Raised Garden Bed With Cactuses And Succulents
If you like the desert gardens, you can always create one on a small scale in your back or front yard.
Differentiate it from the rest of the yard by planting it in a raised bed. The walls should be from stones or pavers and they will help retain the water.
24. Holiday Atmosphere
Create a holiday atmosphere in your outdoors by planting palm trees and cacti in a desert garden. The varied texture of these kinds blends easily with the architectural style of the house. Cacti are the main kind for any desert landscape, while palms add a touch of exoticism.
Both plant families tolerate drought and can establish in a warm zone. However, make sure to water them enough during their establishment.
25. Consider The Native Conditions
If your home is situated in the southwest, then taking care of a lush garden with blooming flowers and greenery could be difficult when it comes to efforts, time, watering, maintenance. Maybe it is better to embrace the zone’s conditions and create a garden that conforms to them.
Desert gardens can be as beautiful as any other landscape design. Furthermore, maintenance is low, watering is a rare activity and most of it all, plants will thrive because of their native habitat.
