Arizona Landscape Design
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Creating your own personal oasis in the desert is easier when you’re armed with the right information. Our blog—with design trends, tips and tricks for landscaping, backyard features to consider, DIY hacks, and how-to guides—will help you grow smarter. Enjoy!
Landscape Design Features to Increase Your Property Value
Your home is typically one of your most valuable and long-lasting investments. As with many investments, the more you put into it, the more...
Benefits of Using Pea Gravel for Landscaping
In landscaping projects, your choice of materials can make a significant difference in the overall look, durability, and functionality of your outdoor space. One...
10 Tips for Designing a Relaxing Landscape
Looking for a peaceful place to relax and enjoy the outdoors? You don’t have to look any further than your own backyard. By combining...
Landscape Tips to Transform Your Side Yard
When thinking about landscaping, many homeowners focus on their front or backyard, with the side yard being left behind as an afterthought. But what...
Tips for Installing a Putting Green in Your Backyard
Whether you are a golf enthusiast or just a homeowner looking to enhance your outdoor space, you might want to consider adding a putting...
Best Potted Plants for an Arizona Patio
Arizona’s hot, dry climate and intense sunlight can pose challenges for gardening in any outdoor space—including patios. In fact, the materials used for patios...
Rustic Creek Landscaping Featured in City Lifestyle Magazine
Rustic Creek Landscaping, Inc. was featured in Queen Creek City Lifestyle Magazine which covered our background and highlighted some of our landscaping services and...
Garden Types to Consider for an Arizona Landscape
Arizona’s climate, with its arid environment and intense heat, poses challenges for traditional gardening. But with thoughtful planning and preparation, it is possible to...
Custom vs. Prefabricated Outdoor Kitchens
Just like the kitchen is the heart of the home, an outdoor kitchen can be the heart of your backyard. Adding an outdoor kitchen...
Types of Outdoor Fire Pits for Landscaping
Adding an outdoor fire pit to your landscaping can transform your backyard into a cozy, inviting space that’s perfect for relaxing, entertaining, and warming...
Landscape Design Touches to Give Your Arizona Yard a Unique Feel
In any design project, the ultimate goal is to create something that is not only beautiful and functional, but is also uniquely “you.” Designing...
Things to Know Before Purchasing Plants for Landscaping
When designing a landscape, the right plants can make all the difference. Sure, this means thinking about things like size, shape, and color, since...
Low Maintenance Succulents for Arizona Landscapes
Arizona’s arid climate presents unique challenges for landscaping, but it provides some opportunities, too. For example, it’s the perfect environment for a variety of...
Options for Adding a Backyard Spa
Most people want their backyards to be a haven of rest and relaxation, but how can you actually create that? One popular way is...
How to Help Your Plants Survive an Arizona Heatwave
Arizona is a beautiful place to live, with stunning landscapes and iconic desert scenery. But then…there’s the scorching heat. While Arizona’s residents make seasonal...
Landscape Design Tips for a Hillside Property
Hillside properties offer a unique canvas for landscape design—but they also present a tricky challenge. When done properly, you can use your sloped landscape...
Creating an Outdoor Space for Self Improvement
These days, the pace of life is…hectic, to put it mildly. Doctors and mental health professionals are quick to point out the need for...
Is There a Difference Between Patios and Porches?
Everyone has heard the two terms “patio” and “porch,” but does everyone know what each of those terms really means? The words “patio” and...
How to Choose the Perfect Spot for Your Outdoor Fire Pit
Let’s be honest: who wouldn’t enjoy an outdoor fire pit in their backyard? The crackling flames, the warmth on a chilly evening, the cozy...
Exploring Unique, Custom Hardscape Options for Your AZ Landscape
When it comes to designing outdoor spaces, the focus is usually on the landscaping. Many homeowners often overlook the potential of custom hardscape options....
Fall vs. Spring: When Is the Best Time to Plant New Plants?
If you want to plant new plants in your yard, you’ll quickly realize that timing is everything. The decision of when to plant is...
How to Successfully Plant Succulents
Succulents have surged in popularity in recent years. With their unique appearance, undeniable beauty, and low-maintenance appeal, succulents catch the attention of plant enthusiasts...
Decorative Options for Block Walls
The block walls you likely have surrounding your yard serve several practical purposes: they offer privacy, create security, and define boundaries between you and...
The Best Plants for People with Allergies
Everyone loves a lush green landscape, and many people are passionate about caring for plants inside their homes, too. But for individuals battling allergies,...
Common Landscape Design Mistakes to Avoid
Embarking on a landscape design project can be an exciting journey. When you start, you have high hopes—not just for the beautiful outdoor space...
Pros and Cons of Outdoor Kitchens
Nothing transforms your backyard into an outdoor living space quite like an outdoor kitchen. With everything you need to prepare a meal right in...
Enhance Your Hardscape With These Seating Options
When designing any space, it’s always crucial to think about style and functionality. Seating is where these two aspects of design come together in...
Tips to Prepare Your Landscape for an Arizona Fall
As the scorching heat of the Arizona summer (finally) begins to wear off, the cooler temperatures of fall approach. When the seasons change, it’s...
The Pros and Cons of Financing Your Landscape Design
Creating the perfect landscape for your home can be an exciting project, but it often comes with a hefty price tag. Many people turn...
How to Create a Landscape Design Plan
A well-designed landscape can transform your outdoor space into a beautiful and functional area that enhances your home’s aesthetics and adds value to your...
Where Can I Find Rocks for Landscaping?
Almost every landscape design includes rocks in some way, shape, or form. Landscaping with rocks is a timeless and visually appealing way to transform...
Tips for Installing a Backyard Splash Pad
In a hot climate like Arizona, the value of backyard water features cannot be understated. While most people consider the gold standard to be...
Should I Use Artificial Plants in My Landscaping?
Artificial plants have long been a popular option for adding a natural look and feel to a home’s interior. But can artificial plants work...
Aquascape Options to Consider When Designing Your Landscape
When it comes to adding water to your landscape design, a pool isn’t your only option. In fact, many people prefer to bring water...
Landscape Design Elements that Attract Wildlife
Many people put effort into keeping wildlife out of their yards, with fences, chemical repellents, and more. But what about those of us who...
3 Signs that You Should Hire a Professional Landscaper
Not every landscaping project requires professional help, but how can you know when it’s time to DIY, and when it’s time to call in...
What Is a Sustainable Landscape?
A “sustainable” landscape, also known as an “eco-friendly” or “green” landscape, is an outdoor area that is designed and maintained in a way that...
Tips for Maintaining Your Pool and Landscape During Monsoon Season
Monsoon season in Arizona officially begins each year on June 15, and with it comes high winds, blowing dust, lightning strikes, often heavy rain,...
Drought-Tolerant Plants for Your Yard
Living in the desert doesn’t mean you have to give up on the idea of having plants in your yard. After all, the desert...
How to Determine the Best Lawn Type for Your Yard
Planting a lawn seems like it should be pretty straightforward: just seed, fertilize, water, and enjoy. While the actual process may be that simple,...
Succulents and Other Options for Shaded Areas
Shaded areas of your yard can be tricky to deal with. How can you best use those areas that get little to no direct...
Best Shrubs and Bushes for Desert Landscape
Whenever you are designing your home’s landscape, you should always keep your climate in mind. The plants that naturally thrive in your local climate...
Tips for Creating an Outdoor Space Where You Can Host Events
Anyone can host an event at their home, but there are some things you can do to make hosting easier, more comfortable, and more...
How to Prevent Wildlife from Damaging Your Landscape
You’ve worked hard to create the yard you want, and now, you want to protect it. Unfortunately, wildlife may want to enjoy your yard...
Eco-Friendly Landscape Design Tips
Everyone wants a beautifully landscaped yard, but not everyone is happy with the toll a lush, green yard can have on the environment. Some...
Plants to Attract Hummingbirds and Other Wildlife
One of the best parts of being outdoors is enjoying the birds, insects, and other wildlife you see in their natural habitats. Today, we’re...
Best Seasonal Flowers for an Arizona Spring
Spring is the season best known for its colorful blooms. But if you want to take advantage of all the flowers of the season,...
Modern Design Elements for Your Landscape
When people think of “modern” design, they usually think of interior design: sleek finishes, unusual fixtures, and abstract art. But modern design doesn’t have...
5 Questions to Ask a Potential Landscape Designer
Hiring a landscape designer can seem like a daunting prospect. The decision is an important one, as the person you choose will have a...
Fun Family Activities You Can Do in Your Backyard
It’s finally that time of year in Arizona—when the weather has cooled down enough that we can get outside and enjoy our backyards again!...
Pros and Cons of Lawn-Free Front Yard Design
A front lawn is almost a given of home ownership…but it’s not an obligation that everyone wants to take on. Some people opt to...
Tips for Designing a Backyard Garden
Good design can change everything—and that is just as true outside your home as it is inside it. When you’re working on a backyard...
Reasons to Use a Drip Irrigation System
When it comes to keeping the plants, trees, or flowers in your yard healthy and thriving, there are a couple important things to consider,...
Fun Landscape Elements to Enjoy This Winter
One of the best things about winter in the Phoenix area is that while most of the country is hunkering down for the bitter...
Things to Consider When Purchasing Outdoor Furniture
Outdoor furniture can add a lot to your outdoor living possibilities, but it can also be a big investment. For that reason, it is...
What Is a Living Wall? (And How to Add One to Your Home or Yard)
The best landscape design elements don’t just mimic the beauty of nature—they actually recreate it. That is definitely the goal when it comes to...
Options for Outdoor Fireplaces and Firepits
There are plenty of fun ways to add visual interest and useful function to your backyard, but by far, one of the most popular...
Add a Splash of Color to Your Landscape with These 4 Plants
When it comes to yard design, most Arizonans take one of two directions: either they choose to make their yard lush and green (with...
Water Features to Install Instead of a Pool
Almost every homeowner in the Phoenix area has at least thought of installing a pool at one point or another. With swimming season extending...
Ways to Give Your Landscape a More Artistic Feel
When working on bringing personality to their home design, many people focus on the interior of their home. But there are plenty of design...
Landscape Design Ideas to Increase Your Home’s Value
When designing your home (and the landscape surrounding it), it’s always a good idea to keep resale value in mind. No matter what the...
Best Plants for Creating a Privacy Hedge
Your home is your family’s sanctuary, and you do your best to keep it as safe and as private as possible. This includes doing...
Best Shade Trees for Arizona Climate
Unless you want to stay inside absolutely all season long, it’s important to have ways to cool off outside during the brutal Arizona summer....
How to Protect Your Plants from Heat Waves
For most of the United States, the threat of frost is very real for plants, even late into the spring. In Arizona however, plants...
Landscape Design Trends for 2022
A well-designed backyard is hard to beat. When you design your yard with intention, it expands the livable area of your home and creates...
How to Get a Jump on Weeds with Pre-Emergent
Weeds are the bane of existence for most gardeners, landscapers, and homeowners. Staying on top of weeds can feel like shoveling snow in a...
Top Citrus and Fruit Tree Options for Arizona
Many homeowners in Arizona want a lush, green look for their yard landscaping, but think they are doomed to rocks and cacti. That’s not...
Toxic Plants to Avoid for Kids and Pets
In any type of design, safety should always be the number one priority. Your landscape design is no exception. Designing your outdoor areas so...
3 Tips for Planting and Caring for Your Cactus in Phoenix
Not many plants can survive the extreme heat of a Phoenix summer, which is why many Arizonans turn to a more prickly solution to...
What to Look For in a Landscape Design Company
Creating your dream yard is exciting, but it is also time consuming and costly. You want to make sure it’s done right the first...
Landscape Design Trends for 2022
As 2021 draws to a close, many people are looking to the future as they make decisions about landscape design. So what are the...
How to Protect Your Plants During Storms and Cold Fronts
The Phoenix area is known for its mild winters, but that doesn’t mean we never experience frigid—even freezing—temperatures. Winter nights in the desert can...
What Type of Pergola Should You Choose?
A pergola is an excellent addition to any backyard. Defined as “an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area,” a...
Ways to Spruce Up Your Back Patio
Other people may be hunkering down for the fall and winter, but here in Arizona, the temperatures are (finally) dropping and we are all...
Prepare Your Landscape for an Arizona Winter
“The most wonderful time of the year” in Arizona isn’t just about the holidays; it’s also about the incredible weather! In the Phoenix area,...
Edible Plants that Are Easy to Grow
Most people think about beauty first when it comes to their landscaping, but the plants you grow in your yard can be both beautiful...
Things to Consider when Building an Outdoor Kitchen
Building an outdoor kitchen is exciting, but it also brings with it a lot of decisions, stress, and of course, cost. That means that...
Landscape Design Tips for Smaller Spaces
Many people think you have to have a big, sprawling backyard in order to justify stunning landscape design. But that’s simply not the case....
Pizza Oven, BBQ Grill, or Smoker? Which Is Right for Your Yard?
When people spend a lot of time, energy, and money on perfecting their backyard, they want to end up with an outdoor space they...
Simple Tips to Conserve Water
Water conservation is a big part of the landscaping discussion right now, especially in places like Phoenix. With brutally hot summers and naturally dry,...
4 Keys to the Perfect Summer Pool Party
If you have a backyard pool in Arizona (lucky you!), you’ve probably hosted your fair share of pool parties. Most people that live in...
Outdoor Lighting Ideas for Evening Entertainment
During the summer in the Phoenix area, sometimes the only time when it is bearable to be outside is after the sun goes down....
Landscape Lighting: Solar Lights vs. Powered Lights
When designing your landscape, you face many decisions: pavers or concrete? Grass or turf? Fire pit or pergola? These big picture decisions are the...
Landscape Ideas that Save on Water
If you want to have a lush, green lawn, there’s a hard truth you have to face: it is going to take a lot...
Ways to Dress Up Your Walkways
Every element of your landscaping is an opportunity to impress. The smallest details can take your outdoor space from good to great, highlighting areas...
Tips for Planting New Plants During the Arizona Summer
Summer in Arizona can be a brutal time for residents, but it can be just as brutal for plants. How is a new plant...
Landscape Design Elements that Are Functional All Year Long
Some landscape design elements are clearly seasonal: the swimming pool gets plenty of use in the summer, but in the colder months, it’s all...
What Does Hardscaping Mean?
Most people have heard of landscaping, but they think it just refers to the grass, trees, bushes, and other living things in a yard...
Landscape Design Options for Creating a Private Outdoor Space
You want to get outside and enjoy your backyard … but so does everyone else. That might not be a problem at all for...
Outdoor Entertainment Ideas for Summer Get-Togethers
For many Arizonans, summer means one thing: indoor entertainment. Air conditioning is key to surviving consistently triple-digit temperatures and those oppressive UV rays. And...
4 Must-Haves for Your Outdoor Living Space
If there’s one trend we’ve seen really take off over the last few years, it’s creating outdoor living spaces. An outdoor living space essentially...
Landscape Design Features that Help Provide Shade
It’s springtime in Arizona, which can only mean one thing for Phoenicians: summer is on the way. While we’re still basking in the cooler...
Low Maintenance Plant Ideas for Arizona
Maintaining a yard is difficult in the best of circumstances. Add in an arid desert climate, and you’re up for a real challenge. While...
Benefits of Xeriscape Landscaping
Xeriscape landscaping, or xeriscaping, is landscaping done with water conservation in mind. In fact, most xeriscaping attempts to design landscaped areas that use little...
Pros and Cons of DIY Outdoor Barbecues
At first thought, there might not seem to be any downsides to an outdoor barbecue grill or kitchen in your backyard. But just as...
The Importance of Proper Landscape Lighting
When people think about landscaping their yard, they often think about bushes, trees, flowers, and grass. Some people go beyond that to think of...
Wood Burning vs. Gas Outdoor Fire Pits
A fire pit is a popular addition to a backyard, and for good reason. Even in the Arizona desert, there’s nothing quite like sitting...
Tips for Creating Your Own Zen Outdoor Space
The Japanese “zen garden” is designed using rocks, water, plants, and sand, all carefully designed and placed to promote mindfulness and meditation. As the...
3 Ways Hardscaping Can Transform Your Landscape Design
While the greenery in your yard creates a lush, vibrant atmosphere, hardscaping does something entirely different, yet just as important. Hardscaping—the use of hard...
Landscape Design Ideas for Entertaining During the Winter
For most of the country, winter is the time to bundle up and stay inside. In Phoenix, however, winter is prime time for getting...
Safe Water Features for Children
In Arizona, water is a popular choice for sprucing up your landscaping. Whether you go all out with a swimming pool, or keep it...
Arizona Seasonal Landscaping Tips
Landscaping in Arizona is unique to anywhere else in the world. Our dry, desert climate and warm temperatures mean that our landscaping looks a...
5 Must-Haves for Your Outdoor Kitchen
If you’re looking to truly expand your living space into your backyard, then an outdoor kitchen is the way to go. The perfect outdoor...
Real Grass vs. Artificial Turf
While artificial turf used to only be the stuff of miniature golf courses, it has come a long way over the years. In fact,...
Things to Consider Before Installing a Swimming Pool
A swimming pool can be a fantastic investment for your backyard and your home. Swimming pools can provide unbeatable entertainment for your family and...
Landscape Features to Help You Stay Cool
When you’re facing the brutal Arizona heat, every little bit helps when it comes to staying cool. While many Arizonans choose to spend the...
Pavers vs. Concrete: The Pros and Cons
When designing your landscaping, there are lots of things to consider. From real grass vs. turf, to bushes vs. trees, to a vegetable garden...
What to Look For in a Swimming Pool Company
Installing a swimming pool in your backyard is really exciting…and a little scary. After all, you’re trusting the pool company to take your (hefty)...
Pros and Cons of Installing a Backyard Splash Pad
Splash pads used to only be found in public places, but recently, they’ve become a more popular backyard feature. There are a number of...
Quarantine Activities Your Family Can Do in the Backyard
You may be stuck at home…but that doesn’t mean you have to be stuck inside! There are plenty of ways to have fun with...
