How to Design a Southwest Landscape

Whether you live in the real West of the United States or not, you can design your garden to have a Southwestern theme. The important thing is to mix plants that will thrive in your climate with materials and décor that create the effects you want. Here are some tips on how to design a Southwest landscape.

Instructions

1. As always, I suggest you start sketching your Southwestern landscape design on paper first. Laying out the design will help you organize your thoughts and make installation easier. It will also help you eliminate future mistakes before they get expensive during installation!

2. 

   Draw out a design that fits with your house and gives you convenient access to all parts of the garden. You might want to divide your landscape into different areas with walkways, paths, fences or walls.

3. 

   If you want shade, you can plant trees or build structures. Trees that look good with a Southwestern style would be Palo Verde, Mesquite, Acacias, or sparse growing plants like Cordylines or Yuccas. If these plants don't do well in your area, look for similar growing plants or choose trees that can take some trimming to echo the look. You can skip the trees all together and opt for building shade in the form of a Southwestern ramada, arbor or pergola.

4. 

   Leave space between plantings and cover the soil with gravel for one Southwest effect. You can even use colored gravel. Or try decomposed granite instead. These materials will provide mulch as well as being decorative. Plantings can be thickly planted in groups or spaced unequally throughout the landscape. You can use cactus and succulent plants or desert plants. Once again, many non-desert plants can look sparse and desert-like, just like some desert plants look surprisingly tropical. Avoid large-leafed leaves that really DON'T look Southwestern.

5. 

   There are lots of wonderful possibilities for Southwestern garden décor. You can use boulders and rocks, ranch fencing, wagon wheels, rustic benches, old Spanish-styled wrought iron and more to add to your theme.

6. 

   Colors in the Southwest Landscape can be muted and natural or can incorporate bright blues and yellows of Mexican tile. A bright turquoise door can add an accent, or paints that glow of rich rusts or terracotta can blend with red or natural stone tints.

7. You can have fun designing your Southwest landscape. These are just some suggestions to help you create the theme and style. For more information, try checking some to the links listed under the Resources below.

Resources

• Landscape design and gardening
• eHow Spring Guide
• Southwestern design colors