The most beautiful landscape designs can make a place famous. As you start to think about what to incorporate in your own yard, look to the Portland International Rose Test Garden for some inspiration:

Beautiful Roots

Today Portland is known as the City of Roses and the International Rose Test Garden is a big part of that. A citizen wanted to preserve European roses during World War I and convinced the city to build the garden in 1917. The garden served as a sanctuary for European roses that were threatened by the war on the continent. The International Rose Test Garden is known as the oldest official public rose test garden in the country.

Stunning Views and Scents

The rose garden is open from April until October and gives eager visitors the chance to walk among 7,000 amazing rose bushes. The sites and the smells are enough to please anyone from an avid gardener to a novice rose lover. Try to plan a trip in June to see the roses at their absolute best. If you do get a chance to visit the garden, be sure to give yourself plenty of time to really enjoy the beauty and peaceful feeling of the space.

Free Admission

Not only is the garden full of some of the most beautiful roses in the country, but it also has no admission fees. It is open every day from 7:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. to give you the opportunity to experience the beauty of the roses during the day and in the evening.

Santa Rita Landscaping gives you the chance to build your own perfect garden right in your backyard. From roses to desert shrubs, we make it easy to get the plants and flowers that you want to enhance your exterior design. We offer landscaping services for residential and commercial customers to help keep Tucson beautiful. To learn more, visit us online or call (520) 623-0421.

Landscape design is a personal choice, reflecting your preferences and highlighting your property’s unique features. The right landscaping will add to the aesthetics of your yard, as well as improve your curb appeal and increase your home’s value. Whether you want to upgrade your current landscaping or completely transform the atmosphere of your property, an experienced landscaping service can help you achieve the perfect look for your Tucson yard.

Create an Outdoor Living Space

Your yard can be more than just a home for your outdoor plants—integrating an outdoor living space, such as a deck, patio, or pool, enhances the functionality of your yard and adds both value and appeal to your home. Patios are a popular outdoor feature in Tucson, providing a space for you to enjoy meals or relax in the abundant sunshine. Adding a cooking area, outdoor fireplace, or water feature to your outdoor living space will make it a more comfortable and stylish area for relaxation and entertaining.

Add a Container Garden

Container gardens are small, self-contained gardening spaces that can house anything from vegetables to southwestern succulents. This type of gardening creates a visually separate gardening space apart from the overall look of your landscape design. You can plant a small garden in easily movable containers, or opt for larger, custom-built containers that mesh with the style of your outdoor space for permanent gardening space.

Design a Paved Path

Pathways are a wonderful way to add personality and functionality to your yard. Consider designing paved pathways through your property to give it the look and feel of a luxurious garden space. Lighting and benches can add to the relaxing ambiance along your path, while custom-designed gateways or arches offer an elegant touch and visual texture to your outdoor space.

At Santa Rita Landscaping, we specialize in landscape design and construction to help you create the perfect outdoor space for your family. You can click through our website to find out more about our custom residential landscaping services, or give us a call at (520) 623-0421 to get started.

The Yu Garden is a remnant of the Ming Dynasty first conceived in 1559. In its multi-century history, the garden has suffered serious damage and undergone significant restoration to become a national monument in 1982. Situated beside the City God Temple in the City of Shanghai, Yu Garden spans an area of 2 hectares with six distinct areas. It is among the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, which are on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

Yu Garden History

Pan Yunduan of the Ming Dynasty commissioned the Yu Garden in 1559 as a gift to comfort his aging father Pan En. During the Ming Dynasty, the garden was its largest and most prestigious, though it does still have features echoing its original glory. Through the 17^th and 18^th centuries, ownership of Yu Garden changed many times with continual revitalization efforts to restore the grounds. In the 19^th century, Yu Garden suffered such significant damage that all of its original structures were almost completely destroyed. Dianchun Hall is now the oldest structure in the garden, dating back to 1820.

Suzhou Design

Yu Garden is laid out in Suzhou style with six general areas. The Sansui Hall includes the Grand Rockery, which showcases scenery that may have been in the original design of the garden during the Ming Dynasty. The Inner Garden includes rockeries, ponds, pavilions, and towers that were first laid out in 1709 and recreated in 1956. These and the other four areas of the garden are all separated by dragon walls with gray tiled ridges, each ending in a stone dragon’s head.

No matter what natural scenery inspires you, you can find impeccable landscaping design and installation to make your vision a reality with Santa Rita Landscaping. You can begin planning your new outdoor space with us by calling (520) 623-0421 or visiting our website.

The Gardens of Versailles are a part of the elegant Chateau de Versailles, which was built in the mid-17^th century under Louis XIII following his purchase of the lands in 1632. The gardens lie on 800 hectares of land, and they represent the iconic French formal garden landscape that has been copied for centuries in European courts following the creation of the Gardens of Versailles. Through five major replantations of the garden and numerous restoration efforts, the Gardens of Versailles now stand as one of the most visited public areas in all of France.

Garden Creation

The early layout of the gardens was commissioned by Louis XIII, but it was Louis XIV who made his legacy with the help of Andre Le Notre by expanding and embellishing the gardens through his entire reign. Through the construction and expansion of the gardens under Louis XIV, many of the lavish fountains and water features in the gardens were created along with the Orangerie designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart. In order to lay out the gardens and canals, massive amounts of earth had to be shifted to plant flower beds and create the canal system to irrigate the lands and supply fountains with water.

French Formal Garden Style

The French formal garden style is characterized by symmetry and imposing order on nature. The Gardens of Versailles are considered to be the epitome of this design. Elements that can be seen throughout the gardens include the mirroring effect of bodies of water (primarily basins and canals), straight planting and consummate trimming of trees, and geometric plans showcasing unique perspectives and optics.

Notable Garden Features

The Gardens of Versailles houses 50 fountains, 620 water jets, and a 5.57 km Grand Canal. There are also 210,000 flowers planted annually and 200,000 trees on the premises.

As you explore the pinnacle of decadence in the Gardens of Versailles, connect with Santa Rita Landscaping to find inspiration for your own outdoor space in Tucson. You can reach us on our website or at (520) 623-0421.

Portland, Oregon is widely known as the “City of Roses” thanks in large part to the city’s incredible International Rose Test Garden, which is found in Washington Park. The garden was created as a haven for hybrid roses grown in Europe during WWI, as there was great fear that these plants would be permanently destroyed during the war. With immediate success in test planting, the International Rose Test Garden became an iconic attraction of the city of Portland, where there are now more than 7,000 different plants representing 550 different species.

Garden Creation

The International Rose Garden got its start in 1917 when the Portland Department of Parks & Recreation and the American Rose Society collaborated to bring the vision of this garden to life. As hybridists from around the world sent roses for test to the garden, it grew to cover 4.5 acres of land with many distinctive areas showcasing immaculate flora and rose testing grounds.

Rose Garden Features

The garden is situated facing downtown Portland with views of the Cascade Mountains on clear days. It features an amphitheater, Shakespeare Garden, Gold Medal Garden, and Royal Rosarian Garden, which all have their own unique décor of award winning roses, botanicals mentioned in Shakespearean plays, and rose varieties that are no longer commercially available. The Miniature Rose Garden is one of six testing grounds for the American Rose Society, where cultivars from around the world are tested for color, fragrance, and disease resistance. The entire garden is tended by one full-time, year-round gardener and an additional seasonal gardener in the peak season of summer. There are also many volunteers who help maintain the grounds and tend to the delicate flowers showcased throughout the gardens.

As you seek design inspiration for your Tucson garden, call Santa Rita Landscaping at (520) 623-0421 to begin exploring our work. Our custom residential landscaping services will provide you with the garden of your dreams featuring innovative solutions to create new life in the extreme temperatures of southern Arizona.