Are you taking full advantage of the Southern Arizona climate? Year-round sunshine and mild winter temperatures allow Arizona homeowners to enjoy plenty of outdoor living. Use the landscape design features below to transform your outdoor space into a desert oasis and add to your home’s value.

Outdoor Kitchen
Have you ever noticed how people tend to gather in the kitchen? Move that gathering outdoors with an outdoor kitchen, complete with cooking surfaces and appliances. Add a barbeque, sink, mini-fridge, and counter space to your outdoor area and entertain outside year-round.

Water Features

Celebrate the calming essence of water with a backyard water feature. The sound of a flowing fountain will soothe you as you sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. Depending on your home’s style you may prefer an architectural water feature, which house fountains inside beautiful man made vessels. More natural water features are built to resemble streams and small ponds.

Fireplaces and Fire Pits

Enjoy your outdoor space on chilly evenings with a fire pit or fireplace. Whether your home style is modern, Mediterranean, or contemporary, we can help you choose from a range of materials and styles for this feature. For a more low maintenance option, many homeowners choose a natural gas fire pit or fireplace that they can turn off and on. If you prefer the traditional sounds and smells of crackling mesquite wood, then a wood burning outdoor fireplace or fire pit may be a better fit for your home.

Seating and Lighting

Maximize your outdoor space with seating walls. These low walls can surround a fire pit or water feature to create a gathering space. Seating walls will also add visual interest to your design by separating different landscape and entertaining areas. Add drama to your outdoor oasis with low voltage outdoor lighting. Similar to indoor lighting design, outdoor lights can create a sense of warmth and flow in your yard by showcasing plants, rocks, and water features.

What’s on your landscape design wish list? Contact Santa Rita Landscaping in Tucson at (520) 623-0421 to discuss your custom residential project ideas.

Winter in the Southwest means most plants are dormant, so your yard may be looking a little dull and dreary. With January daytime high temperatures in the mid 60s, however, you may still want to sit outside and enjoy the mild climate. So here are a few ideas for adding a little bit of cheer and color to your winter landscaping:

1. Invest in Artwork

Get creative and support local artists and businesses by enhancing your landscaping with metal artwork, iron work, ceramic sculpture, and more. Tucson’s Metal Arts Village boasts designs from a community of talented metal-smiths. You can find indoor and outdoor sculptures and works that will transform your drab winter yard and add curb appeal to your home.

2. Accessorize with Potted Plants

Many colorful annuals like pansies, snap dragons, primrose, or calendula will be hearty enough to survive lower winter temperatures. You can plant these annuals in the fall and then enjoy their blooms during the winter months. To add even more color to your landscape, plant annuals in festive, bright pots. Have fun with the pot colors. Try some bright blue ceramics or multi-colored vessels. When arranging potted plants in your yard, group pots in odd numbers for the best visual effect.

3. Add Colorful Cacti

While many cacti bloom in the summer months, there are varieties that can provide color all year round. The golden barrel cactus has bright yellow spines and a gorgeous round shape to enhance your yard. Also brilliant and easy to maintain is the purple prickly pear. The paddles on a purple prickly pear will become even bolder during cold, dry months.  Consider the compass barrel cactus, which has beautiful pink and red spines.

Excited for spring gardening season? Call (520) 623-0421 to get in touch with the landscape design experts at Santa Rita Landscaping and start planning.

2013 has been an amazing year for landscaping in the Tucson area. We’ve been inspired by your landscape ideas, and your properties were all so much fun to work with! We can’t do what we do without you, our clients, so we’d like to take a minute to offer you our deepest gratitude.

We wish you and your family a great and prosperous 2014!

Homeowners throughout Arizona agree: The cactus is the most quintessentially southwestern plant. Of all the varieties of cactus, some of the favorites are columnar cacti, which are so named for their column-like appearance. If you’re looking to give your landscape more of a southwestern look, you might consider a tall, attractive, and hardy columnar cactus.

Varieties

There are many types of columnar cacti to choose from, making it easy for you to find the variety that best suits your property and personal taste. The saguaro cactus is perhaps the best known columnar cactus, and can grow to be 20 feet or higher. The senita cactus is also very popular, and can endure temperatures as low as 11 degrees. For an eclectic aesthetic, you might consider the totem pole cactus, which has a fascinating sculptural quality. Other popular varieties are the fence post, cereus, montrose, and old man cacti.

Flowers

While columnar cacti are beautiful all year round, they can truly illuminate your yard during the flowering season. The senita cactus shows off its elegant pink flowers during the late spring and summer, while the cereus cactus (also known as the Peruvian apple) features showy blossoms. One of the neat things about cactus flowers (particularly Saguaros) is that they’re chiefly pollinated by bats, which are attracted to the flowers’ sweet nectar.

Growth

If you plant columnar cacti in your yard, you won’t have to worry about them taking over. Most species of columnar cacti grow very slowly, allowing you to maintain your landscape’s appearance. For example, the saguaro cactus only grows about a quarter of an inch per year. Planting a columnar cactus in your yard is a lot like installing a piece of living, decorative furniture.

Care

Columnar cactus require very little care. They do require a little supplemental water every couple of weeks to keep them plump and happy. Some varieties are cold-sensitive. If nights are dropping below freezing, styrofoam cups should be placed on the top of each arm. On nights when the temperature drops to the mid-20’s, columnar cactus should be covered with a frost blanket.

If you’re interested in columnar cacti, call Santa Rita Landscaping of Tucson at (520) 623-0421. Our landscape design experts will gladly show you several varieties of columnar cactus and help you find the right ones for your property. We also offer landscape maintenance services to ensure that your cacti and other landscape plants thrive for years to come. Visit our website to get a better idea of our landscape services.

Getting started in the world of gardening is not difficult. You can consult your local Pima County Cooperative Extension office for advice on plant varieties to start with. Begin with a single plant and learn as it grows. Decide what type of plant you would like to grow and research the plant and its particular needs. Each plant needs the same things to thrive, whether it is indoors or outdoors.

• Soil and amendments, or potting soil for indoor planting
• Watering requirements
• Climate
• Fertilizer
• Micro-climate or physical location, such as on a windowsill, in direct sun, partial sun or shade.
• For indoor plants, the proper container

Purchase a packet of seeds and everything your plant will need as it grows. Prepare the soil and add amendments such as sand, compost or other organic materials. Water it until it is moistened. Make a hole in the soil the depth required on the seed packet and place a seed in. Gently push the soil over the seed.

For the next few days, keep the soil moist but not damp. Allow the area to receive the proper amount of sunlight. You should see the plant sprouting from the soil. Protect the plant from insects and animals as it grows, gradually increasing the amount of water it receives.

Fertilize your plant according to its requirements. Not all plants thrive with all-in-one fertilizers. Mix the fertilizer according to the manufacturer’s directions or add only the amount stated. Some fertilizers are placed on top of the soil within the specified germination time as labeled on the seed packet and others are gently raked under. Be sure not to injure the plant.

As your plant grows, you might want to provide support such as a stake. Plant stakes are inexpensive at gardening centers. Push it into the ground about an inch away from the stalk and tie the plant to it with plant ties. In winter, follow gardening guides regarding winter protection.

When your plant is mature, you can pat yourself on the back. Now that you know you can grow one plant, the gardening world is wide open. You will soon be growing flowers, shrubs, trees, fruit and vegetable plants indoors and out. Friends and family will admire your green thumb and ask for your advice.

Looking for a Tucson landscaper you can trust? Call Santa Rita Landscaping at (520) 623-0421.