Southwest Garden Ideas

Plant Choices

• Choose a mixture of flowering and non-flowering, drought-tolerant plants that are native to your area. Native plants naturally grow in their place of origin, so they will require little work on your part. Pair them with cacti and succulents, which are often used in desert landscaping. Choose types that bloom bold, colored flowers. To soften the garden, plant a variety of wildflowers.

Garden Patio

• Blend the outdoor garden into your home with a natural-looking garden patio. Create it in a shady area and pave it with terracotta tiles or large slabs of smooth rock. Make a comfortable sitting area on the patio. Surround the patio with natural stones. Set potted plants in a variety of sizes in the area. Choose plants that complement the native plants, cacti and succulents planted in the garden.

Color

• Incorporate pops of color into the garden. Southwest gardens are generally quite rugged and natural, so pops of color will draw the eye to different areas and make the garden visually appealing. Create an eclectic look by using a variety of colored pots, such as earthen colors mixed in with bright blues, reds and yellows. Use the pots to hold native, brightly-colored flowering plants. Set bright outdoor pillows on rustic, natural-colored furniture in the patio and lay a striped, colorful outdoor rug.

Materials

• Decorate with a variety of materials that complement the natural landscape. Create a rock riverbed made of small rocks throughout the garden and outline it with larger, local rocks. Outline smaller garden beds with more local rocks. Create a relaxing nook in a garden by clearing out a small area and setting a rustic, unfinished wooden bench in it. Set terracotta pots containing succulent plants on either side of the bench. Add flair with a fountain accented with smooth tiles that mimic colors in the sky and water. Feature the fountain in the middle of a garden bed. This mix of rocks, wood, terracotta and tile will create an attractive Southwestern garden space.