Desert Landscape Designs for Homes

Cacti

• Cacti make great landscaping plants for desert homes. Not only are they suited for growing in the desert climate, they are also low-maintenance plants. Organ pipe cactus add a strong accent to your yard, for they grow in clusters of stems of varying lengths, looking like organ pipes. Prickly pear cacti have tips that turn a coral color when exposed to the sun. Planting barrel cacti and pincushion cacti under your windows can not only make a garden siding for your home but can also provide security for it. The spines on these low-growing cacti make it difficult or impossible to stand under or near the windows, which are some of your house's most vulnerable points.

Fountains and Waterfalls

• A stone fountain or a waterfall makes a bold, symbolic decoration for a desert home and both together are even more dramatic. The arid land makes the water stand out more as a landscaping centerpiece than it could, perhaps, in any other climate. Granite and marble are traditional stones used to make water fountains. A stone waterfall should use native local rock, to simulate a natural water feature.

Stone Arches and Walls

• Stone arches and walls allow you to partition your yard into separate sections. This lets you have a different theme, focus or function for each part of your yard. This kind of arrangement gives you an opportunity to really showcase your creativity. By building walls and arches together you can create different outdoor "rooms" to hold specialty or theme gardens, to serve as conversation nooks or to display works of art.

Stone Furniture

• Stone furniture adds an uncommon accent to your home's yard. Stone furniture goes well with the look of other stone landscaping projects. Stone furniture also provides the advantage of being extremely durable and resistant to harsh weather conditions.

Stone Paths

• Stone paths make use of thin, flat stones set into the ground. They can be laid in either a traditional cobblestone pattern or in more fanciful fancy arrangements such as stepping stones. Stone pathways offer an easy and attractive means of directing guests from one place to another, or of tying together different parts of your landscaping.