Landscaping with plants can help deter criminals and improve the appearance of your property. Start by looking at the plants, bushes and shrubs just outside your house on the edge of the curb. What types of plants do you see that might be of interest to you? Do any of these bushes obscure doors or windows on your property?
Desert plants, such as cacti and succulents, make beautiful border plantings, but are sometimes planted in place of other plants, such as cactus. They help keep out weeds and provide cool moist areas for animals to drink. They are often also used to surround a water feature, such as a birdbath or a fountain. If you want to make your landscaping with desert plants a little more interesting, start by planting only the biggest specimens in the area. Place rocks around and along the border, but leave the taller ones alone so they can keep their shape and avoid erosion.
There are many ways to landscaping with plants and trees. For example, if you would like to create a flowing, organic type of landscape, consider using desert plants and stones around a water feature. Water features can also become the focus of your landscaping design, if you plant shrubs around them. Other landscape ideas for deserts include using cacti as borders or between taller shrubs. You can also try using desert plants and rock as accessories. A birdbath in the middle of a desert can become a beautiful place to sit and relax while appreciating the beauty of nature.
In addition to using landscaping plants and trees to landscape your yard or front garden, you may also choose to use exterior decorative items. These can include statues, arches and other designs that fit the theme of your landscape design. Look for items that coordinate with the theme of your landscaping and exterior design, then use these items to dress up your front or interior landscaping. Exterior decorative objects are especially useful for inhibiting the sunlight from entering your yard, so you can enjoy your outdoor areas all year long, without the glare of the sun affecting the aesthetic appeal of your landscaping.
One of the most popular landscaping plants and trees used to create a flowing and natural look is the evergreen shrub, which includes holly, azalea, rhododendron and other shrubs. These shrubs are easy to maintain, as long as you choose the ones that have hardy root systems and grow in rich soil. Some of the evergreen shrubs like rhododendron and holly can even handle drought conditions.
There are some landscaping plants and trees that are not evergreen but can be quite attractive such as the decorative cacti. These cacti do very well in dry climates and can even thrive in the presence of drought. It is important that these plants are trained accordingly to prevent them from taking over your whole landscaping area. If you are growing cacti in pots, make sure that the soil is relatively moist. The soil needs to be moist but it should not become soggy. In case you are growing cacti in the wild, you can purchase cacti seeds at local garden stores and replant them yourself.
Potted plants and trees can also help in adding interest to your southwest-style landscaping design, but you need to be careful while choosing the right ones. Make sure that you choose potted plants that are suitable for the climate and location where you plan to place them. Make sure that the potted plants are not going to overshadow the view you get from your exteriors walls or walkways. You can place the potted plants along the walkway or outside your house near the garden to enhance the look of the landscaping.
Stone is an excellent choice of landscaping stone if you are planning for a Mexican patio, pool, or stone-filled courtyard. Stone landscaping in rock garden beds such as those in containers will work especially well. A Mexican terracotta fish statue can be placed in the middle of your rock garden to add interest to your patio. You can use colorful flowers and beautiful pavers to surround the stone patio or you can select a simple paper to line the walkway.