When a person thinks about landscaping, it may be difficult to think of landscaping a desert. It is first important to understand what landscaping is and then you can appreciate what it is like to do desert landscaping and how to do it correctly.

Landscaping is a science as well as an art and requires a person with good observation and design skills. A talented and qualified landscaper is able to understand nature and be able to construct and blend those elements to create a masterpiece.

With that being said, what is landscaping? It is the modification of any visible feature of an area of land. This can include all living elements such the flora and fauna. Most people would call this gardening.

Gardening is an art of growing plants with the goal being to create something beautiful within the landscape. Landforms, terrain shape and elevation as well as bodies of water are also part of landscaping. Man made objects as well can be used in landscaping and taking into consideration the elements and lighting conditions is also a part of landscaping.

With this knowledge that you have now acquired, we can talk about desert landscaping. Think of all the elements and landforms that you have to work with in the desert. There are cacti, tumbleweeds, dirt and you have the wind and the heat to contend with as well. Believe it or not you can create a very tranquil landscape scheme in the desert. The vital key here is to be efficient.

In the desert, it is important to keep in mind that every drop of water that can be provided to your landscape needs to be used to its fullest potential before it evaporates. You must be mindful of the soil.

Desert soil is going to be the toughest challenge that you will face with your landscaping. The soil is tough and very alkaline with toxic levels of salinity. This makes gardening next to impossible coupled with the heat of the sun and you are facing an uphill battle.

Using mulch and soil additives and shading will help improve your soil. These additives will make drainage as well as retaining water a positive force in your soil. Good soil is important so the landscape that you are planting can anchor itself into the ground. Good anchor will help prevent the landscape from being blown away in the wind.

The wind in the desert can be almost as damaging as the sun. To help protect against the wind, while the plants are beginning to anchor themselves make sure that you use good ground cover, fences and even gravel.

Knowing that we are talking about the desert, we really shouldn’t even have to mention the heat factor. This is another reason that using each drop of water to its fullest potential is important in sustaining your landscape. The key component to using water properly is good soil. These together will help you build a beautifully landscape area in the desert.

Alex Olson is a talented and qualified landscaper. She wrote a number of articles about the art of landscaping. In them she shares her views on desert landscaping and much more.