About Scottsdale Landscaping
About Scottsdale Landscaping
Landscaping in Scottsdale is not a milder version of landscaping somewhere green. The soil is alkaline and often cemented, the rain arrives in 2 seasons, winter and the summer monsoon, the summer sun is hard on plants and materials, and the water comes from a system that is watched closely. A yard here has to work with that, not against it.
One backyard, 4 stages
How is a Scottsdale yard approached?
It starts with what the site already does. Where does the water go when it rains? Where is the caliche layer, and how deep? Which side of the house cooks in the afternoon? What is already growing, and what is dying because it was planted in the wrong place? Those 4 answers decide more of the design than any style preference. A yard that fights its site needs water, repairs and replanting forever. A yard that reads its site gets easier every year. The design comes after the reading, not before it. What the site can support decides the design, and the reading comes first.
Planting
What gets planted, and why those plants?
The palette is Sonoran desert and Mediterranean, because those plants have already solved this climate. Palo verde, mesquite, desert willow, ironwood, acacia, Texas sage, oleander where it is allowed, lantana, rosemary, agave, ocotillo, yucca and a long list of cacti and succulents. Citrus and olive work in the right spot, with the caveat that both drop fruit or litter and both need a plan for it. Turf is a choice, not a default: it belongs where feet actually go, and it does not belong in a strip 3 feet wide against a wall. The question to ask about every plant is not whether it is pretty. It is whether it will still look right in 10 years with the water it is going to get.
Bids and scope
How is water designed into a Scottsdale yard?
Water is designed in 3 layers: drip for the shrubs and trees, a separate zone for any turf, and a controller that can be programmed by season rather than by habit. The drip lines get a filter and a flush point, because emitters clog and a clogged line is invisible until the plant is dead. Grading matters as much as irrigation: a yard that ponds in one corner is a mosquito problem and a foundation problem, and no amount of gravel fixes a low spot. Where the lot slopes, water gets directed to a planted basin or to the street, not under the slab. A smart controller is worth the money here, because the difference between a July schedule and a January schedule can be a large part of the water bill.
Service area
What work does Scottsdale Landscaping cover?
Landscape installation, paver and flagstone patios, retaining and seat walls, artificial turf and putting greens, drip and sprinkler systems, irrigation repair, and outdoor living builds such as kitchens, fire features, pergolas and lighting. That list is short on purpose.
Planning
What should you expect before work starts?
A written scope with the plant list, the material list, the square footage, the irrigation zones and the permit responsibility spelled out. Walls taller than 3 feet need a city permit, and every retaining wall in Scottsdale needs engineered plans submitted to the city, so the wall is designed before it is priced (City of Scottsdale, walls and fences (opens in a new tab)). If the property is in an HOA, the design goes to the architectural committee before anything is ordered.
4 questions
Questions people ask
Still have a question? Call (747) 243-2089 and describe the yard.
How does HOA design review fit in?
HOA design review is often the longest step in the schedule. Many associations want a plant list, a site plan, material samples and sometimes a color for the gravel. Some prohibit artificial turf outright, and some restrict wall height below what the city allows. Send the guidelines at the first call and the design is drawn to them instead of being redrawn after a rejection.
Who pulls the permits?
That depends on the scope, and permit responsibility belongs in the written scope. The engineered plans for a retaining wall are prepared before submission, and the city publishes the thresholds for when a wall needs a permit (City of Scottsdale, walls and fences (opens in a new tab)).
What happens after the work is finished?
Routine care passes to the owner or a gardener, and the controller program and the zone layout are the reference for watering.
Which areas are covered?
Scottsdale and the towns around it: Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills, Cave Creek, Carefree, North Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa and Phoenix. The service areas page has the local notes for each one, including the water provider and the permit counter that applies.
Send the address and a photo of the yard, and say what you want the space to do. The first visit is a walk of the property.
Bids and scope
Licensed contractors, selected by license
Scottsdale Landscaping works with a network of selected licensed contractors. We check the Arizona ROC license before a contractor joins. The work itself is done by those independent contractors, not by us. You can check any Arizona contractor license yourself.
