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6 guides · new one every 2 days

Scottsdale Landscaping Blog

Scottsdale yards need Scottsdale answers, not a national template. Start with the cost article if you are pricing work, or with the retaining wall guide if a wall or a permit is the next decision.

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6 guides

The guides

Guide 01November 1, 2026What Does an HOA Front Yard Rejection Cost in Scottsdale, AZ?The letter lands a month after the yard is done. The front yard does not comply with the community plant list, and the work has to come.Read the guide
Guide 02October 28, 2026Artificial Turf in Arizona HeatHow artificial turf behaves in Arizona heat: surface temperature, fading, infill, drainage and the base work that decides how well it holds up over time.Read the guide
Guide 03October 26, 2026Do You Need a Permit for a Retaining Wall in Scottsdale?A retaining wall in Scottsdale needs engineered plans and a permit. What the city requires, what review involves and how to plan the wall before you dig.Read the guide
Guide 04October 24, 2026Desert Landscaping vs XeriscapeDesert landscaping and xeriscape are not the same thing. What each word means, where it came from and which approach actually suits a Scottsdale yard.Read the guide
Guide 05October 22, 2026Trees That Grow in Scottsdale, AZThe trees that actually grow in Scottsdale, from palo verde and mesquite to desert willow and citrus, with water needs, litter, shade and growth notes.Read the guide
Guide 06October 20, 2026What Landscaping Costs in Scottsdale, AZWhat a landscaping project costs in Scottsdale, line by line, with published ranges for labor, turf, pavers and irrigation and what moves the number.Read the guide

Service area

What does this blog cover, and who is it for?

These are notes for people who own a house in Scottsdale and have to decide something about the yard. 5 guides so far: what landscaping costs, which trees grow here, desert landscaping versus xeriscape, artificial turf in the heat, and retaining wall permits. Each one answers a question about a Scottsdale yard, and each is written for this city rather than a national average. Every number on these pages names its source in the sentence that carries it. The guides cover the numbers, the rules and the order to do things in.

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Costs

How should I use the cost guides?

Start with the cost article, which lists published market ranges for labor, turf, pavers, walls and irrigation, and ties each range to the source it came from. Those ranges are market data, not a quote for your yard. Use them to set a starting budget. The hourly figures are the least reliable of the set, because an hour in caliche is not an hour in prepared soil. The service pages go deeper on materials and base work for a specific job. Read the cost article first, then the page for the work you are buying.

Rules

What do the local rules guides answer?

3 guides cover rules as well as materials. The retaining wall article walks the permit path: engineered plans, the height thresholds, the footing depth the city assumes, the setback from the property line, and what changes on ESL or NAOS land (City of Scottsdale, walls and fences (opens in a new tab)). The xeriscape guide covers Scottsdale's drought stages and water rebates, and the turf guide covers HOA review and the state artificial turf law. These are the things that cost money when they are discovered late. None of it is legal advice, and none of it replaces the city counter or the engineer. Each guide names the record or the counter to check, so an answer can be verified instead of taken from a page.

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Planning

What should I read first if I am starting a project?

If you have not chosen the work yet, read desert landscaping versus xeriscape and the trees guide, because plant and surface choices set everything downstream. If you know the work and you are pricing it, read the cost article and then the service page. If the job involves a wall or a permit, read that guide before any work is scheduled. The order matters less than the timing. Reading the rules is cheap in January and expensive in the week the work is booked. If you are replacing a lawn, read the turf and xeriscape guides together before you pick a surface. Start with the decision you are making this month and skip the rest until it comes up.

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4 questions

Questions people ask

Still have a question? Call (747) 243-2089 and describe the yard.

What does the Scottsdale landscaping blog cover?

Guides on what landscaping costs, which trees grow here, desert landscaping versus xeriscape, artificial turf in the heat and retaining wall permits. Each one is written for Scottsdale yards.

Which guide should I read first?

Start with the decision you are making this month. Pricing work: the cost guide. A wall or a permit: the retaining wall guide. Choosing plants or a surface: the trees and xeriscape guides.

Do the guides give a price for my yard?

The cost guide lists published market ranges and names the source of each one. Those ranges are market data, not a quote for your yard, so use them to set a starting budget.

Which guides cover local rules?

3 do. The retaining wall guide covers the permit path, the xeriscape guide covers drought stages and water rebates, and the turf guide covers HOA review and the state artificial turf law.

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