20 Inexpensive Desert Landscaping Ideas

We ’re here to help!Wild Yards is a whole free website that is 100 % dedicated to helping you create a wildlife - friendly , sustainable pace . learn more

WildYards is lector - supported . When you bribe a merchandise through a connection on our site , we may earn a comission . Every product is severally take by our ( obsessive ) editor program and our reviews are unbiased and objective .

                                             Read  missionor ourprivacy insurance policy .

Get a Landscaping or Gardening Quote

accede your energy code

Whether you live in the desert , or you ’re just a big fan of southwest landscapes , there ’s something to be said for a desert - cheer backyard . After all , cacti , succulents , rocks , and gumption do n’t demand much sustainment . A desert - themed landscape painting is a breeze to care for , which name it well deserving the initial investment . If you ’re looking to transmute your backyard into a southwestern - style oasis , but you do n’t want to break the money box to do it , then check out these 20 inexpensive desert landscaping ideas to get those originative juices flowing .

Large sand beds can be used to grow cacti , and southwest - fashion pots make an idealistic display for succulents . Use hanging light , big rocks , metal garden nontextual matter , and statuary to adorn your inexpensive desert landscape painting .

inexpensive-desert-landscaping-ideas

Large sand beds are the perfect place to showcase your favorite desert plants.

20 Inexpensive desert landscaping ideas for your backyard

If you ’re the kind of person who would love to call the Mojave house , then turning your property into your own personal desert just realise sense . One of the major welfare of a desert - inspired landscape is that it does n’t require much care . Plus , it can facilitate you save big on your urine bill in the long outpouring . If you want to make your own southwest - themed heaven , but you ’re on a tight budget , check into out these 20 inexpensive desert landscape musical theme to get started .

Create a sand bed for planting succulents and cacti

Where would your desert landscape painting be without a little Baroness Dudevant ? Use endocarp , bricks , or even upside - down meth bottleful to make a moulding to make a bed , then fill up it up with sand . employ a roue to circularize the sand out evenly , just as you would if you were making atraditional Japanese - inspired zen garden . Once the bed is ready , plant a variety of your favorite cacti and succulents to tally depth and texture . Grow non - flowering plants to produce a modern feel , or zest things up withnative wildflowers , which can aid feed local pollinators

Purchase southwest-inspired pots

A Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin bed for desert - aboriginal plants is a capital start . But add a few pot cacti and succulent to your patio or porch will add some interest to the space . Choose brightly colored clayware with playfulness purpose and a shiny finish that catches the sunshine ’s rays . Or , choose for stool with a natural grain and more subdued coloring for an understated feeling . Geometric normal and pots that boast petroglyph - like art are a perfect selection and an cheap desert landscape gardening idea that will suit right in with your root . Just be sure to avoid using black throne , as these planters may absorb the heat and emphasise out your plants .

Make a footpath

You could design the most beautiful backyard desert landscape painting in the world , but it would n’t do you much good if you could n’t explore it ! apply gravel , large stones , or log to produce a wander footpath through your individual desert . Make a heavy horseshoe shape around a central cactus “ bloom bed ” , or create a full-strength footpath that start at your back entrance and lead to your terrace , outdoor kitchen , or a unproblematic sitting judiciary . Making a footpath through your garden allow you to admire the desert - like ravisher from multiple angles .

Install some wind chimes

The word “ sonoran ” , as in the Sonoran Desert , intend “ sonorous ” , or “ resounding” . It ’s suppose that the name was given to the desert due to the marble sedimentation in the rock found there , which ring when scratch with metal pecker . Sound plays a subtle yet authoritative role in a desert landscape , and one of the most persistent sounds in this generally quiet ecoregion is that of the wind . Install a few SW - theme wind chimes to punctuate the silence of your desert landscape painting . Choose wooden nothingness chimes for a more natural auditory sensation , or prefer for deep - tone wind chime that mime the thunder of a desert rainstorm .

Plant ornamental grasses

Cacti and succulent are the plants of choice for a southwest - inspired landscape , but ornamental grasses are an inexpensive desert landscaping choice that deserves another tone . decorative grasses like Mexican feather grass , deer grass , and trivial bluestem , are broken - maintenance and can grow just fine on their own , even in arid desert condition . Use large ornamental supergrass to create a focal level in your sand beds , or utilise lowly varieties as a molding forsmall succulent gardens .

Get creative with a painted mural

That wooden privacy fence the HOA insisted you install may not fit in very well with your sou'-west idea . But one inexpensive desert landscape gardening idea that will make that fence fit in is a mural . Whether you select to paint a desert sundown , a herd of galloping wild buck , or some of yourfavorite desert animalsis up to you . But using a privacy fence or even a wall of your home or shed as a canvas is a slap-up way to tot up pastime to your desert landscape without spending too much money .

Pick a color scheme that pops

There is n’t that much to a desert landscape painting when you think about it . You ’ve get sand , you ’ve got cacti and succulents , you ’ve have the sky , and that ’s about it . Though there are only a smattering of constituent to utilize when create your own desert landscape painting , they can come in many different shades . Picking a color outline is an inexpensive desert landscape gardening idea that will make decorating your backyard much easier . Whether you select vibrant specter of blue , orangish , and green , or pernicious pinkish , orangish , and blue-green hue , creating a color pallet for your southwest - style place will make shop for plants and decoration much easy .

Make a mini desert

If your ecoregion gets too much rainfall to grow desert - aboriginal plants like succulent and cacti , do n’t give up hope just yet . You may not be capable to convert your entire backyard into your own personal desert oasis , but you’re able to still make a desert , just on a miniature scale . Fill alarge planter , flower box , or traywith Baroness Dudevant orhydroton Lucius Clay pebbles , and plume it up with your favourite minuscule succulent and cacti . Fill your petite desert with miniature sou'-west - revolutionise ornament to give it a more authentic feel . leave behind your mini desert in a shining , gay positioning outside , and simply bring it up onto your porch or terrace when it rain so the plants do n’t get too much water .

“Grow” a rock garden

Sand obviously play a major role in a desert - inspired landscape painting , but rock are of import , too . magnanimous rocks can be used to accent sand beds , or they can be stacked in a turning point to create a display for potted plants . Choose aqueous rocks that have a grainy , sandy texture . These are a rude convulsion for your inexpensive desert landscape gardening . Or fill up acorner rock gardenwith gravel and found rock that you ’ve collected on all of your travel . Consider adding a few arrowheads to the display , too , for add pastime .

Create a gravel sitting area

Inset large stone in a bed of gravel to make a patio sit orbit . Use large planters to grow cacti along the perimeter to separate the space from the rest of your backyard and create a common sense of privacy . render the space with a work bench , a few chairs , or a table set equipped with an umbrella so you could enjoy a tasty drink in the wraith on a raging summertime good afternoon .

Make a dry creek bed

There are creeks in the desert , you know . It ’s just that most of the time , they run dry . But using gravel or sand to make a winding creek bed will promote visitors to explore the outer space and enjoy all of the nifty touch you ’ve added to your landscape . trace your dry brook bed with rock and roll and ossify wood to limit the path , or use succulents to make a living boundary line .

Build a fire pit

It get hot in the desert . Running your kitchen range every day heats up your theater , raise your electric bill . It ’s not uncommon to chance out-of-door kitchens in the American Southwest . Use cinder blocks or orthogonal stones to fabricate a fire endocarp to make your landscape feel more bona fide . This inexpensive desert landscaping musical theme is the perfect alternative for anyone who plans on entertain in their effortlessly beautiful desert backyard .

Install a pergola

A pergola is an inexpensive desert landscaping idea that makes for a fun weekend project . Use treated timber to create a traditional pergola for your backyard place , or witness some grating - cut woodwind to build a more natural - looking anatomical structure . Whether you situate your new pergola at the end of your crushed rock footpath or set it over your patio , a bower will help organize the eyes upwards . It will also provide you with a bodily structure to fall things on , likepotted plants , nothingness chimes , and hummingbird feeders . Speaking of which …

Choose vibrantly colored hummingbird feeders

When non - desert - dwellers get wind the words “ desert brute ” , we tend to think of coyotes , jackrabbits , rattlesnake , and Gila monsters . But hummingbirds can be discover in the desert , too . In the United States , desert ecosystem can be regain inNevada , California , Utah , New Mexico , Arizona , Colorado , andTexas , with smaller desert located inOregon , Montana , Idaho , andWyoming . Since roughly 30 % of the continental U.S. is desert , it only makes sense that hummingbirds can be found there , even if they ’re only passing through . Choose vibrantly coloredhummingbird feedersto attract theseskilled aviator . This cheap desert landscaping idea will have a tremendous ocular impact on your backyard space , and it wo n’t break the banking concern .

Build an owl box

Another bird that we run to draw a blank resides in the desert is the bird of Minerva . The United States is thehome of 19 unlike owl species , about a handful of which are know to subsist in the desert . Barn owls , burrowing owls , westerly screaming owls , and pygmy bird of Minerva are hard enough to subsist the inhospitable environment of these dry , arid regions . So consider hanging up an owl box toattract these desert dwellers . Not only will you enjoywatching them in your yard at night , but they can also help keep insect level down around your base , making them efficient all - rude pesterer command .

Hang up some string lights

The desert is just as beautiful at night as it is during the daylight . pay heed some string illuminate up along your fencing , porch , or pergola so you could enjoy the space even when the sun goes down . Simple cosmic string lights are a elusive touch and will fade into the background , while still illuminating your desert landscape painting . But endearing novelty string lights regulate like cacti , horses , or cowboy hats will make your garden more retro and fun .

Make good use of garden decorations and statuary

Desert landscapes are low-pitched - maintenance , which is a major fringe benefit , particularly if you ’re a homeowner who does n’t have much time on their hands . But the fact is most desert - tolerant plant life do n’t flower often . If you want a backyard that ’s loose to care for , but that ’s just as colorful as abutterfly garden , then fill the space with desert - themed nontextual matter and statuary . Ceramic lizard , painted alloy suns , terracotta tortoise planters , and patterned donkey statues are just a few idea to help you get start . Look for garden wall artistic creation and statues that will fit out in with the theme of your garden and make an outdoor verandah for all of your favorite pieces .

Upcycle old items

If you ’re on a cockeyed budget and depend for some seriously inexpensive desert landscaping thought , take a look at some of the things you already have on hand , and start thinking outside the box seat . Use honest-to-god tires to make planters for a cactus . Arrange potted aloe vera and agave inside a wooden crateful or tray . Turn a lawn cart into a planter for trailing succulent like drawstring of pearls or burro ’s tail . Spray paint a few coffee cans and tie them together to make a erect planter . Upcycling one-time materials is one of the best way to salve money . With a little imagination , the possibilities are endless .

Construct a bottle tree

Much of the vegetation you prefer for your backyard desert will be low - get . It can take larger cacti decades ( if not centuries ) to gain meaning height . And yet , height is needed to make your desert landscape painting more interesting . Cue the bottle tree diagram . believe to have rise in Central Africa , bottle trees are a traditional form of outdoor folk art in the United States . Simply instal a “ tree ” made of rebar or pipe , and situate colourful bottles along the “ branches ” . The feeding bottle will glint and glitter in the sun , drawing hummingbirds , moths , and butterflies to your garden .

Install a water feature to attract wildlife

Another smashing fashion to pull in wildlife to your desert - inspired quad is to install a weewee feature . Even though water is hard to find in a desert , it play a critical part for the animate being and insects who live there . Birdbathsand spring are an inexpensive desert landscaping idea that will promote the local fauna to make up you a sojourn . take watercraft made of wood , alloy , terracotta , and other natural - look material , in keeping with your desert subject .

Tips for making your desert landscape feel more authentic

By now , you ’ve discovered that there are plenty of cheap desert landscaping ideas to choose from . With a minuscule creative thinking , you may transform your backyard into the desert paradise of your dreams . But here are a few extra tips to help you create a sou'-west - inspired quad that feels ultra - reliable .

Plan your layout

Whenplanning a garden , it always pay to lay matter out ahead of fourth dimension . If you build your desert garden as you go , you may get forward of yourself and cease up with too many cacti and not enough rocks , or too much wall art and not enough flowering plant . So before you start construction , measure your blank space and settle where you want things to go .

Choose desert native plants

Petunias , hydrangea , andgladiolusare sure enough pretty . But they do n’t really fit in with the desert vibration . Choose plant that acquire naturally in arid clime , like agave , kalanchoe , aloe vera , yucca , echeveria , pencil plant , and even palm tree . These plants will give your space a in spades southwest feel . Be sure to includeflowers that can survive recollective periods without pee , likelavender , blackfoot daisy , and desert willow , to add a touch of color .

Remember: less is more

Think about what a real desert face like . You wo n’t find lush greenery and field of blossom here . These are sparse landscapes featuring huge expanses of sand , with just a few plant scattered here and there . So to give your desert - urge backyard a more veritable flavour , keep large Stone , cacti , succulent , and other focal points to a minimum . This accurately mimic the reality of a true desert , plus , it ’s a spate easier on your wallet !

Bringing your desert landscape to life on a budget

These 20 inexpensive desert landscaping ideas are just the tip of the iceberg lettuce when it comes to creating your outdoor oasis . Fortunately , desert landscape are minimalistic in nature , which makes them a price - effective selection from the start . And because they ’re low-toned - upkeep and have low water needs , a desert - inspired backyard can save you both time and money over the year . All it convey is a fiddling ingeniousness , and you’re able to get the double-dyed landscape painting without pass a gross ton of your hard - earned money .