Phoenix is a popular place to live for those who love warm weather. Because of its Sonoran Desert climate, summers tend to be excessively hot, while winters offer pleasantly warm temperatures. Because of this many “snowbirds” come to Phoenix to escape cold and snowy weather elsewhere and return to their main home in the summer. However, in recent years, the Phoenix metro has experienced rapid growth, with more and more people choosing to make it their year-round home.

Phoenix snowbirds are typically retirees that are drawn to the appeal of being able to spend time outdoors in the winter. They love enjoying a glass of wine next to an outdoor fireplace, or having a few friends over to grill in the backyard. The year-rounders, many of whom live in Mesa, Gilbert and Chandler, tend to be more concerned with keeping cool in the summer and therefore often have pools, pergolas and misting systems in their backyards.

People who are new to Phoenix sometimes have a hard time adjusting to the local landscape style. Because of the extreme heat and lack of water, lawns are not a common sight. Instead it is typical to have a mixture of desert appropriate shrubs, succulents and cacti planted in beds of gravel. If you’d like to find out more about low-water-use landscape plants, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association offers an online database of over 200 plants. An experienced landscape designer or contractor who is familiar with desert conditions can help you achieve a lush looking landscape that will survive the heat and won’t waste water. If this still sounds odd and you’re set on the look of a green lawn, you should consider artificial turf; there are many realistic options that have been introduced recently.

If you need ideas for your landscaping, take a drive through Scottsdale and snap photos of the landscapes you find appealing. Scottsdale has many high-end homes, golf courses and resorts that are full of excellent examples of desert landscaping. Another place to see desert plants at their finest is the Desert Botanical Garden, located between Scottsdale and Tempe. This public garden also offers landscape and gardening classes on topics such as xeriscaping, drip irrigation, small space landscaping and more. The Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus is also a good place to visit for landscaping ideas. This project, designed by Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, won a 2012 Honor Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects.