As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Unleash your inner DIY enthusiast and transform your arid yard into a thriving oasis, on a budget. Armed with my seasoned DIY experience, let’s explore simple, wallet-friendly ideas that will rejuvenate your desert landscape.
Ready for the transformation? Let’s get started!
Contents
Cheap Desert Plant Landscaping
Enrich your desert landscape by introducing a variety of drought-resistant plants. Drawing on my extensive DIY experience, I assure you there’s more than just cacti to consider.
Choices like aloes, agaves, desert palms, and succulents thrive in high heat, requiring little water while adding vibrant greenery to your yard. Let’s explore these resilient flora together.
1. Succulent Garden Bed
If you want to add a pop of color to your space, consider a multicolored succulent garden. This adds a beautiful and striking centerpiece to your yard and you don’t have to worry about heat and drought killing the plants.
You can view the other garden bed here: ashadeofteal.com
Another example of a drought-tolerant garden bed can be found here. You can choose to keep the plants green, without adding more colorful elements. Placing the smaller shrubs into a bed of stones adds a nice contrast.
There are a variety of drought-proof gardens that you can research and implement. There’s no reason why you can’t add some greenery to your desert yard.
2. Potted Plants
You can gather several large pots and place them onto a layer of gravel or stones. This creates a professional-looking statement piece. For the plants, you can use aloe or any mixture of succulents. An example of what such a piece can look like can be found here.
View the other plants here: diyoutdoor.selbermachendeko.com
3. Native Desert Trees
Depending on where you live, you have several options when it comes to trees. In Arizona, you’ll find plenty of Blue Palo Verde and Desert Ironwood trees. In Nevada, the driest state, you may come across Birch and Acacia trees.
Check the other trees here: hometalk.com
All of these would make a great addition to your yard and can provide shade during the summertime. Just because you live in the desert, doesn’t mean you have to go without trees.
Planting trees around your fence line can provide further privacy and valuable addition to your property’s value. You can opt to plant a variety of smaller shrubs around the trees as well, to add a touch more in the way of greenery.
Once the trees mature, you can hang various decorations from the tree trunk.
4. Cactus Garden
There are a wide variety of options when it comes to choosing cacti for your yard. You can choose an assortment to add a range of colors and alternating heights. This is a beautifully landscaped yard with a cactus garden.
Check out for more yard ideas here: colwellshelor.com
Adding colorful wildflowers around the base of the cacti is a small touch that goes a long way. The green may become a bit overbearing in a large volume, so additions of orange and red help to break up the color monotony.
5. Artificial Grass
While some varieties of live grass do okay in the arid and hot desert climate, you may want to consider the artificial version instead. You don’t have to worry about watering and you can enjoy your lively green grass-scape year-round.
Check the other artificial grass examples here: landscapingnetwork.com
This is an example of how even just a narrow path of artificial grass can add to the overall value of the backyard.
Even just a small patch of artificial grass can bring the much-needed pop of greenery to the property. Arranging stones around the patch can help tie everything together, as can adding a variety of smaller cacti plants.
Budget Stone and Gravel Landscaping
Gravel, stones, and boulders are some of the cheapest landscaping items you can find. This is great news because they work well in a desert climate as well. If you’re thinking that a bunch of rocks will be boring and offer no visual interest, think again.
Below are multiple ideas for how to creatively implement rocks into your landscape. You can combine them with other additions, such as plants, to add even more appeal.
6. Gravel Yard
Sometimes adding a bit of texture and topography to your yard can be enough to mix it up. Gravel is relatively cheap, so you can purchase a decent amount to spread around your yard. Adding in cacti, stones, and a dry river bed adds a lot in the way of visual appeal.
Check the gravel yard example here: pinterest.com
This is a perfect example of this landscaping idea. Instead of settling for a flat and boring yard, the gravel adds a different terrain you can easily place plants into it, as opposed to hard and cracked dirt.
You can add some tubing or another type of divider to break up two different types of gravel, such as in this example. This draws the eye in and adds a unique twist to a gravel yard.
7. Dry Rock River Bed
If you don’t want to spend the money on adding a water feature, a dry river bed made from various stones can do the trick. You simply need to place the rocks in whatever curving and winding shape you desire. You may need to dig a shallow trench beforehand.
Check for other ideas here: owntheyard.com
This is one such example of a dry river bed created from a variety of rocks. If you want more visual contrast for your river bed, you can opt for this type of design instead.
If you want to add a unique twist to this idea, you can place a small footbridge over your rock bed. This particular bridge connects the two walkways and the gravel rock bed acts as a divider.
8. Paved Stone Path
Living in a desert climate often means you have a large open space for a yard. To add some value, you can run a stone path throughout the space. Perhaps the path can lead to a large porch.
You can check for other ideas here: backyardboss.net
You can plant various cacti or place different stones and boulders along the way to add visual appeal. Depending on your style and taste, you can get creative with the type of stone you use.
9. Large Boulder Additions
Sometimes a large boulder or two can add a striking depth to your yard when they’re staged properly. Try arranging a few large rocks and boulders around your yard until you’re happy with how they look. Then, add a few cacti varieties and perhaps a wildflower patch or two.
View the detailed ideas here: desertscapedesign.com
By the end, you should have a small but appealing statement piece. This is the perfect desert landscaping idea, as it needs very little maintenance and it’s great if you’re landscaping on a budget.
You can also go the route of spacing the boulders out across a larger space, which creates an entirely different effect. This allows you to landscape an entire area with a limited amount of supplies.
10. Gravel Filled Staircase
If your yard has a level of steepness to it, you may want to consider adding in some stairs. You can fill the stairs with gravel, so they visually blend into the rest of the property. The beautiful shrubbery surrounding the stairs ties everything together and contains the yard and protects your privacy.
Check out the ideas here: nextluxury.com
DIY Landscaping Additions
Once you’ve added in some various plants and gravel elements, you may find yourself wanting something more. This will depend on your personal preferences and what you would get the most use out of.
While decks don’t tend to make a great desert home addition, you can always opt for a small sitting area or an outdoor patio with a fire pit.
11. Fire Pit
A DIY gas fire pit can be a great and inexpensive addition to your yard, especially if you build it yourself. During the cold desert nights, you can enjoy relaxing by the fire and enjoying your backyard space.
Watch the DIY video tutorial here: youtube.com
This DIY tutorial for building a fire pit from paving stones can be a great resource to get you started. This is a relatively inexpensive option and can be a welcome feature once the weather cools down.
To dress up your outdoor area, add DIY lighting to your fire pit.
12. Outdoor Dining Area
Once the summer has passed and you can enjoy evenings in your backyard again, you may find yourself enjoying an outdoor dining table. If you enjoy grilling, you’re sure to get a lot of use out of this backyard dining set.
Check for more ideas here: almostmakesperfect.com
The addition of string lights provides nice ambient lighting to enjoy your meal. This is a simple and inexpensive addition to your yard that doubles as a fully functional area for your family.
13. Stock Tank Pool
Stock tank above-ground pools are one of the most budget-friendly options around. An in-ground pool can blow your budget right out of the water. Not to worry, because you can still enjoy a cool and refreshing dip into your backyard oasis.
Check out here for more inspiration: stocktankpoolauthority.com
In a location such as Arizona, a pool is a necessary feature during the brutally hot summertime. If you want to go the stock tank route, you can check this one out for inspiration.
This is a simple addition to your yard and offers a unique visual quality to your yard. This stock tank pool blends in nicely with the surrounding desert landscape.
Make sure to hide the pool equipment with these DIY ideas.
14. Backyard Pergola
If you enjoy cooking outside and using your grill, you may want to add a pergola or a patio cover over top. This can break up the yard visually, which is especially helpful if you have a large open space.
You can check this resource video here: youtube.com
If you want to turn this into a DIY project and save some money, you can find a helpful resource video above. This can provide you with some shade as well as a structure on which to string lights on if you need some ambient outdoor lighting as well.
You’ll need to purchase several pieces of lumber, including your posts, beams, some dimensional rafters, and strapping. You should be able to find all of this at your local home improvements store.
While a bit more complex, a pergola is one of the highest value backyard projects you can do.
15. Sitting Area With a Bench
Whether you want to craft a mini-meditation spot or just somewhere to relax after a long day, this landscaping feature may soon be your new favorite spot. There are aloes and succulents, as well as in-ground wooden steps, making this area a visually stunning spot to enjoy.
Check out here for more stunning landscape feature: hgtv.com
You can be as creative as you’d like to be when designing your yard. Instead of a bench, you can add a couple of chairs if you’d like to sit outside with a loved one. You may also want to include some candles or torches to offer illumination in the evenings.
16. Free Standing Walls
If your backyard is open and flat, you may find yourself wanting to break it up into sections. If you don’t want to plant trees or add in a pergola, you can opt for a free-standing wall.
Check the other ideas here: phillipoliver.blogspot.com
This example shows several walls that have been erected to divide the yard. You can add a seating area on one side or simply a desert garden.
Choosing which color to paint the wall is completely up to you but usually, you’ll want to opt for a muted earth color to compliment the surrounding area.
17. Outdoor Bar
The desert has beautiful weather for the majority of the year, and adding an outdoor bar is a great way to enjoy it with family and friends.
DIY pallet bars are in vogue right now, and incredibly cheap to make. You can source pallet wood for free from a lot of different places. You won’t need many woodworking tools to assemble a structure.
Paint the unfinished wood or opt to stain it instead. Make sure to add a wood finisher like polyurethane to protect it from the harsh desert sun. You can spray the finish faster with and more evenly with the best HVLP spray gun for woodworking.
Get Started on Your Desert Landscaping
Now it’s your turn to landscape your property. Desert yards can be large and open and they are a canvas for endless possibilities. You don’t need to have a lush and green forest in your backyard to enjoy the space. Use the desert for its advantages, such as the beautiful and open skyline.
There are many inexpensive options to upgrade your landscaping and many that you can do yourself. There are several DIY options included in the list above and you’re sure to find one that suits the style of your home.
