Just moved to Arizona-what to make of this rock & gravel yard!?

You can plant succulents in pots! Local Home Depot or Lowes should have plent for sale!

Build a series of plain wood planter boxes and place them in a pattern on the stones, Fill the boxes with plants that complement each other and the color of the stones.

Be happy --- you won't have to mow or weed and it will look great!

I agree, just add some wooden planters with flowers or herbs and will look amazing.

Thank you so much they are great ideas & I am going to give them a try!

Looks beautiful add some flowers

Having lived in AZ as well, I know a lot of people with gravel yards would utilize river rock and other stone material to create borders or add visual interest. Some dug to remove the clay soil below and filled the area back in with river rock in the area of the yard that heavy rain would pool and stagnate to create functional drainage. A few times a year you want to turn the rock with a heavy duty wide toothed rake to prevent the gravel from packing down. At least its not little pebbles which have to be redistributed often. A leaf blower is great to have clean off any plant debris and leaves It's definitely an asjustment! What you save in not having grass to care for you'll probably spend in having gravel hauled in at some point fill in areas that become sparse.

Adding a stone fire pit area to kinda replicate a mini campsite would be adorable if you enjoy spending time outside with family and friends and theres lots of cute ideas of how to make one. If it were my own yard, I'd actually try to give it a nice flow that has several different "outdoor spaces" such as the fire pit area off to the back, with some fruit trees on the side to allow for privacy and a veggie garden or herb garden area in cedar boxes. I'd keep flowers closer to the desk and Id consider a Sail cloth cover for the deck area if it gets hit with a lot of sun. If it doesn't then Id opt for string lights placed on high poles around the deck to make it more cozy, like an outdoor cafe. Maybe add an area on the side grill off the deck for safety purposes. I don't have kids but I do have dogs so I may even consider splitting the yard up to have the rocks all raked to the back and sides so itd be possible for my dogs to have a yard with grass instead. You have lots of options and there's lots of great landscapers you can hire to help you get started if you aren't sure how to begin. If you aren't really into having all that rock, you can even have it hauled off or even have it placed in your driveway as people will happily take it for use in their own yard. You can put down sod or a faux grass option if you'd like to have the look of a nice green yard without the maintanace. It really will all depend on what activities your household has previously enjoyed doing in your backyard and what you need your yard to provide your family. Just know that there's lots of ways you can design it and don't ever feel your options are limited because it's currently all gravel.

Thank you

You have the perfect yard for xeriscaping. Great space you have, enjoy!

After having lived in AZ too, I would plant in the ground the desert native favorites: lantana, cactus types, succulents, aloes, etc. It was so much more of a hassle worrying about watering the potted plants I wanted to live ;) I potted some patio palms right off my patio in the shade to sort of make it appear as a separate area.

I would just drive around and see what other people have done so you can get an idea of what you like and what you don't.

For backyard, if you want a firepit you could lay down some patio bricks and make a nice area for that. Or if you want to add another sitting area, you could decorate around that.

Now I miss my AZ yard!

I also live in the Phoenix area and I really have good luck with portulacaria in containers. Also, euphorbia fire sticks, hesperaloe and in the summer portulaca for color. Also I have a lot of cactus in pots. Not all cactus or succulents can take the full sun, so be careful. I would go to a locally owned nursery where they have more employees that are knowledgeable about our climate.

Thank you Jennifer, some great ideas.

Lots of great ideas. Add interest areas rather than any central focus. Also some large flagstones can create easier walking to spaces. Any water features would be always great focus spots. I saw a wonderful empty aviary in one garden that made quite a statement. Also as to firepits, they were 'trendy' and I find most of them not used often and make a dirty focal spot as no one ever cleans them.

I am SOOOOOO jealous. I lived in Cottonwood, Arizona for 10 years and LOVED it. Miss it a lot. Rock landscaping can be very beautiful and earth friendly. Create your own River Rock dry bed streaming from one side of the yard to the other. Border it with red rock boulders for added color. Place a walking bridge over it leading you to a quiet place of retreat by a tree with a bench, bird feeder, some hanging wind chimes and a few of your creative sign posts. Have fun. Congratulations on your new home and new adventure.

Blessings to you and your family.

Pots of beautiful flowers, water feature would be pretty

thank you Michelle, will give that a try!

Lora, I went to the local nursery like you mentioned and they told me of a few succulents I could use...thank you.