Get ideas for your own mini wilderness from this tucked-away patio in Arizona
Written bySharon CohoonJune 15, 2009
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Jennifer Cheung
1 of 6Jennifer Cheung
Southwest getaway
Bold furnishings and dense plantings can help you create a getaway in your own backyard, even where gardening can be a challenge.
Click ahead to see how this Arizona garden does it.
Jennifer Cheung
2 of 6Jennifer Cheung
Destination patio
The chairs' square shapes and large scale contrast with the garden's fine foliage. So do the tile-covered firepit and its oversize lava rocks, which serve as log equivalents.
Jennifer Cheung
3 of 6Jennifer Cheung
Bold furnishings
Placing the conversation area as far from the house as possible makes it feel worlds away from everyday concerns.
The vegetation on either side of the path furthers the effect and partially hides the patio from view.
Jennifer Cheung
4 of 6Jennifer Cheung
Dense plantings
The garden's plants reflect the shapes and colors of the wild desert, but they're planted more densely for drama.
They include mountain yucca, twin-flowered agave, organ-pipe cactus, and candelaria.
Jennifer Cheung
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Floating pavers
Individual concrete pads create the illusion that they're hovering lightly above the desert floor. Their exposed aggregate finish blends in with the native soil's stony texture.
Jennifer Cheung
6 of 6Jennifer Cheung
Fence screens
Desert live oak, Baja rock figs (Ficus petiolaris), and an imposing Agave scabra hide most of the neighbors’ fence.
Design Brian Kissinger, Thomas and Todd, Paradise Valley, AZ (480/951-0858)