Such was the case of a new home in El Paso’s Ocotillo Estates. A previous client of Mark Nash, of Nash Landscape Design, contacted him about a west El Paso lot that he had purchased in the new hillside community. He wanted a landscape to compliment the house and also maintain and blend into the desert surroundings. The lot was laid out so the front of the house faced west. This provided for afternoon shade in the rear of the house and outdoor living area. Another vantage was the sunset against the Franklin Mountains and desert landscape was viewable from the back yard.

The homeowner had identified to Mark that the outdoor living area was important to his personal lifestyle and special attention needed to be given to evening lighting. The homeowner wanted to highlight the features of the garden and pool area, and also play out into the desert landscape beyond his rear wall. A large outdoor fireplace and oversized seating area were additional key elements. Taking all of these requirements into consideration, Mark drew the landscape plan for the homeowner’s approval.

With the front of the house facing west, it receives the hot afternoon sun and so the selection of trees was the first order, and that defined the landscape plan. Drip irrigation with emitters is a must to maintain a desert landscape. Constant measured watering is the better method for a Xeriscape design, especially when facing west. The next element to consider in the design was the bushes and shrubbery. Mark likes to create soil mounds from several inches to a foot above the ground surface and hard walkways. The mounds create different elevations, such as seen in the desert, which also provides a much better environment for plants to grow.

In the rear of the house the property line was linear and beyond, or the natural desert. The plan needed to make the transition from the hard rear surfaces of the house and project out into the desert. A flagstone surface made that connection for the most part. An exquisite iron fence of yucca leaf design framed the property edge. Plant beds were elevated and included both cactus and succulent plants. The planting bed was separated from the house by the pool and spa which ran horizontal along the lot line between the house and the property boundary. The pool had a raised stone face, and stone water spouts allowed for water flow into the pool. The elevated spa also overflowed into the pool. The effect was that of a desert oasis.

The oversized outdoor fireplace the homeowner had requested and a seating area for attractive outdoor furniture was installed to the left of the pool. The outdoor cooking area was situated to the right of the pool and spa, close to the entry of the house kitchen. Mark finished off the design with cleverly placed can lights to highlight the stone pool wall and the desert landscapes.

Mark once again created his magic, the homeowner got the desert oasis he dreamed of and all that remains is for Stephen Spielberg to have a cast of characters ride in from the east across the beautiful desert landscape.