Consultation Recap
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Here's a full recap of what we walked through on-site, organized by area. Everything below is written so you can take it and do the work yourself if you'd like — plant choices, timing, and step-by-step instructions are all included. At the end, you'll also find our quote if you'd rather we handle the planting, along with pricing for ongoing fertilizing.
Exposing the Root Flare
Your lemon tree was planted too deep, and it needs to come up.
The root flare is the point where the trunk widens and the main structural roots spread out from the base of the tree — there's usually more than one of these flaring roots, but even having one exposed is enough. Right now, yours is buried. A tree can limp along like this for a while, but buried root flares trap moisture against the trunk, invite rot and disease, and slowly suffocate the tree over the long run. Left as-is, this tree will decline.
How to do it:
- Dig a trench around the tree, working carefully so you don't damage the smaller feeder roots.
- Get a shovel underneath the root ball and gently work it to loosen the tree from its current depth.
- Prop the root ball up to the correct height — the point where the root flare is visible at or just above soil level.
- Backfill soil underneath the root ball to hold it at that new height, then fill in around the sides.
Best option: once the tree is raised, clear out the rock around the base entirely and replace it with mulch. Mulch holds moisture, moderates soil temperature, and breaks down over time to feed the soil — rock does the opposite.
Second-best option: if you want to keep some rock in the yard, at minimum widen the existing water well and pull the rock back further from the trunk, so there's a generously sized mulched basin around the tree instead of just a small ring.
You already have a small water well there — it just needs to be significantly larger.
Roses, Vine & Two Trees
This is a great spot for roses — good light, and a wall that can be put to work instead of just sitting there hot and bare.
Same as the lemon tree: the rock here needs to go. Roses do best with mulch instead of rock at their base — it keeps roots cooler and holds moisture they'll actually use. We'd also like to get the block wall covered, since a bare block wall soaks up heat and radiates it right back at the roses. A vine climbing the wall solves that and adds even more color to the space.
Same scope note as the lemon tree — we can add mulch here, but rock removal itself isn't something we handle. Let us know if you'd like a referral for that.
To match the rose bushes, we're suggesting Lady Banks rose as the climbing vine on the wall — same family, same look, and it flowers heavily in spring. We'd plant 6 rose bushes and 5 Lady Banks vines spaced along the wall so the wall gets fully covered as they climb. You'll need to add a trellis or wire for the vines to climb; they won't cling to the block on their own.
The combination of rose bushes in the ground and the Lady Banks vines climbing the wall gives this whole area color and greenery from the ground up to the top of the wall.
Bookend trees
On either side of the roses, we're recommending two trees. These aren't shown in the mockup above, but here's where they'd go:
Peach — Florida Prince
Corner where the north and east walls meetLow chill-hour variety, well suited to Phoenix winters. Best planted fall through winter. Plan on pruning it every winter to keep it manageable and productive — peaches fruit on new wood, so annual pruning is part of the deal, not optional.
Desert Willow
Against the east wall, closer to the house, at the end of the rose hedgeBeautiful trumpet-shaped flowers that keep this area in theme with color. It'll help shade the wall and part of the house from afternoon sun. We'll place it carefully so it doesn't block the side walkway you're considering for raised beds.
Cooling Down the Hot Zone
This area against the house — currently white rock and pavers — is one of the hottest spots on the property, and it's doing nothing to help.
We want to cool it down, but this spot needs a careful approach: anything planted too close to the foundation with aggressive roots or heavy water needs can cause problems over time. So instead of planting right against the house, we're planting on the far side of the pavers, closer to the artificial turf — far enough to stay foundation-safe.
Coral Fountain
Russelia equisetiformisFine, arching texture with small red tubular flowers most of the year. Attracts hummingbirds.
Desert Milkweed
Asclepias subulataUpright, sculptural, nearly leafless. Not showy, but a strong butterfly and pollinator plant, and extremely heat tolerant.
Pink Fairy Duster
Calliandra eriophyllaSoft pink pom-pom flowers, low-growing and airy. Attracts pollinators, doesn't need much water once established.
Desert Ruellia
Ruellia peninsularisPurple flowers nearly year-round, fills space well, handles heat and reflected sun without complaint.
Pencil Cactus
Euphorbia tirucalliVertical, architectural, almost sculptural in a bed like this. Very low water. Note: sap can irritate skin/eyes, so keep it away from high-traffic edges.
We'll help you pick a final mix based on how full you want this area to look. Plan for 9 plants total to fill the space — it doesn't need to be all five species, a good combination of two or three works well too.
Raised Garden Beds
The side yard between the west-facing side of the house and the east-facing block wall is a good spot for raised garden beds.
For beds themselves, we like Olle Gardens — you can buy directly from their site, though it's worth checking Amazon first since they sometimes carry the same beds cheaper. For fill, we'd get your soil from AZ Worm Farm. Starting with quality soil matters more than almost anything else for how these beds perform — it's worth not skimping here. This is a straightforward DIY project, so we haven't included it in our quote below — but happy to help with sourcing questions if they come up.
For what to plant and when, our Maricopa County planting guide breaks it down season by season. Cool season is coming up, and our favorites to grow this time of year are broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, carrots, and spinach.
The Wall You See From Inside
This is the main wall you look at from inside the house, and right now there's a lot of open space to fill with green and flowers.
You've already got two trellises up where vines used to grow — a tangerine crossvine on each one would work great and put both trellises back to use. Between them, you've got two existing hibiscus that need to be fed. They'll respond well to a few handfuls of compost every few months, along with a good organic liquid fertilizer, plus a layer of mulch around their base. That combination alone will make a noticeable difference in how they look.
To fill out the rest of the wall, we're recommending 5 canna lilies along with 2 additional hibiscus to go with the two you already have — canna leans tropical with bold foliage and bright flowers, and it pairs well with the hibiscus already established here.
If you'd rather go a different direction than canna, desert-adapted options like baja fairy duster, ruellia, or plumeria would all work well here too — happy to swap the plan if one of those appeals to you more.
Compost & Mulch for Existing Plants
Beyond the specific areas above, your existing plants throughout the yard would benefit from a round of quality compost followed by a layer of mulch.
This is exactly the kind of ongoing care that's built into our monthly fertilizing service below — compost applications are already part of that program, so it's not something you need to plan separately if you go that route.
Where to Buy Plants
Whitfill Nursery is probably the closest good nursery to you and a solid option for everything above.
If A&P Nursery isn't too far a drive, they're excellent too — it's where we source the majority of our own plant material.
Planting Investment
If you'd rather we handle the installation, here's what it would run by area, plants and labor included.
| Area | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Lemon tree — root flare correction & water well widening | $200 |
| East wall — 6 roses, 5 Lady Banks vines, peach tree, desert willow | $1,510 |
| South wall — heat zone planting (9 plants) | $720 |
| North wall — 5 canna lilies, 2 hibiscus, 2 tangerine crossvines | $760 |
| Mulch — 2 cubic yards, delivered & spread | $250 |
| Bulk planting discount (29 plants in the 5-gallon size range) | −$160 |
| Estimated Total | $3,280 |
This is an estimate. Once we lock in any final adjustments to species or placement, we'll confirm the number and send over a planting agreement before any work begins. Raised garden beds are a DIY project on your end and aren't included in this total. Mulch is included above, but existing rock removal is not — we're happy to recommend someone for that and get you a separate quote if needed.
Monthly Organic Fertilizing
Everything you plant here is only as good as the soil it's growing in. Our monthly program keeps that soil alive and working for you long after we leave.
Here's what's included:
- Monthly liquid soil treatment — a custom organic blend applied to your whole landscape, feeding the soil biology that makes nutrients available to your plants instead of just feeding the plants directly.
- Compost applications, three times a year — adding organic matter back into your soil to keep feeding that biology long-term, including your hibiscus and everything else planted above.
- A dedicated technician — the same person on your property every visit, who gets to know your yard and flags anything that needs attention before it becomes a real problem.
- Priority access — as a monthly client, you're first in line if something needs quick attention between visits.
Feeding the soil, not just the plant, is the whole philosophy behind how we work — it's a slower approach than synthetic fertilizer, but it's the one that actually builds healthier soil over time instead of just masking problems.