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Landscape No-No’s

Landscape No-No
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Do you ever wonder if you are doing things right in your landscape?

If a plant or tree doesn’t look too well, do you wonder if it is something you are doing wrong?

When I am called to do a landscape consultation, my client usually has a primary concern.  But, part of my job is to also look at the landscape as a whole and point out other problems – hopefully before they affect the plant negatively.

So, I decided to start posting photos of problems I have spotted during consults in hopes that I can help you too.

Below, are two pictures of a very common landscape mistake that I see constantly. Usually the homeowner/client has no idea that they are doing anything wrong.

Can you tell what is wrong?

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It isn’t always super obvious…

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 I’d love to hear what you think is wrong – just send me a comment, below.

I’ll post about this ‘landscape no-no’ and what problems it causes and how to correct it in my next post 🙂

Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
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https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Noelle-doing-consult.jpg 236 355 arizonaplantlady@gmail.com https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AZ-Plant-Lady-Logo-small.jpg arizonaplantlady@gmail.com2012-08-02 17:44:002025-08-03 01:50:00Landscape No-No’s
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5 replies
  1. jrdub
    jrdub says:
    August 2, 2012 at 6:30 pm

    Drip emitter(s) at the base of the tree. Should be placed near the drip line which moves out as the tree grows. I use a concentric circle design on my two year old desert trees in front. That way there is always some water nearby and always some water to seek out and grow into.

  2. Katrina Blanchalle
    Katrina Blanchalle says:
    August 2, 2012 at 7:11 pm

    Agree with jrdub. It's easy to see on your examples but not always easy to correct if you initially installed the irrigation with a very small tree. Years pass, and the landscaping (rocks, shrubs, and the various garden detritus) obscures the emitters, so it's quite a job to locate and move them out to the drip line where they need to be.

  3. Rohrerbot
    Rohrerbot says:
    August 2, 2012 at 11:14 pm

    I love these kinds of posts. Dripline is too close to the base of the tree. It should be as far out as the canopy extends otherwise the Palo Verde won't develop a good supporting root system. Which means….during a wind storm, the tree will get blown over. Not good:)

  4. loveithandmade
    loveithandmade says:
    August 3, 2012 at 3:27 pm

    I had that problem when we moved into an already established yard, trying to remove the entwined drip line with the growing tree or shrub. Not fun.

  5. Tien
    Tien says:
    July 19, 2013 at 6:49 am

    Drip emitter is placed too close to the base of the tree/shrub. Roots can be as far out as the branches reach out. Placing drip lines all around the outer base will irrigate evenly so roots can grow out and spread and not be bound in one area.

Comments are closed.

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Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."

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