Planting Tips
Choose desert-friendly plants that thrive in our dry climate. There are literally hundreds of plant options to choose from, and rebates are available for replacing turf with a desert-friendly landscape.
5 in 5: Our 5 most read articles in our 5 years!
In celebration of five years of bringing you 505Outside, we’d like to share our most popular articles from the website. 505Outside is your resource for beautiful, desert friendly landscapes. Desert friendly landscapes are resilient, sustainable, enjoyable and...
Hotscape: An Attractive Native Landscape that Loves Heat and Full Sun
A lot goes into creating a landscape plan, and it helps to have some expert help. Landscape architects specialize in designing outdoor spaces. Today, we’re sharing a plan particularly suited to our climate by New Mexico landscape designer David Cristiani. You can...
Greenscape Landscape Plan: Evergreen Plants Provide an Ever-Beautiful Front Yard
Creating a landscape plan is a complicated endeavor. Luckily for home gardeners, landscape architects specialize in designing outdoor spaces. Today, we’re sharing a unique plan by New Mexico landscape designer David Cristiani to give you some inspiration and ideas for...
Albuquerque Soils
Albuquerque has a variety of soil types. Learning what type of soil is in your yard is a critical step to understanding how water will infiltrate the soil and how long specific plants need to be watered to get the water to the correct depth. VALLEY SOILS Valley soils...
Wildscape Landscape Plan: A Celebration of Wildlife in Your Landscape
A lot goes into designing a landscape; hence, there’s an entire profession called landscape architecture devoted to designing outdoor spaces. We won’t be able to make you a landscape architect today, but we’re sharing a unique landscape plan designed by New Mexico...
Coolscape Landscape Plan: A Cool and Calming Southwestern Oasis
A lot goes into designing a landscape, hence there’s an entire profession called landscape architecture devoted to designing outdoor spaces. We won’t be able to make you a landscape architect today, but we’re sharing a unique landscape plan designed by landscape...
Great Plants That Hide an Ugly View
Homeowners are constantly looking for that perfect plant for that exact spot. Unfortunately, there isn’t a simple answer. Landscape designers know there are so many factors that go into placing the right plant in the right place. Sun-loving plants should be planted in...
Junipers, why we love to hate them!
Pinyon-juniper woodlands are the largest forest cover type in NM, comprising 14.6 million acres and representing 65% of NM forests (according to USGS Gap Analysis Program–Land Cover Data). In contrast, the next largest forest cover types in NM are ponderosa pine at...
Fruit Trees for the Homeowner
Thinking of putting some trees in your landscape but also concerned about making good use of the water, space and time? Some people like to plant fruit trees around the home landscape. The obvious reason to grow fruit trees is the fruit! Just like there is no tomato...
Be inspired by this year’s Desert Friendly Landscape Winners!
Congratulations to the ten winners of our first annual Water Authority Desert Friendly Landscape Contest! Thank you for sharing your beautiful gardens with us. They are an inspiration for others to make the switch to desert-friendly landscapes. The transformation of a...
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