Beautiful Landscapes in Harmony with Nature

6 ​Super Low Maintenance Plants for Arizona

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Do you feel frustrated with desert landscaping?

CharleneIs your landscape looking drab but don’t know how to give it pizzazz?

You look at your neighbor’s yard and wonder why theirs says “Wow!” while yours looks tired and in need of a facelift. Maybe you’ve tried adding some of the plants they used only to end up with a hodgepodge rather than a harmonious landscape. Or you planted some plants that were beautiful at the nursery but looked sad in your yard.

You want the garden of your dreams but don’t want to break the bank.

Do feel like you’re constantly fighting Nature to keep your yard looking good?

You’d like to spend more time outside but the cold or the heat or the wind keeps you from using your yard as much as you’d like.

Then there’s the maintenance. Weeding. Watering. Pruning. When does it stop!

Add to that figuring out how to protect everything from critters that seem to run amok in our gardens. Not to mention when you want to attract birds and butterflies and end up with pack rats and javelina instead!

If you can relate, then let me introduce myself. I love desert gardening—but I didn’t always!

Having gardened for a decade in the Midwest, I wondered if I’d ever figure out the secret to desert gardening when we moved to Arizona in 1990.

The grassy lawns of our Phoenix neighborhood made no sense to me in the desert, and the “xeriscape” gardens around town appeared flat and one-dimensional. And, growing vegetables for our family seemed nearly impossible. I either over-watered or under-watered the plants, but couldn’t find a happy medium.

Like most who come to the desert from a different climate, having a beautiful landscape seemed a constant struggle. I felt like I was trying to force my will on Nature…

…Until I discovered Permaculture.

With Permaculture I finally had a system that provided a framework for working with Nature in designing my landscape. After that, gardening took on a new richness, vibrance and ease. Our garden became a thing of beauty and enjoyment, and I was caring for the Earth at the same time!

As I began to teach others to do the same, I earned the title, the “Nature Harmonizer” because I help people create beautiful landscapes in harmony with nature.

Are you ready for a landscape that is beautiful, provides enjoyment and is easy to maintain?

That’s why I started Westgate Garden Design: to help people shorten the learning curve of desert landscaping and to create gardens that reflect their own uniqueness and landscape desires—people who want landscapes that are places of enjoyment for people and wildlife—people who want to reduce maintenance and take care of the earth at the same time.

If you’re ready to trade in your gardening frustration for a beautiful landscape in harmony with Nature, let’s talk!

Attend a Free Gardening Presentation

Spring 2022 Workshop Schedule

“All the world’s problems can be solved in a garden.”

– Geoff Lawton

Specialties

Native & Rain Gardens

Rain gardens and native plants are at the core of every landscape created by Westgate Garden Design. Contouring the soil to capture and direct rainwater to plants adds interest to a garden while eliminating or minimizing the need for supplemental water. And, native plants are both beautiful and critical to wildlife habitat.

Butterfly & Sensory Gardens

Who doesn’t love hummingbirds and butterflies? Along with the beauty of the native plants that attract them, pollinators add their own beauty as they flit around our gardens—all while performing an important function for Nature!

Edible Gardens

Whether an independent, in-ground vegetable garden, adding edible plants to an existing garden, or creating a container garden of edible plants and herbs, edible gardens can add beauty while producing food.

Permaculture Landscape Design

Permaculture is a system of working with Nature rather than against Nature; a system that was understood by native peoples for generations. At Westgate Garden Design, I use the 12 principles of Permaculture to create gardens that are beautiful and easy to maintain—that care for the Earth while providing enjoyment to People.

Learn How to Attract Birds to Your Garden!

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Proud Business Sponsor of:

Tucson Audubon Society Logo
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Here’s What Clients are Saying About Charlene

“Thanks for all your effort in preparing our landscaping proposal. We liked your attention to detail, the Plan folder with plant pictures and info, and the considerable time you spent with us explaining the proposal; and your fee was quite reasonable.”
Jim & Bonnie R.

“Charlene is always a delight to work with: she is creative, smart, quick, responsive, thoughtful and dependable. I know I can always count on her to do her best work…. I recommend Charlene to anyone who is looking for someone with great ideas, who can work on their own, and deliver beautiful work.”
Anne H.

“Charlene came to my house today and was such a GREAT help. I feel so much more confident and focused since talking to her. Tremendous suggestions. Call her with any doubts or confusion what so ever…she is so so knowledgeable.”
Judy N.

“I strongly recommend Charlene because of … the role model that she is in the community.”
Peter R.

“Love what you came up with. You were such an inspiration to us. Thank you for everything you did for us. We will most definitely ‘highly recommend’ you to others.”
Joan & Kurt J.

“Charlene is an asset and has so much to offer to her clients. . . . I highly recommend Charlene Westgate to you.”
Yasmin J.

Tuscon Audubon Society Habitat at Home

Rural Small Business of the Year

Westgate Garden Design named Rural Small Business of the Year by the Pima County Small Business Commission.

Read the press release.

Tuscon Audubon Society Habitat at Home

Home Based Business of the Year

Westgate Garden Design named Home-Based Business of the Year by the Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce.