Your brother is lucky to have you. :) Hopefully he'll join our forum so we can all enjoy his new home and landscape. I hope so. In any case, I like Easy's suggestion of a gift card--that really does offer some nice flexibility. Most of the local nurseries around Phoenix also offer gift certificates so that's an option as well if you give them a call. Another idea would be some of the great books for gardening in the Phoenix metro. We have a nice faq of books that people recommend. 'Arizona Gardener's Guide' by Mary Irish would be a good book to give if he doesn't already have it. It, and the others on our FAQ section on books would be good ideas too. Let us know what you decide and how he likes it. Take care, Grant Here is a link that might be useful: Arizona Gardener's Guide

Is wind going to be a problem? What exposure [direction] is the patio? I might suggest graphing out the area and charting the sunlight patterns by the hour. The link below is to a gadget that I keep promising myself to get, as I'm always looking for ways to mitigate for shade in my yard.. Looks very handy. That might help you as you learn the ropes of your new zone. May I also suggest Sunset Western Garden Guide? Great idea-sparker and practical advice. I had good results with bush sweet peas [Christmas gift for apt-dwelling family] Ivy Geranium is fairly forgiving of less than perfect conditions. I have a Plumbago growing in filtered shade [prefers sun] and it stays small with lovely blue flowers. Here is a link that might be useful: Sunlight calculator

Welcome to the forum! I am not a cactus expert so I cannot advise. But I do suggest you wait to water until you hear from someone. One thing you will also hear a lot on here is in regards to your soil. Just make sure you have fast draining soil and the bagged cacti and succulent mix will not be sufficient. Several of us on here have made the switch to Al's gritty mix (you can find the recipe by using the search tab on this forum). It is expensive and time consuming but my plants have absolutely thrived in it. good luck and I hope a cactus person responds to you soon!

Blue's an uncommon color for flowers. You'd have a much easier time if your school colors were red and white! Poppies aren't blub plants. They're seeds, like in the muffin. They bloom later than spring bulb plants. I've never seen blue poppies. Sounds like they're pretty much the province of professional gardeners: "Meconopsis betonicifolia  Himalayan blue poppy Patience is required to germinate this graceful poppy, but it is well worth it to keep trying until successful. The ragged sky blue flowers bloom in June and July on stems from 90cm to 1m. A peaty, moist soil is required, in a sheltered location and sterile soil. (NOTE: Meconopsis species are especially susceptible to damping off so use a "No ÂDamp" solution and sterile soil. After germination, wait until the true leaves appear before pricking out the seedlings as the roots do not like to be disturbed. Grow seedlings at 8  10 oC until they are well developed.)" I don't think they are any truly white daffodils -- they usually have some pale yellow in the center, I think. Daffodils bloom in early March and tulips in early April. Maybe you could try planting alliums, which bloom around May? Allium azureum is a blue one; Allium Mount Everest is a white one. Do some research and look for varieties that will grow to be about the same height (some alliums are crazy big/tall). Even if they don't bloom at the exact same time, it should be close enough. Be aware that this could be a fairly pricy undertaking. Bulbs aren't cheap, and you'll need a whole lot of them to achieve the desired effect. If your plan works out, you must post a photo next spring. Good luck!