Thanks trovesofttrillums for posting a pic of my house.... The first pic is the front of my house that I am needing help lanscaping. Please remember...keep it very simple and inexpensive as possible...I am not able to take care of anything that needs much maintenance, due to health reasons. Thanks for all help...without a landscaper in the area, I do not know where to start. There will be a curved sidewalk from the front door to the drive....as soon as the dirt settles enough,

I live in Utah, considered the 2nd driest state in the nation, behind Nevada. I'm well familiar with heat and dry weather. Given the problem with inadequate water to meet increasing water demands in the west and southwest, I recommend you avoid planting anything that requires daily watering to stay alive and green. Especially grass....unless there is a native grass to Arizona which would do well with limited water -- like the water that Arizona receives in its annual monsoon season. You can satisfy your natural craving for coolness with your water feature, which recycles water -- and add water as required to replace that which has been evaporated. I think you've got a great palette to work with. Were it I, I would place large rocks in your front and back yard and landscape around them. I'd use as many native plants as possible (I'm a real fan of xeriscaping in this part of the world), and landscape around the boulders and/or large rocks. Since you're renting the property, it'll be difficult for you to decide how much money to invest in something that you don't own. If that's not an issue, I'd talk to the landscaper about a tree you could plant in your back yard which would provide shade for your back yard (and the plants therein, as well as for your patio and your house. All of that will help motivate you to come outside. So many of the native plants are absolutely amazing...they require little water, do well in heat and drought conditions, and by selecting the right varieties, you should be able to have blooms throughout the year, except in the coolest part of the year. A couple of years ago I visited a friend who had a home in Scottsdale. I was extremely impressed with her large backyard which she had very attractively landscaped. She used the large rocks with carefully selected plants...She had the fire pit with surrounding chairs. She had several trees in the back yard. And no grass anywhere...and it wasn't missed at all. It looked so attractive and inviting. To keep your weeds under control, I recommend using a weed killer. It takes just minutes to use, and will keep the weeds from growing, from germinating, and will keep your yard looking clean and neat. As I remember, you moved from the Midwest, and so figuring out what to plant in the arid and dry environment of Arizona is a really change from what you've been used to. The key to success (and environmental sensitivity) is to plant what is native to the area and what will thrive in the hardships of Arizona's summer. Best of luck!

If you want more specific feedback on a direction to go in, get rid of the two shrubs that block the view. (If they're useful, maybe you can transplant them somewhere.) Then completely rephotograph the scene, taking a panorama of slightly overlapping pictures so we can see the whole view at once. One camera location should be the same as your first picture of the thread. A second camera position would be between the large shrubs that were removed. Each camera position would be several overlapping pictures that show from lot line to lot line (where the neighboring houses show as part of the background.) The walk itself helps to emphasize the entrance. Flanking it with plantings usually doesn't, especially if the plantings have any height. Usually, they contribute to obstructing the entrance or making the walk feel like a cattle path at the slaughterhouse.

Hellebores are pretty tough plants and a good option to try if you insist on a groundcover height directly under the magnolia. I have the same surface roots, plus dry concerns for best results. Shade concerns not so much because of where you are and being south facing. I still favor using shrubs to fill the gap under the tree. Three Spirea japonica planted in front of the magnolia will eliminate the need for hoping to establish a groundcover, look nice and make a fine hiding place for those big hard waxy leaves. You can still do the bench and the single medium size specimen shrub in the back.