Whether you live or work in the desert regions or mountains of Arizona, these resources will be useful in planning, installing and maintaining beautiful, water-efficient landscapes.

The information included on this page covers a range of topics important to Arizona's Landscape Professionals, including:

Training Opportunities and Certification Programs

Water-efficient Landscapes

Low Water Use Plants

Rainwater Harvesting

Gray Water 

• WaterSense is a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The WaterSense label identifies quality, water-efficient products, and WaterSense partners participate in efforts to conserve water
  
  

WaterSense certified landscape irrigation professionals help reduce water consumption, save money, and maintain healthy and beautiful landscapes. These professionals are certified through WaterSense labeled products for their expertise in water-efficient irrigation technology and techniques.

• Become a WaterSense Landscape Irrigation Partner Today!
• Find an Arizona Certified Partner.

• The Irrigation Association (IA) is a national, non profit organization that has been promoting efficient irrigation practices through education, certifications, and resources since 1949. Currently, four IA certifications have received EPA’s Water Sense Label: Certified Irrigation Contractor, Certified Irrigation Designer, Certified Golf Irrigation Auditor, and Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor.

  • Find an Arizona Certified Irrigation Professional.

• Arizona Certified Landscape Professionals is a training program offered by the Arizona Landscape Contractors’ Association.

• Find an Arizona Certified Landscape Professional.

• Smartscape is a training program for nursery and landscape professionals designed to encourage consistent horticultural practices compatible with the Sonoran Desert region of Arizona. Smartscape is presented as a series of eight 2½-hour workshops. Workshops focus on specific topics such as design and renovation, plant selection, irrigation design and installation, water harvesting and more.

  • WaterSmart classes teach homeowners the basics of landscape water conservation through informative 3-hour workshops based on the principles of Xeriscape. WaterSmart is the residential component of the SmartScape Program.
    
    • Phoenix Workshops
      
    • Tucson Workshops  

Xeriscape (zîr'ĭ-skāp')
A landscaping method that employs drought-resistant plants in an effort to conserve resources, especially water.

• Xeriscape: Landscaping with Style in the Sonoran Desert is an illustrated guide that covers xeriscape principles, landscape planning and design, installation, maintenance, and resources. Developed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources, 2000.
  
  • Eight Steps to Planning and Designing a Great Yard
  • Your Installation Checklist
  • Xeriscape Maintenance: Healthy Landscapes for Lasting Beauty

• ADWR and the Tucson Botanical Gardens are co-sponsors of the Annual Xeriscape Contest. This important contest promotes the use of native plants, water use awareness and a commitment to the long-term resolution of water supply issues in the Tucson area.
  

• Drop Your Water Use is a program designed to educate retail nursery customers on how to plan and maintain a healthy and water efficient landscape. The program is a voluntary collaboration between ADWR and nurseries that uses a simple water drop system to identify plants with similar water requirements.
  
  
• How Often and How Long to Water explains how to determine a plant's water needs.
  Developed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
  

• Good Reasons to Take Out Your Grass offers practical advice and tips for removing a lawn so that low-water use plants can be planted or to make room for new features such as patios and planters. Developed by the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA).

• Desert Lawn Care Guide offers practical advice and tips for maintaining a healthy and water-efficient lawn. Developed by the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA).

• Landscape Watering by the Numbers shows how to calculate the water plants and lawns need, how much water irrigation provides, and how to develop a seasonal watering schedule.  Developed by the Cities of Mesa and Scottsdale for the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA), 2003.

• Guidelines for Landscape Drip Irrigation Systems covers drip irrigation in detail, including design, materials, installation, maintenance, operation and repair. It includes estimated water requirements for plants in Phoenix and Tucson, watering frequencies, and a simplified approach for determining landscape watering schedules. The Guidelines are useful for homeowners, contractors, developers and municipalities.

Developed by the Arizona Landscape Irrigation Guidelines Committee with funding from the Arizona Department of Water Resources, 1999. Reprinted by the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA) in 2001.

• The Highlands Center for Natural History Wildscaping brochure covers landscape design in the Central Arizona Highlands including plants for different environments and how to create backyard wildlife habitat. Available only at the Highland's Center in Prescott.

ADWR Regulatory Plant Lists are used to regulate public medians and rights-of-way in Arizona’s five Active Management Areas (AMAs). Jurisdictions within many AMAs officially adopt the local ADWR list and incorporate it into ordinances and design guidelines for development.  The lists also serve as a non-regulatory resource for residents. The lists were developed independently with the assistance of plant experts from each AMA.

• Phoenix AMA Low Water Use Drought Tolerant Plant List and Application to add or delete plants.
  
  
• Pinal AMA Low Water Use Drought Tolerant Plant List
  
  
• Prescott AMA Low Water Use Drought Tolerant Plant List and Application to add or delete plants.
  
  
• Santa Cruz AMA Low Water Use Drought Tolerant Plant List
  
  
• Tucson AMA Low Water Use Drought Tolerant Plant List and Application to add or delete plants.
  
  
• Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert showcases over 200 low-water-use plants, all of which are included in the Phoenix AMA Low Water Use Plant List. It includes photos and information about each plant's growth characteristics and water requirements. Developed by Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA), 2004.
  
  

• The Arizona Native Plant Society has a variety of brochures that provide photos and information about plants that are native to Arizona desert regions, or are non-native but low water users. The brochures include information about planting, landscaping tips, water use, and maintenance.
  
  
• The Arboretum at Flagstaff provides extensive information on high-elevation plants native to the Colorado Plateau. Arboretum resources include photos and information on growing conditions, transplanting or planting from seed, and mail-order sources.

Gray water is defined as wastewater, collected separately from sewage flow that originates from a clothes washer, bathtub, shower or sink, but not from a kitchen sink, dishwasher or toilet. 

In general, gray water is an excellent source of water for household gardening, composting, and lawn and landscape irrigation. Gray water must be used so that it does not run off your own property.

• Gray Water System Tax Credit: Arizona law allows individual taxpayers to receive income tax credit for installing a gray water system in the taxpayers Arizona home under A.R.S. §43-1090.01. To view instructions and obtain an application for gray water tax credit, visit the Department of Revenue.

• Arizona Department of Environmental Quality’s brochure: Using Gray Water at Home provides general information about gray water use in Arizona.

• Graywater Guidelines covers graywater issues and requirements, provides guidelines on installation, and includes helpful illustrations. Developed by the Water Conservation Alliance of Southern Arizona (Water CASA).