Do you have any details for us to work on?

Drawing/sketch of the property, what kind of plants do you like? drought tolerant/xeriscape, or is water not an issue? There's a lot to consider before we can help you. you need to give us some info on what you're looking for.

Do you mean you want to hire someone?

Yes I woukd.

Since you list zone 8, what city/town?

Hiring someone to do a landscape design depends on budget more than anything.

For minimum budget, just want a few plants for an empty yard you can hire any landscaper dude off Craig's List. Most of these dudes know the basic plant material that are kind of bullet proof and they know how to get a drip system working. You can get a standard yard for around say $500-$1000 including drip system on timer. Don't pay too much in advance, but these guys normally do need some money to start.

For bigger budget there are lots of outfits that do full blown landscape design. Google "phoenix landscape designer" and you'll get a long list. IMO they are all good. I mean if a person works with one they will recommend them, but that doesn't mean the others aren't good. I'd go with one that was close by and also get a feeling if they do projects like yours often from looking at their past projects. The cost might be in the $1000-$5000 range depending. Can of course be a lot more if you choose.

The other thing to consider is most landscape designers have a kind of speciality. For example I like to design landscapes that includes a water feature. Other designers might be into desert, xeriscape, Feng Shui, Japanese, English, etc. All can design any style, but each are way better designing in a style that interests them. So you get a better design imo for less money. Some designers will come out and say what their speciality is, while others you have to figure it out by talking to them and looking at their past work.

The biggest bang for your buck, besides doing the research yourself, is to find a yard in your neighborhood you like and ask them who designed their yard. If they did it themselves they might be interested in creating a design for your yard. Could be they enjoy this and have a vested interest in helping you create a great yard.

I live in the arcadia area in Phoenix, AZ and have an irrigated lot so I have to take that into consideration. I have a huge mulberry tree over 50 feet tall in the backyard so I wanted to do something to include the tree. It's more of the shrubs and placement of trees I need the most assistance with. I don't mind doing the planting myself but I look at others yards who have everything placed so nicely. I have googled designers but it seems so complicated and I am not knowledgeable on the pricing so it makes me nervous that I may be taken advantage of.

e1lj, I use Angie's List when I'm looking for a professional consultant. There is a small sign-up fee that's good for a year. We recently interviewed 3 companies to put up an aluminum patio cover for us and are very happy with the result. Browsing through the reviews on Angies List helped me narrow the field. HTH.

Post some pictures so we can see the area. :)

With the irrigated yard you will have problems with the die-hard low water use plants (you will kill many desert natives if you overwater), but many of the tropical plan ts that can handle more water will love your place.

Get a copy of Sunset's "Western Garden Book" and look for plants they say will grow in Zone 13 - that's Phoenix. Then look for the moderate water users.

Figure out where the shade from the mulberry tree lands and put plants that need afternoon shade in those spots.

With flood irrigation and no home owners assoc. you can do more than others. I guess the only advice I would make is to have a clear vision now of what YOU WANT your front and back yards to be when finished.

But yes, you need to decide how much you want to spend.

This post was edited by Fascist_Nation on Tue, Dec 9, 14 at 23:29

Hiring anyone always comes with the risk of taken advantage of. Just the way it works. Businesses exist to make money. Any decent landscape designer will be happy to talk with you to get an understanding of what you want and then they will discuss options and explain costs.

I'll tell you a little secret...the initial design really isn't very important. The biggest issue is maintenance. Good maintenance will create a great landscape. Be realistic on maintenance. Landscapes are more a work in progress rather than some that is created in a one time build.

If you're willing to plant the trees/shrubs I suggest just doing that without concerning your self too much about where plants should go. And getting even a professional design doesn't guarantee anything. These are natural systems. And in Phoenix placing a plant 12" one way or the other can make a huge difference, but no one knows what the perfect spot is...although there are plenty of people who say they do. Trial and error is still the best method unfortunately.

For example, the Phoenix Japanese Friendship Garden was professionally designed almost 25 years ago by a huge team. Today there aren't that many plants in the garden that were called for in that initial design.

If you want help picking plants to try you can start a thread and people will give you some ideas. But be warned, this is the internet so you could get some pretty bad advice too. Your job would be to research and try and figure out who doesn't know what they're talking about. That isn't very easy/

If you don't want to maintain the yard I suggest just hiring a landscape dude from Craig's List or one you see working in your neighborhood. They will pick plants, plant them and maintain them for you. You just tell them your budget. That's the easiest and cheapest way imo.

BTW, I threw away my "Western Garden Book" when I move to Phoenix. It was very useful in San Jose CA but Phoenix is way different. We can't grow, or easily grow, 95% of the plants listed for zone 13. The zone system is only for frost. Our main issue is heat and low humidity.