A lush green landscape can be a covetable oasis and breath of fresh air amid the dry Arizona desert.

Jeremy McVicars, professional landscape designer and president of Refined Gardens, has created his own imitable version of a picturesque green garden that gives Arizona residents an escape into a personalized Arcadia of their own.

“One of my favorite styles is what I like to call the ‘Cottage Garden,’ ” McVicars said. “It’s timeless and green, with subtle details, but not too over the top.”

McVicars and his team at the Tempe-based Refined Gardens works one- on-one with clients during each step of the creative process to make their design dreams a reality. Refined Gardens is committed to providing the finest design and construction services for resorts, boutique commercial exterior spaces, and luxury residential landscapes in the Valley.

McVicars works to complement the natural beauty of the surrounding desert with organic materials and native plants throughout the design and implementation process. 

In accordance with the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association guidelines to prevent water waste, the timeless style of the Cottage Garden employs a diversity of low-water-use plant varieties, like: fruitless olive trees, Texas ebony, hopseed bush, sage varieties, myrtle, Texas mountain laurel, and trailing rosemary, just to name a few.

“The strong massing of plants make this garden come to life,” McVicars said. “For medium-sized gardens, just using six to eight plant varieties really makes the garden feel lush without having too much going on or a hodgepodge of plants.”

When it comes to planting pots, McVicars suggests keeping it simple.

“An accent plant in the center and one variety of trailing flowers massed around the perimeter often is stunning,” he said. “You don’t need more than two flower colors in a pot – less is often more in this case. Focus should be given to balance the overall space rather than focusing on one planter.”

For pottery, Refined Gardens chooses pieces that mix new materials but have an aged look. 

“We have some wonderful local pottery distributors here in the Valley, as well as some great items we bring in from across the nation”, McVicars said. “Aged wood clad onto metal pots is something you’re seeing a lot more now. There’s also some fantastic concrete pots that have texture and aged coloring to give character.”

Finally, slender iron furniture with fabric cushions and a few unique garden accessories make for a charming finishing touch to the beautiful Cottage Garden.

For more information about Refined Gardens, please visit www.refinedgardens.com.