The Landscape Services Division provides horticultural and landscape maintenance services to the City’s many unique landscape areas including: parks, El Paseo and street medians, the Palm Desert Aquatic Center, Landscape and Lighting Districts, Desert Willow Golf Resort, the Robert A. Spiegel and Freedom Park community gardens.

The Landscape Division also oversees the City’s urban forest with on-going maintenance and planting of new trees and palms. This division provides technical and horticultural support to the Palm Desert Housing Authority properties and for upcoming city projects.

Maintenance services includes: turf management in the City owned sports fields and dog parks, plant maintenance in medians, parks, and City properties, irrigation oversight, arboricultural  services, playground maintenance, and facilities maintenance and repairs such as electrical and plumbing issues in parks,  restrooms and medians.

The City’s desert landscapes embrace the unique environment that we live in. Desert landscapes are not only cacti or rocks rather, it is a combination of plants and trees that can withstand the fluctuating desert temperatures; summer heat and winter cold. Besides plants, desert landscapes also use inorganic materials such as boulders, cobble and decomposed granite to enhance our beautiful landscape designs.

• To report a problem, click here.
• For park information and reservations, click here.
• For a list of City Maintained Landscape and Lighting Districts, click here.

Nuisance Water

Water is a precious commodity in the desert. The preservation of water quality and water conservation are a priority for the City of Palm Desert.  Below are some tips to conserve water, prevent nuisance water, and preserve water quality.

Water Quality Preservation and Conservation Tips:

• Install drought tolerant desert landscaping.
• Check your sprinklers for overspray.
• Use low-flow sprinkler heads.
• Water your lawn in the early morning and evening when temperatures are cooler.
• Sweep driveways instead of cleaning it with water from a hose.
• Bring a bag to pick up pest waste while walking your dog.
• If possible avoid using pesticides that can contaminate water runoff.

The Coachella Valley Water District offers water conservation incentive programs for homeowners who want to reduce their irrigation usage.  Rebates are offered for lawn conversion from grass to desert landscaping, sprinkler upgrades, and other water efficient irrigation measures. You can also report nuisance water at the Coachella Valley Water District website: https://www.cvwd.org/31/Conservation

The City of Palm Desert offers several desert landscaping design and maintenance guides to help you choose your desert landscaping. These are listed on the right column of this page. 

Landscape Design Guides

The Desert Flora Landscape Design Guide outlines design principles to assist both professionals and residents in the development of a sustainable and aesthetically pleasing desert landscape. This guide also outlines the City’s approval process for new and renovated landscape design.

The Desert Flora Plant Palette Guide includes photos and characteristic descriptions of more than 250 desert-friendly plants.

The Desert Flora Maintenance Guide provides detailed advice on the care and maintenance of desert plant materials.

Landscape Resources

The Coachella Valley Water District provides information about water conservation, evapotranspiration rates (Et), weather, helpful tips for teachers and kids, and other topics under the Conservation & Education tab on its website. Information can also be found in the CVWD book, Lush & Efficient, which offers an alternative to traditional, high-water, high-maintenance landscapes in the Coachella Valley.

CIMIS, the California Irrigation Management Information System, is a state program with a network of over 120 automated weather stations that provide information to help California’s irrigation managers use their water resources wisely and effectively.

The Irrigation Association website provides many resources related to irrigation issues and equipment as well as educational opportunities.

The Living Desert is a valuable local resource for native and drought-tolerant landscaping and information. 

The WUCOLS manual is a free publication that provides the water use categories for commonly used plant materials.  This information is required in order to use the City's Water Calculation Worksheet, which provides a quick and easy method for calculating a project's Maximum Water Allowance and Estimated Water Use.

The calculations are based on the number of plants, landscape square footage, and plant water use categories as described in the City of Palm Desert's flora publication and in the WUCOLS manual. 

Urban Forestry Links

The International Society of Arboriculture is a worldwide professional organization dedicated to fostering a greater appreciation of trees and promoting research, technology, and the professional practice of arboriculture.

Community Gardens

For information on the City of Palm Desert's community gardens, please visit our Sports and Activities page.