Best Landscaping Companies In Arizona
Written by Brian B

Best Landscaping Materials Companies In Arizona

With its unique climate and environmental challenges, finding the right landscaping supply company is important for any homeowner in the state of Arizona. Many businesses currently flood the landscaping industry, so choosing the best suited for your home can be difficult. This is a look at some of the best landscaping companies located in Arizona.

A&A Materials Inc.

  • Location: Scottsdale, AZ

A&A Materials Inc. has been serving the Scottsdale area for more than 40 years. This family owned and operated company can help you with whatever landscaping materials are needed. A&A provides customers with an assortment of landscaping aggregates. At A&A you can purchase five different types of sand and four different types of rock, including the highly sought-after river rocks. These rocks are split into three categories: smooth, crushed and various sized river rocks. Providing affordable prices for the upscale Scottsdale area is one of the company’s main priorities. This company offers delivery and pick up for any purchased items. A&A Materials Inc. does provide free quantity estimates.

All Brite Landscape Materials

  • Location: Goodyear, AZ

All Brite Landscape Materials goes above and beyond when it comes to the world of landscape supply. Open Monday through Saturday, All Brite has an array of options for customers in the Goodyear area. Specific landscape materials that are available range from rocks to pavers. But, the variety does not stop there. All Brite also specializes in fencing, shades and yard decor. In search of the perfect Christmas tree come the holiday season? Look no further than All Brite, which has a wide selection of handpicked trees for sale.

Sonoran Landscaping Materials Inc.

  • Location: Tucson, AZ

This locally owned business has been operating in Tucson for the past 25 years. Sonoran Landscaping Materials Inc. has found a niche, providing customers with a wide array of decorative rock options. These low-maintenance decorative rocks are the perfect pairing for any walkways, grass or trees around your home. Sonoran’s rock selection is ideal for the arid climate, with more than a few sizes and shapes to choose from. Free delivery of landscaping materials is available for qualifying orders.

Flag Landscaping Inc.

  • Location: Flagstaff, AZ

Founded in Flagstaff, Flag Landscaping Inc. has been a trusted landscaping name since 2006. This company has continued to expand its offerings ever since opening. From yard maintenance to snow removal, Flagstaff’s cooler climate means more and more services become a priority by the day. Much like Sonoran, Flag Landscaping provides a selection of Christmas trees when the holiday season is right around the corner. Premier outdoor lighting systems as well as irrigation treatments are providing by this company. Open from Monday to Friday, Flag Landscaping can help Flagstaff residents with any gardening or outdoor needs imaginable.

A & A Materials, Inc., located in Scottsdale, Arizona, offers native compost for your landscaping needs. Call us at 480-990-0557 for more information.

How Much Mulch Do I Need
Written by Brian B

How Much Mulch Do I Need?

It’s a question every individual eyeing a landscaping project has asked at one time or another: how much mulch do I need? It is certainly a simple question, but the answer is not so easy. There are many factors one must take into account before heading to a local supplier for mulch.

Mulch Uses

Mulch is a material composed of leaves, bark and/or compost used to cover soil. The purpose of using mulch isn’t just to make your yard more aesthetically pleasing. Mulch serves many purposes, including overall improvement of the environment. In your yard alone, mulch will be responsible for conserving moisture, reducing weed growth and improving organic matter within the soil. Ideally, mulch should be laid in the spring or fall seasons.

The spring time is perfect for helping break down organic materials, especially since springtime generally brings an abundance of rain. These materials will penetrate your soil, giving your garden a fresh, brown look for the months to come. Laying mulch in the fall has an opposite but beneficial effect, as well. The mulch will help insulate your garden for the upcoming harsh winter months. Either time is recommended for laying mulch, especially for private homeowners.

Where To Mulch

Mulch can be utilized seemingly everywhere on private or public property. From veggie gardens to perennial plants, there is no limit to how much mulch you can choose to use. Mulch can also be utilized as protection for tree trucks from numerous manual machines used for landscaping. Simply put, any place that you would like to lay mulch on your property is a good spot.

Mulch Calculator

This is the tricky part for most individuals. Measuring and/or calculating your exact mulching needs can be a tad confusing. It is recommended that your mulch have a depth of two-four inches, which should prevent weed growth as well as absorb nutrients for the soil bed below. But, keeping the mulch height to no more than four inches is essential – you never want an excess of mulch in your beds. Too much mulch equals a lack of air supply for plant roots.

Finely textured mulch should stay under three inches in depth, while coarse textures can reach up to four inches in depth. The first thing you must do when figuring out how much mulch is needed is to figure out the square footage of your bed. From there, multiply the width by the length for rectangular or square beds. Multiply the radius by itself, then multiply your total by 3.14 for round beds. Remember that mulch is sold by cubic yard, which is an inch deep for a 324-square-foot area.

Luckily enough, exact calculations for your specific mulch needs is available right here. This tool can help you figure out how much mulch you need for your bed type.

A & A Materials, Inc., located in Scottsdale, Arizona, offers native compost for your landscaping needs. Call us at 480-990-0557 for more information.

Arizona Landscaping Prices
Written by Brian B

Arizona Landscaping Prices

There is nothing better than a perfectly landscaped front and backyard. The lush greenery or vibrant colors of a desert setting can be enjoyed by all. Flowers, trees and cacti can provide numerous benefits; not just for homeowners, but for the environment as well. Grass alone can help cleanse the environment. Grass captures dust, absorbs water and cleanses the air, among several other duties. Overall, a beautiful landscape provides a calming influence in the air. So, why not get started on an ambitious landscaping project heading into the fall season? Here is a list of averages of some Arizona landscaping prices.

Landscape Rocks

  • Landscape stone: priced between $20-$100 per cubic yard, on average.
  • $0.75-$4 per cubic foot.
  • Arizona river rocks can be costly, running around $230 per yard.

Mulch

  • Economy mulch generally costs $2-$4 per bag.
  • Economy mulch can cost $15-$30 per cubic yard, if you prefer to measure it that way.
  • Colored or hardwood mulch can cost $30-$40 per yard.
  • That same type of mulch can run you between $3-$8 per bag.
  • Mulch delivery can cost between $40-$100.

Wood Chips

  • Wood chips are typically cheap, costing about $2 per bag.
  • Per yard, the average cost is $24 for wood chips.
  • Wood chips delivery can cost between $120-$250, depending on the amount of area covered.

Fill Sand

  • Fill sand runs at a price of $15-$50 per yard.
  • A bulk truck load delivery of sand, dirt or topsoil usually costs between $150-$600.

Boulders

  • Costs of landscaping boulders is between $100-$600 per ton.

Find more information about Arizona landscaping and landscaping materials by clicking here.

A&A Materials, Inc. specializes in decorative rock landscape materials in Scottsdale and surrounding areas, that make your property look its best year-round. Call us at 480-990-0557 with any questions or for more information.

How To Landscape Using Mulch
Written by Brian B

How To Landscape Using Mulch

Nothing could be simpler than laying mulch, right? Wrong. While it may seem as though all you have to do is grab a shovel and mulch away, there are some specific details that must be followed. Here is our best advice on how to landscape using mulch.

Purchasing Mulch

We’ll start with the easiest step first. Before heading to a local supplier, you must find out exactly how much mulch you need for your landscaping project. You don’t want to underestimate the amount needed, and overestimating will just result in an excess of mulch wasting away in storage. Figuring out the square footage of your bed is key, then you can easily decide how many bags or scoops of mulch you’ll need to buy.

Mulch Timing

How to lay down mulch can be a tricky question, but when to lay down mulch is much simpler. There are two times of the year that are suited best for this particular landscaping project. Spring is the ideal season to lay down mulch. This season provides a great amount of rain to help break down the organic materials found in mulch. These will then penetrate the soil and give your garden an aesthetically pleasing look heading into the spring. The fall season can prove beneficial for mulch as well. Laying mulch before the colder weather hits gives your plants an extra layer of insulation. No matter which season you choose to perform the mulching, make sure it follows a rainy period, so the newly laid mulch can help keep in the moisture.

How To Lay Mulch

Laying mulch can be performed in a simple, five-step process.

  • Clean your beds: Make sure to rake up leaves, sticks or any other debris before laying mulch.
  • Water the beds: If you decide to lay mulch after a particularly dry run of weather, then you should manually apply water to these beds. Mulch will be added to help seal in the moisture you just provided.
  • Weed removal: One of the biggest benefits of mulch is it stops weed growth dead in its tracks. Removing weeds ahead of laying mulch will only give you more of a head start.
  • Spreading: Spreading the mulch by hand is the recommended process here. Shaking your mulch into little piles from a wheelbarrow can help you control portion size. You’ll know you’ve laid enough mulch when the spread is two to four inches thick. Spreading it too thin could cause weeds to grow right through your layer of mulch.
  • Water, again: Watering your bed should be the first and last step. One final watering will truly help your mulch flourish.

Tools

You now know how to lay the mulch and when to lay the mulch, but which tools should you use when performing this task?

  • Shovel: The shovel is essential for putting mulch into the wheelbarrow and removing it.
  • Wheelbarrow: Much needed for transportation of the mulch.
  • Pitchfork: The pitchfork could be used in addition or in spite of the shovel.
  • Rake: After laying the mulch, make sure to evenly rake it across your bed.
  • Gloves: Gardening gloves are certainly recommended for this process. Remember, you will likely be laying the mulch by hand.

A & A Materials, Inc., located in Scottsdale, Arizona, offers native compost for your landscaping needs. Call us at 480-990-0557 for more information.

Landscape Rocks
Written by Brian B

Landscape – Rocks

The addition of landscape – rocks to one’s landscaping project can be invaluable. Whether you use decorative, river, rip rap or cinder rocks, the result will likely please the eye. These types of landscape rocks can be used as bedding, siding or a foundational piece below your latest at-home project. These are a few of the best rock versions to use for your landscaping needs.

Decorative Rock

Decorative rocks can come in all shapes and sizes. From apache brown and pink, all the way to madison gold, the combinations for your landscaping desires are endless. Picking out the right decorative rock is all about taste and need. Some may believe simply choosing river or rip rap rock could be the way to go, since the process of hand-picking various decorative rocks could become tedious. By just searching through our gallery, you will see the many choices one has when searching for the right decorative rocks. Gold, brown and silver are among the various color options that could best serve your landscaping needs.

River Rock

River rocks are generally some of the smoothest rocks you can purchase for your front or backyard needs. Either manually or naturally, these rocks have had all rough edges smoothed out over time. The rough parts have likely smoothed due to constant water rushing over them. That leads to the possibility of using river rocks in your own yard if you choose to have some sort of water on display. The main benefit to choosing river rocks over mulch is that these rocks will not wear away over time.

Rip Rap Rock

Unlike decorative rocks, rip rap rock has a main purpose of erosion control. While rip rap can be used for decoration, it is more commonly utilized for erosion control, especially in Arizona. Rip rap rocks are generally very large, so be prepared for a long workout if you’re planning on lugging these rocks yourself. Rip rap can be constructed essentially like a wall, with one rock on top of another. It can also be laid down flat, as well.

Cinder Rock

This type of rock is one of the most popular decorative versions of the igneous family. Cinder, especially red-tinted cinder, has been commonly used in firepits. However, red cinder can also come in handy for any landscaping projects that could use some extra flare or color. Overall, each one of these various rock types serves a unique and valuable purpose for whatever your landscaping needs may call for.

A&A Materials, Inc. specializes in decorative rock landscape materials in Scottsdale and surrounding areas, that make your property look its best year-round. Call us at 480-990-0557 with any questions or for more information.

Landscape-Sand
Written by Brian B

Landscape – Sand

The importance of using sand and other aggregates in your next landscaping venture cannot be overstated. Not only is sand aesthetically pleasing to the eye, the material serves a very vital role to the structure of your project. Along with clay, gravel and stone, sand can be found at most of Arizona’s landscaping suppliers. Here is a look at some of the best types of sand available in the area.

Mortar Sand

Mortar sand is a very popular foundational piece for bricks and block walls. Mortar is a mixture of sand, water and cements, which is perfect for home construction. The three components are used to hold the cement mix in place, ensuring a sound structure. Typically, mortar is not as strong as concrete, but the mortar mix is much thicker than the aforementioned concrete.

Washed Concrete Sand

Much like mortar sand, washed concrete sand serves many purposes when it comes to construction. Washed concrete sand seemingly has no limitations; being used as a foundation in horse arenas and base under pavers. This mix can be used anywhere coarse-textured sand is specified and called for. Washed concrete sand is stronger than mortar sand.

Fill Sand

Fill sand is commonly used for both residential and commercial construction projects. Fill sand is essentially an assortment of very fine particles of rocks. Depending on the source, these particles have either been crushed down by machinery or broken down naturally over time. Fill sand is especially useful in Arizona due to its resistance of moisture, which creates a natural drainage area. In the desert, fill sand is more popular than fill dirt, for obvious reasons. One of the only drawbacks to fill sand is its inability to maintain its shape or remain sturdy for long periods of time.

Screen Silt Sand

Screen silt sand may be the perfect balance between clay and sand mixtures. Silt generally retains a large amount of water, but releases the water when plants seek moisture. This is one of the more fine sands commonly used in landscaping projects. Screen silt sand has certainly carved out of niche inside the Arizona landscaping world.

All Purpose Sand

All purpose sand is exactly what it sounds like. This is a general-purpose substance used for an array of landscaping duties. Whether it is used for a foundation, traction or for grease absorption, all purpose sand is the ideal filler for your next project. This sand is washed, dried and sanitized for personal and commercial use. This all purpose sand can also be found in gardens, sandboxes and even cat litter boxes.

Sand can be used as fill under concrete or pavers. Call A & A Materials, Inc. in Scottsdale, Arizona, at 480-990-0557 for more information on our fill sand.

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