The desert landscape is delicate, unforgiving and will demand your patience.
I learned that the hard way. Everything about it seems to be trial and mostly error. And my attempts at muscling through were met with laughter. This was tough. I became a familiar face and favorite customer at Summerwinds Nursery.
No…I never asked any questions because surely I knew better.
I was wrong. Frustrated and disappointed that the garden would be quite happy to do without my meddling, I needed a plan B.
So like everything else in life, this new battle was not going to sit me on a lounge chair with a colorful drink. It would be about coming to terms with my ignorance, and embracing that B. And as cliche as it sounds, knowledge is power.
I enrolled in a Landscape Design School at the Botanical Garden which gave me the tools I needed for a healthy garden. I won’t bore you with the botany, entomology or soil science that the nerd in me loves. Instead, I will take you to The Phoenix Garden Home Tour that brought it all together for me.
Design Elements of a Desert Landscape
Shape/Form/Pattern/Texture: Note the lines throughout the plant life and the hardscape. Squares and lines often contribute to a formal garden. Here the lines in the cacti seems to soften the space. The fountain brings us a garden oasis, and the splashes of color bring it balance.

Layering: Layering adds depths and interest to a garden. Note the smaller plants near the walkway and the taller plants towards the back. The deliberate placement creates the walkway, helping it appear wider and longer. Look again and notice how the front appears to be framed. I can count at least three framed areas. You?

Focal Points: Focal Points draw the eye to a certain area. They can be sculptures, unique plants, murals or doors. The photo above masters that concept and here we visit an art studio where the artist randomly places her work throughout her property.

Color: Color is often a focal point as well. In the next photo the wall matches the pink Bougainvillea, allowing us to notice the different shapes of the pots.

Know your Space: Are you making a vegetable garden, fostering xeriscape, or creating a shaded walkway? It is all possible with a reminder that we live in the desert. I love pulling vegetables out of my garden in the winter now, and I have herbs all year long. The walkway below is a great example of how to use nature to your advantage. Most of the plants are native to our Sonoran Desert.

I still think the best gardens are probably those we don’t meddle with. My yard is not privy to that, and is still a work in progress. It isn’t as elaborate as the homes from The Tour. I don’t want it to be. Instead, it is exactly as it is meant to be…home.
There is always a Plan B…

Wind Kisses, Donna
Thank you Patti for your inspiration: Shape and Design
These are beautiful, Donna.
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Thank you, Marsha. I went when I first moved here. It was expensive, and well worth the money. I went with a friend and our cameras. It was a great day. It is usually in April, I think. I believe it’s through Phoenix Magazine. I would go back just because it was fun, and I met so many interesting people. Sometimes the architects were on hand, but my favorite house was the woman who had an art studio. Thanks again.
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That kind of tour is so much fun! We went on a couple of artists’ studio tours in Visalia. But it wasn’t a tour, it was a weekend event, an open house. Thanks for sharing it, Donna.
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I would have loved that. I mapped Visalia. What a beautiful place to live. I knew you were from California, didn’t realize it was there. I know you love your life in AZ, and I am sure miss lots about that area.
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We were outside of Woodlake, in a community called Elderwood, actually. Our back yard looked out at the Sequoias, and we were only about 40 minutes from the Sequoia National Park.
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What a dream. Just far enough from the crowds, and to visit during the off-season. Arizona loves you though. Donna
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It was, but I love AZ now, too!
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Thats how I feel. We have lived a lot of places. AZ had all the check marks for what we needed. We love it.
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Beautiful desert landscaping.
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Thank you.
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Wonderful post, Donna. You’ve certainly learned a lot about how to create a garden in the desert. Beautiful examples of inviting garden spaces.
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Thanks Patti, still learning, but I think thats what gardening is anyway… a continuation. Thanks again. I enjoyed the challenge.
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I’m obsessed with this whole post! I think I NEED that sculpture!
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hahaha. You and me both Pam. You would have loved that home, as it was her art studio. I have bunches of pictures from there. She also used the giant balls to make what I called tree “necklaces”. They were so artsy perfectly placed or her trees. I wish I remembered her name. Cool stuff. (I could afford on now…lol) Maybe she will be apart of the next “tour of homes”
donna
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These are beautiful examples and inspiring as well, Donna. Having lived in the Midwest all my life, trying to grow things here kicked my gardening derriere, especially as the big box store (which I won’t name but not Walmart) near us, sells all sorts of plants based it seems on planting schedules in anywhere but Arizona. After having all the plants in my two small raised beds failed (dried herbs aren’t supposed to dry on the plant), leaving me furious with the store and myself, I’ve started trying to read up and plan a bit more, although I haven’t yet ventured to fill those beds again. Thankfully our yard, even though with a rental home, has a number of desert plants and looks lovely, unlike most of the other rental properties I viewed months before we moved. Many of those had not on single thing growing in them, making them less than sanctuaries from the stress of life. 🙂
janet
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One of the first things I learned was to search for local nurseries that grow their plants in the AZ heat. They even put a mark on them so you can plant them south-facing.
If you ever decide to try herbs again. The Arizona Herb Association put out a little book. (I think it was $10.). It tells exactly what and when to plant by the month. It’s been pretty helpful for me. I still lose plants when we travel, because unfortunately I choose to hand water things like that. for me its all a fun experiment. Donna
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Our rental’s drip watering system is broken somewhere and I don’t blame our landlady for not wanting to pay to fix it as I’m sure it would be expensive. So I water by hand (or by hose really) and have the same issue when we go on vacation.
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I guess that makes for a good plan. Cactus. LOL. I do like cactus, just not in my yard, because I am always touching everything. I ended up on an antibiotic after getting stabbed by an Agave. That will “learn” me. Right?
NOpe…
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Bougainvillea have some serious thorns as well and we have two of those. 🙂
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Those are scary. LOL. My neighbor has them and we can see the color, without tending to them. If you didn’t know, they bloom on the outer most part, so you can cut it to the ground at any time and it will become a smaller blooming shrub. (if you have a large space, I guess you are the lucky one) Donna
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I love this design Donna. You are an amazing creative gardener.
Anita
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A beautiful post Donna, and so much to know! How does your garden look after having done the studying?
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The last photo is my back yard. The front is a courtyard now with plants that live. Lol. I enjoy volunteering at local gardens too. Thanks Tina.
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Wow, impressive!
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I wouldn’t know where to start with a desert garden either. It is always good to get good expert advice but also have a look at what the neighbours have planted. The added artistry is your inspiration. A great post Donna 😀😀
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Thanks Brian. I get lots of little wildlife like lizards, hummingbirds etc… so I must be doing something right. It’s fun…now and certainly great place to relax whether I am puttering or sitting.
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Wildlife returning is a good sign
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Always.
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Beautiful desert designs! I to have learned through trial and error but we are loving our front and backyards. However, the desert landscape loves to grow very quickly! I’m constantly trimming.
Happy New Week to You!
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Yes… I love that there is always something to do. Happy week to you too!
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Those are beautiful examples. I didn’t know the Phoenix Botanical Garden offered a home tour program. I will have to look into that. It gave you a great opportunity to meld nature and human design in images.
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No…that was tow different things. Maybe I didn’t explain it good enough. The DBG offers a Landscape Design course. It is a year long. The home tour is through Phoenix home and Garden magazine. If the do it again, it should be in April. Thanks John. It is well worth it, even if it is just for photos. Donna
Thanks for swinging by.
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Lovely shots for this challenge! Quite a different design from the gardens I’m used to seeing.
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Yes. It is so unique here. Most of my life I have lived in colder climates, and loved garden in the summers. We lived in Spain for 4 years and I wasn’t “allowed” to touch the gardens, and was scolded for doing so. It was the masterpiece of the local gardener hired by our landlord. That said, he always left me a bouquet when he came.
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Such beautiful gardens, really illustrating what’s achievable in a desert landscape. I love the cacti at different heights and the sculpture in the art studio garden 🙂
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Thank you. Creativity at its finest. Before the tour, I wasn’t sure I bought in to gardening with cactus. donna
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A glorious post with much to take in, Donna! You present the package very well, and I must say I would not know how to start a desert garden…this is a very inspirational post!
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Thank you so much, Ann-Christine. I respect your work as you know, and appreciate your visits. Thank you again. Donna
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You are very kind, Donna. I know I am not good at visiting, but i try to do better…
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no, no, don’t feel obligated. I hardly have time to post. lol. Just wanting you to know you are appreciated. Love your work.
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♥
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Simply marvellous, Donna, and so inspiring. I have just a little yard, not really in the deserts even though half of the year it’s scorching, but I could do plenty with it. This post inspires me to do so.
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Thank you. Our yard is actually fairly small too. Its all about the creativity, AND how much time you are willing to put into it. As you know, neglect a plant in the summer heat, and its dead. No second chance. lol
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I fear that I’m a great neglecter. :p
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hahaha. Ah… I love that you are true to yourself.
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Wow. Quite the lesson, and very well done.
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Thank you. It is easy to talk (or write) what we love. Donna
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I love desert landscape so much and your images feel so inviting it makes me want to move to Arizona. Thanks for sharing these.
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Thank you. The landscape designers do a nice job at making this desert environment welcome. Like anywhere, there are sacrifices. Not too many tall trees here…..but we can drive about an hour to be in the woods. I love that. Thanks again for visiting. Donna
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