From the Mojave Gardener's Book Review of Designing with the Desert:

"Michele is a plant lover, and two-thirds of the book’s page count is devoted to plants. She details plant types, forms, and arrangements, including well-thought-out lists of trees, native plants, vines, and perennials (the lists alone are worth the price of admission). She also provides expert planting tips, enough for the amateur gardener to get started and a great refresher for the experienced gardener.

But my favorite part of the book—and one many readers of this newsletter will appreciate—is a section on specialty gardens. I enjoyed Michele’s careful approach to three specific types of gardens: container gardens, edible gardens, and desert cottage gardens."

From the Introduction:

"My book won’t reveal the secrets of growing bushels of tomatoes and peaches in the desert. Nor will it explain how to put an irrigation system together or tell people they can’t grow hydrangeas in the desert (although I am unlikely to recommend it).

It will, however, show you how to avoid some common pitfalls. You’ll learn to work with nature for better outcomes, familiarize yourself with a desert plant palette suitable for the 21st century, and look at (and hopefully plan) your outdoor space in a new way, rooted in the realities of the urban desert in which we live."

10 + years in the making, culled and greatly expanded from the Designer's Notebook blog, ezine, and real Vegas Valley projects, Designing with the Desert takes a design-first look at how to approach our gardens in a more thoughtful way for more successful outcomes.

First Edition Copyright © 2025 Michele Chambliss / A Designer’s Notebook™ Ebook All rights reserved. ISBN: 9 781300 61732 7 No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including printing, photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. This prohibition specifically includes, but is not limited to, the use of this content for training, developing, or inputting into artificial intelligence, machine learning, or other computational analysis systems without prior written consent.

Packed with valuable insights and professional tips, Designing with the Desert explores the opposite of a "plant first, troubleshoot later" approach, an approach which becomes an ongoing cycle and leaves us wondering why our gardens don't look their best!

The ebook itself is organized into 3 parts:

Part I covers the fundamentals of designing with purpose and intent while addressing water concerns, equipping you to lay the foundation for a great garden before buying a single plant.

In Part II, we take a dive into designing with plants. Effective planting design involves understanding growth habits, mature sizes, and water requirements to minimize future maintenance and ensure long-term plant health. Learn to break the cycle of plant and replace by designing with the plant's future in mind, not just its nursery appeal.



Part III profiles 3 types of Specialty Gardens and includes guidance for readers to follow in creating their own.

Featuring color photos taken in Las Vegas and Henderson, with places to buy plants, local resources, and much more!

Check out the Table of Contents to see more and read more excerpts from the ebook below!

Designing With the Desert: A Thoughtful Approach to Desert Garden Design

Table of Contents (clickable within the ebook for easy navigation!)

Acknowledgements 7

Introduction 8

Designing with the Desert is Different 8

Part I. Designing with Purpose and Intent 12

Chapter 1 Structure for Organizing Outdoor Spaces 13

Hardscape 14

Softscape 15

Planning Versus “Eyeballing” 16

Chapter 2 Microclimates 19

Why are Microclimates Important? 19

Pro Tips for Designing with Microclimates 21

Chapter 3 The Inherited Landscape 22

The Good, the Bad, and the Ill-Conceived 22

A Few Basic Questions 23

Living Things 24

Pro Tips for Updating an Inherited Garden 27

Chapter 4 Small Spaces 29

5 Small Space Pro Tips 29

5 Favorite Small Space Plants 30

Chapter 5 Turfgrass Removal 33

Changing Attitudes 34

Pro Tips for Designing with Turfgrass Removal 36

Chapter 6 Thinking Outside the Irrigation Box 40

Thinking Outside the (Irrigation) Box 41

Pro Tips for Designing with Water Restrictions 43

Part II. Designing with Plants 46

Chapter 7 Plant Forms 48

Chapter 8 Plant Arrangement 51

Shopping First is Backwards 51

Regarding Plant Lists 53

Focus on the Whole 53

Take into Consideration the Existing Planting 54

Plant Spacing 54

Pro Tips for Designing with Plant Arrangement 56

Chapter 9 Native Plants 62

Key Species Plant Palette 62

A Better Chance of Success 66

Chapter 10 Trees 69

5 Trees for the Desert 70

9 Pro Tree Tips 73

Chapter 11 Vines and Climbers 76

Supporting Vines and Climbers 76

Designer Picks 78

Popular Vegas Valley Vines and Climbers 81

Additional Garden-Worthy Vines to Consider 82

Chapter 12 Heat Tolerant and Drought Tolerant Shrubs 84

Non-Desert-Adapted Broadleaf Evergreens 84

A Plant of Many Purposes 86

10 Terrific Heat and Drought Tolerant Shrubs 88

Chapter 13  Heat Tolerant and Drought Tolerant Perennials 96

What is a Perennial? 96

Harbingers of Spring 97

Sunny Daisies Gladden the Heart 100

Perennials and Pollinators 102

Heat Tolerant Hollyhocks 106

Pro Tips for Terrific Perennials 108

Part III. Designing with Specialty Gardens 109

Chapter 14 Container Gardens 110

Containers for All Seasons 111

5 Pro Tips for Hot Summer Pots 111

Dependable Summer Color 113

Cool Season Containers 116

Getting Started 116

10 Cool Season Pro Planting Tips for Pots and Containers 120

Chapter 15 Edible Gardens 123

Edible Plants for Structure 125

Multitasking Herbs and Edible Flowers 126

Edible and Colorful Leafy Greens 129

Ornamental Edibles for the Warm Season 130

How to Revitalize a Vegetable Garden in a Weekend 132

Day One: Prepare 132

Day Two: Plant 133

Chapter 16 The Desert Cottage Garden 136

The Cottage Garden Reinterpreted 138

Not Just for Cottages 141

Part IV. Designing with Resources 142

Cited Works 142

Recommended Books 148

Online Resources 150

Local Resources 152

Photo Credits 155

About the Author 156

Excerpt from Chapter 1 Organizing Outdoor Spaces with Structure:

"I love flowers as much as the next gal. But alas, flowers alone do not make a garden the beautiful, inviting space we dream of. With blooming plants in short supply during Las Vegas winters, we must turn to structure for keeping gardens interesting throughout the year.

The idea of structure in the garden sometimes brings to mind tightly clipped hedges in a formal style, but the necessity for order and functionality in our yards is not limited to just this style of garden. Large or small, formal or naturalistic, structure is the framework and the foundation upon which the entire garden is built. Thinking about our outdoor spaces in the context of outdoor rooms makes it easier to understand this concept."

Excerpt from Chapter 9 Native Plants:

"And while there are no guarantees, especially when facing the uncertainty of climate change, the key species listed accept the unique environmental conditions of the Vegas Valley region, such as low-fertility alkaline soils, scarce rainfall, drying winds, extreme heat and the occasional hard freeze; conditions that challenge many of the more 'traditional,' mainstream plants.

Unlike the broadleaf evergreen plants people gravitate toward because their green, bushy appearance looks and feels familiar, desert plant adaptations—smaller leaves, hairy leaves or ones with a waxy coating, deep taproots, succulent stems that store water—allow them to succeed where others do not."