Landscape gardening involves a partnership between gardener and environment and an understanding of why and how plants grow where they do. Phillips takes the reader on an illustrated garden tour through the rich ecosystems of the Southwest and into gardens she has designed in the upland forests, shrub/desert grasslands, riparian oases, and arid city plots. Her plant palette includes native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses and embraces dozens of adaptive plants that will flourish in the demanding conditions of the upland and desert West.