Screening a Neighbor's View with a Desert Focal Point

When landscape designer Craig Pearson was tasked with creating privacy for a Phoenix garden, he avoided the typical solid walls or dense hedges. Instead, he shifted the perspective by crafting an immediate, captivating focal point that draws the eye away from the neighboring house.

Pearson began by establishing a small grove of desert trees. He planted Chilean mesquite (Prosopis chilensis) and foothills palo verde (Cercidium microphyllum) around an existing mimosa (Albizia julibrissin), creating a layered canopy. Beneath the trees, he added fishhook barrel cactus (Ferocactus wislizenii) and prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) for textural contrast and year-round interest.

The composition is anchored by a striking 48-inch-diameter stone-and-concrete globe, sourced from Holler & Saunders in Nogales, Arizona. Pearson and an assistant maneuvered the hollow sphere into position beneath the trees by rolling it over a pair of old tires in a leapfrog fashion — a clever, low-tech solution for moving a heavy ornament.

The result is a garden that feels both intimate and expansive, where the eye naturally settles on the sculptural globe and surrounding desert planting rather than the neighbor's property.

DESIGN: Craig Pearson, Pearson & Company, Scottsdale, AZ (602/840-6447)