This planting at the home of Daniel and Lisa Dell'Osso in Paradise Valley, Arizona, looks like a natural desert wash.

At peak bloom in spring are pink penstemon (P. parryi and P. pseudospectabilis) and red firecracker penstemon (P. eatonii). Trees include acacia (middle) and mesquite (left and right). A mulch of decomposed granite covers the soil around them.

DESIGN: Greg Trutza, New Directions in Landscape Architecture, Phoenix (602/264-5202).