Also don't forget to take a trip to the Desert Botanical Gardens to see what they've got (plus everything is labeled!). I think the biggest key to achieving a desert look is to group things - if you look at the real desert, you'll see lots of plants grouped together - barrel cacti in the shade of a mesquite, Ocotillo and Rabbitbrush next to each other, desert marigold pretty much everywhere - one plant taking advantage of the shade or protection of the other. I'd also recommend Mielke's Native Plants for Southwestern Landscapes (Amazon link below) and George Brookbank wrote a great treatise on gardening in Arizona called "Desert Gardening" that gives you the nuts and bolts of gardening in this challenging environment. Good Luck!! Here is a link that might be useful: Mielke's book

Hope it went well.

HELLO FELLOW GARDENER I can get you trout lily root and dutchmans.... I would love some woodland strawberry....... email me natureboy1376@yahoo.com

Petersons publishes both a medicinal plant and edible plant guide that are invaluable resources but if you are a novice to wild plants and identifying them, I would suggest starting your learning from someone in person. Books are wonderful and I have taught myself much from them but my first teachers about plants, plant safety, and plant identification were my parents when I was very young. I also have taken many in-person identification and herbal medicine classes as well as guided walks and tours. Please look for classes or perhaps herbalists in your area. Wildcrafting and processing the plant material is time-consuming. I'm sure many herbalists would trade learning for help in collecting and processing botanical material. And in learning about your wild resources, be sure to check out United Plant Savers for a list of plants that are "at risk." These are native, medicinal plants that have been decimated in the wild. Be sure to temper your collecting with good stewardship. Good luck in your endeavors! FataMorgana Here is a link that might be useful: Amazon link to Peterson's Medicinal plant book