Any word association game involving the phrase “Desert Gardening” would instantly conjure images of towering cacti and supreme foliaged succulents. Perhaps dry creek beds, gravel paths and a lack of deliciously friable soil may also enter the image along with mass plantings of grasses and silver foliage plants complimenting the design with soft nuances.

Desert gardening is anything but for the courageous – or those who don’t have a choice. Water restrictions, or the lack of a sustainable water source, may force gardeners to create a desert garden but this shouldn’t limit the creativity that can be injected into such a yard. Quite the contrary, really.

A desert garden may not have yards of soft turf for the kids to roll around on, or borders of flowering annuals to keep the warmer months amusing but it does still offer a challenge for any gardener. Especially a gardener with children. Creating spaces, and shade, for them to play can be a tad vexing – a sandpit left in the midday sun is rarely appealing to any child.

So, with all its dust, arid aspects and minimal soaking rains what can desert gardening offer that’s enticing to create such a style?

Firstly, it’s a low maintenance garden – please don’t read “NO Maintenance”. Most of your plants, once established, will no longer require watering. That means no irrigation problems, kinked hoses or AWOL watering cans. Even fertilising, pruning and possibly weeding will be tasks that aren’t required anymore.

Second, desert gardening offers year-round vistas that more gardeners only enjoy for a season or two. While desert garden plants still produce seasonal blooms they are more prized for their shape, texture and foliage while a flourish of flowers is an additional plus.

And finally, a desert garden is much more economical with the world’s resources than any other type of garden. Fewer pests and less diseases result in reduced chemical usage and limiting your water consumption can only ever be a good thing.

So, what about gardeners who don’t enjoy endure the heat and reduced annual rainfall? Is it still possible for them to commence desert gardening? The answer is not as straight-forward as the question. For most gardening ideas, it is often possible to achieve anything you want but it always comes with a price. For those wanting to create a desert garden in areas that suffer from frost or even snow then the required microclimate can only be achieved indoors or in a greenhouse. Creating this style outdoors can only result in tears – and possibly gnashing of teeth.

Those in temperate climates – hot summers and cool winters – are very well suited to this garden style. Sure, these regions enjoy more rainfall than arid zones but in most cases similar plants can still survive, and thrive, in these areas.

Here’s the base definition – Desert Gardening: A style of gardening that utilises a region’s limited annual rainfall. It often includes the use of succulents, cacti and other drought-tolerant plantings.

In effect, desert gardening reduces plant choices to anything that can sustain itself without any additional watering. If it requires ongoing irrigation, other than what drops from the sky, then it’s highly likely that it won’t survive in this styled garden.