Love the idea of a fountain but don’t want to get involved with dreaded plumbing and wiring?  Then consider creating a Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) “fountain” in your garden.

Waterless Garden Fountain.   Here is how to make your Pampas grass fountain: create a mounded garden bed where you want your “fountain” located.  It should be at least 8 to 10 feet long by 6 to 8 feet wide by about 1 foot high.  The center should be somewhat higher than the edges.  A raised garden island bed would be perfect for this design.   

Prepare the soil, then plant 4 or 5 Pampas grass plants on this raised bed including one at the center.  Leave a generous space between the plants. Pampas grass grows fast to 8 feet tall in one season and has a graceful green arching shape – as if it is green “water” rising up and spilling back down to the earth.   

If you don’t have the large space required for a Pampas grass “fountain”, try doing a smaller version with Deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) or red Fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum).  The effect with red Fountain grass will not be quite the same, however.

Win Some, Lose Some.  A red-leafed Fringe flower (Lorapetalum chinense) planted this spring turned crisp as soon as the summer heat arrived.  This Fall when the weather cools down we are going to try a Barberry (Berberis thunbergii ‘Atropurpurea’ ) for a shrub with deep red leaves.  Barberry cultivars come in other colors and pygmy sizes, too.  And Barberry is suitable for all desert climates.

Tour A Fabulous Private  Orchard Garden.   You can view an exceptional Formal Orchard Garden in the Mediterranean style.  This Las Vegas, Nevada garden is owner-designed and demonstrates how beautiful and dramatic a water-wise garden can be.  You can see it at Private Gardens.