Last weekend I was fortunate to join a friend on a tour of three exclusive gardens in the Phoenix area. Wow. They were all unique and they were wonderful. One was very contemporary in its design with all kinds of spiky plants and planting arrangements. Another was truly a personal arboreteum. The gardener is a plant collector and propagator and the collection was unrivaled. There was even a rainwater harvesting system. A third gardener had reclaimed some prime desert and the restoration was full of mature cactus, desert trees and shrubs with hundreds of wildflowers.

What I really wanted to share, though, is the use of pots in these landscapes. Pots are difficult in our climate yet all three properties had used them in imaginative, colorful ways. In some cases just as adornment, in others to complement a plant. Here are a few favorites. Enjoy!