Desert Meadows Park

This long, narrow space—approximately 150 feet long by 35 feet wide—presented a distinct design challenge: how to beautifully shape a corridor-like lot without it reading as a bowling alley. The site also had a practical problem to solve, as rainwater runoff regularly flooded the adjacent Anza Trail during monsoon season, demanding a solution that was as functional as it was inviting.

Our approach transformed this challenging strip of land into a “secret garden” experience, looping gently off the Anza Trail to create a sense of discovery and intimacy despite the space’s narrow footprint. Thoughtful grading and planting design broke up the length visually while capturing and redirecting stormwater runoff, protecting the trail below and turning a former drainage headache into a lush, meandering retreat.

A host of native plants now welcome a large variety of birds, lizards, butterflies, and native bees.

WILDLIFE SHOWN: Above, a male broad-billed hummingbird sips nectar from a feeder. To the left and below, a male house finch perched on a fragrant bee brush branch, male Gambols quail seeking shelter in the shade of a wolfberry shrub, female house finch munching on Mexican honeysuckle leaves, longhorn bee harvesting pollen from a prickly pear flower,  a Golf fritillary butterfly on an agave leaf, a Texas crescent butterfly, a Sonoran spiny lizard sunning on a piece of driftwood, and a white-crowned sparrow in Fremont wolfberry.

Today, the Rainwater Garden is a favorite spot for people to stroll or relax under a canopy of trees, surrounded by lush native vegetation and entertained by the wildlife that visit.