Just because you live in the desert, doesn't mean that cacti are your only plant option. In this backyard, none of the plants are going to pierce your fingers. Drip irrigation saves water and provides the drought tolerant plantings with the necessary moisture. Color comes from shrubs such as yellow bells and orange jubilee and perennials like Ruellia throughout the scorching summer. In the fall, the leaves of the crepe myrtle trees turn bright red and in winter heavenly bamboo provides a wonderful display of reds and oranges.