Palm Springs Landscape Design and Landscape Architecture

Palm Springs Landscape Design

In 2022 I was visiting a project site for a residence in the Old Las Palmas neighborhood of Palm Springs. This was one of the first site visits I had been on since joining the Palm Springs-based MWDA team. The project site we were visiting was located on a hillside lot that afforded spectacular views over the city and down the Coachella Valley. On this day in August, the temperature was 106°. Temperature recordings measure the ambient air temperature rather than the temperature in direct sunlight, so, we can infer that it was upwards of 110° while standing in the direct sunlight.

As the property owner and I traversed the hillside site, we darted from shade pocket to shade pocket, doing everything we could to stay out of the direct sun. Many of the prominent views from the site, however, could only be taken in while standing in the direct sunlight. We found it difficult to stay in these places for long so we quickly snapped photos of the views and site conditions then returned to the shade pockets afforded to us by neighboring hedges and vegetation. 

This experience is probably a familiar one to people who have visited Palm Springs during the summer months. The way that we experience Palm Springs is dictated by the sun. Even for the boldest of heat-tolerant hardos, 110°+ can be difficult to tolerate. When we are outside, we rely on the landscape to provide relief from the extreme temperature. So when it comes to landscape design in the desert, it’s important that we as designers of the built environment, ask the question: How can we design in response to the extreme climate?

Strategies for addressing the extreme heat can range from tree planting to water features. Ultimately, the goal is to carve out what many HGTV enthusiasts would call an “outdoor oasis”. The outdoor oasis, or sometimes referred to as a “desert oasis” in Palm Springs, is an outdoor space that is programmable, usable, and most importantly, comfortable; similar to a living space within a residence. The term “oasis” evokes visuals of a water pool or a lush garden within a desert with a heavy connotation of relief and comfort. (Or, if you lived through the 90s, perhaps visuals of a rebellious british rock band with bowl cuts..)

Everyone has seen the articles written by major media outlets entitled something along the lines of “The Importance of Outdoor Space”, or “Today’s Must-Have Amenity? A Little Greens Space”. This awareness of the importance of outdoor space is thousands of years old, but recently caught more traction in the public eye when the pandemic triggered limitations on occupation of indoor spaces. Similarly, this cultural awareness transcended the idea of functional outdoor space in the public realm to functional outdoor space in the private realm. (Who wasn’t sick of sitting in their house for months-on-end during the pandemic?!)

Landscape architecture and garden design in Palm Springs has taken many forms over the years. From playful, graphic, designs to more “natural” appearing landscapes that aim to emulate the perceived “natural” conditions of a site prior to the inhabitation and development by humans. 

Each of these aesthetics must respond to the inherent climate, even if the attitude towards the extreme heat is to avoid it altogether and treat the landscape as a strictly-visual amenity. This one-dimensional reading of the landscape, however, has fallen out of popularity in favor of the idea that outdoor space can, and oftentimes is, the most valuable amenity that a property can offer. Even in an extreme climate, like that of Palm Springs, residents and visitors are eager to capitalize on outdoor space as frequently and as abundantly as possible, which elevates the landscape to one of the most important aspects of residential design.

‍