AHS LIVE: Designing the Lush Dry Garden
with Cricket Riley, author and principal, Lush Dry Gardens
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 from 7-8 p.m. ET
Virtual
$15 AHS members/$20 non-members
This program is approved for 1 CEU with the Association of Professional Landscape Designers
The drought-tolerant garden has an image problem — for too many professionals and home gardeners alike, “water-wise” still conjures the sparse, cactus-and-gravel landscapes of 1980s suburban design. In this webinar, Bay Area landscape designer Cricket Riley makes the case that it’s time to retire that vision entirely. Drawing on her book, Designing with Lush Dry Gardens, Cricket explores how to create gardens that are ecologically responsible and visually abundant — layered with texture, rich in seasonal color, and alive with habitat value — offering both the design principles and climate-appropriate plant palettes to guide clients toward dry gardens that feel generous and alive, not like a concession to climate.
Cricket Riley is a landscape designer specializing in lush, low-water gardens. During her tenure at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, she held a variety of roles, most recently serving as Design Services Director. She also co-created the Garden’s Dry Garden Design Certificate Program with Alice Kitajima and served as its primary instructor. Building on that experience, she co-founded the firm Lush Dry Gardens, where she serves as Principal Designer and works with a team of landscape designers to help homeowners create beautiful, climate-appropriate landscapes. Cricket holds an A.A. in Landscape Architecture from Merritt College, a B.A. in History from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an M.A. in Near Eastern Studies and Broadcast Journalism from New York University.