Yes, to grow flowers in a desert climate you need to add organic matter such as compost to hold moisture and you also need to provide the right amount of water, grow the right type of flowers that can handle the heat (thungbergia, zinnias, petunias) and most important plant during the coolest part of the year in late fall or early winter. For more information your best source would be a local nursery or Master Gardener or better yet join a local garden club to learn the secrets of desert gardening. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti