How you landscape a dry river bed depends partially on whether the bed has been artificially created for esthetic purposes or directs water through your property during the rainy season. Changing the course of an actual river bed could change the drainage of your property and your neighbors. A beautifully landscaped river bed becomes the focal point of your yard.
Plant the sides of the river bed with native flowers and plants for a naturalized look. Take a drive around the countryside to see which plants are prominent. Photograph the different plants. Check the plants you see against a list of invasive plants for the area. Once you've planted them, you won't have to do much but weed and occasionally clean out clutter between the rocks of the bed. The plants will either reseed themselves or perennially come back every year.
A Zen approach includes carefully raked gravel, large rocks and perhaps a bench for meditation along a bed of river rocks. Create that same look by switching out the gravel and sand in your river bed for smooth, rounded, river rocks. Complete the look with a few specimen plants. Add a tree for shade. The sound of running water adds to the illusion the river is running so complete the landscape with a bubbler fountain.
Dry river beds are common in the Southwest. Monsoons fill the beds during summer storms for only a short time each year. Duplicate the look of an Old West landscape with a railing for tethering horses, a rustic bench and cactuses planted in groups of three and five.
Rivers rarely run in a straight line. Add gentle curves to the river bed to add interest. Consider hiding the beginning of the bed with large boulders and plantings so it seems to naturally appear. If possible, curve the end of the river so it disappears rather than abruptly ends. Cluster plants and bushes in groups rather than lining them like soldiers along the banks.
Landscape over the dry river bed with lawn or a flower bed. If you dislike the look of the river bed, it is possible to eliminate it and still direct the flow of water. Lay a French drain at the bottom of the bed to direct water where the bed was originally meandering. Cover the drain with 6 inches of gravel and then top soil. Water flows down the drain and underneath the lawn.
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