The interaction between aeolian sand drift and vegetation in arid region, especially in the fringe of desert, is of great significance in shaping the surface landscape. To be specific, in the process of aeolian sediment transport, the fine particles provide nutrients and water for vegetation colonization and growth, and when plants grow to a certain extent, they affect the pattern of sand erosion and accumulation by covering surface, capturing sand materials and dispersing wind energy. The change of the pattern and the difference of vegetation growth make the landscape appear spatial heterogeneity. In order to explore the interaction between aeolian processes and vegetation and the resulting landscape heterogeneity, the Artemisia ordosica shrub land in the southern fringe of Hobq Desert, which was located in the arid and semi-arid transition zone, was selected as the study area, and then vegetation investigation, the field observation of air flow, sand transport rate and sampling of sediment grain size were carried out. Based on the work, we analyzed the changes of vegetation coverage, air flow structure and sediment grain size characteristics along the wind direction, and discussed the interaction between sand drift and vegetation and its impact on landscape pattern. The results show that the change of the interaction mode between aeolian processes and vegetation alters the pattern of plants growth and surface erosion and deposition, resulting in obviously spatial heterogeneity in the downwind landscape. From bare land to uniformly distributed newborn Artemisia ordosica and shrubs, and then to patch distributed nebkhas, the vegetation coverage and sand cover thickness firstly increase and then decrease, the aerodynamic roughness rises continuously along the process, and the growth is the largest during the transition, while the sand transport rate and sediment particle size show a trend of first descent and then ascent, and the minimum value appears at the maximum of vegetation coverage and sand cover thickness. On the denudate plateau of the desert fringe, an appropriate amount of sand accumulation promotes the colonization and growth of the Artemisia ordosica at first, and the uniformly distributed shrubs further boosts sand deposition. However, when the accumulation thickness exceeds the sand resistant burial depth of Artemisia ordosica, it degenerates. Then, the shrub appears patchy distribution and the sand flow erodes between the interdune. Therefore, it can be understood that the landscape heterogeneity in the sandy area of the denuded plateau is the result of the synergy and inhibition of aeolian processes and vegetation.