Good Landscaping Plants for Las Vegas

Choosing native, climate-friendly species is an important part of gardening and landscaping with plants and flowers. The plants you choose will impact how much time you spend on maintenance, how much water you use and how well the plants will thrive. In Las Vegas, Nevada, the best landscaping plants are those well suited for the exposure, temperature and water availability.

Annual flowers grow steadily during a single season, flower once and then die off. Despite their short life spans, many annual varieties are a hardy addition to a Las Vegas garden. Because the winter months are relatively mild, annuals can grow in the fall, winter and spring months. Some species are capable of thriving in the summer months as well. Good choices for annuals in a Las Vegas landscape include pansies, snapdragons, chrysanthemum, African daisy, cosmos, impatiens, dianthus, violas, million bells, marigolds, star cluster flowers and bougainvillea.

Perennial flowers go dormant at the end of the growing season, then grow up again from their wintered roots. Perennials flower more often than annuals do and can grow steadily throughout much of the year in the warm Las Vegas climate. Common perennial plants in local landscapes include asters, bee balm, black-eyed Susans, birds of paradise, peonies, lilies, euryops, dahlias and chrysanthemums.

Both succulents and cacti are hardy, drought-resistant plants that thrive in warmer climates. They only require a small amount of water to grow and so they work well in Las Vegas landscapes. Both succulents and cacti do come in flowering varieties, adding beauty as well as hardiness to the landscape. Common varieties in Las Vegas include hedgehog cactus, columnar cactus, golden barrel cactus, fishhook barrel cactus and agave.

Drought-resistant plants thrive in the Las Vegas climate and so they are an essential addition to most landscapes here and in the Southwest in general. Many drought-resistant and drought-tolerant plant species are unusual and colorful. Common drought-tolerant plants used for landscaping include Arizona rosewood, bird of paradise, Ozark sun drops, fairy duster, yucca, silver bush morning glory, purple rock rose, sage, salvia, butterfly bush, cassia and desert spoon.

Palm trees are an iconic representation of Las Vegas, inhabiting the deserts and filling up heavily populated areas as well. Numerous varieties of palm trees are found in Las Vegas landscapes including the California fan palm, Canary Island date palm, Mediterranean fan palm, Mexican fan palm, Mexican blue palm, Pindo palm, Queen palm, pygmy date palm, sago palm and the windmill palm.