Choosing the best plants, trees and mulch for your Las Vegas home.

 

Potential home buyers form their first impression of a home from its curb appeal. Yet often a home’s outdoor landscaping is overlooked, or underdone, in the preparation for the sales process. An attractive and well-maintained landscape can add as much as 10 percent to the value of your home.

Plants

Southern Nevada is home to a broad cross-section of desert-friendly plants. A visit to one of the many nurseries and demonstration gardens, such as the one found at the Star Nursery, can give you a good idea of how these plants interplay in a landscape and provide inspiration.

Landscape designers offer ideas to guide you toward complementary plants. Use our Plant Search to find plants best suited for your landscape needs and to get helpful tips to care for the plants.

Trees

There are a variety of trees that can survive and thrive in the Las Vegas area. Some of the more colorful trees can be viewed by clicking HERE. You can also refer to the Trees for Tomorrow booklet, a publication of the High Desert Resource Conservation & Development Council.

Mulch

Mulch, also known as “top dressing,” is crucial as a protective covering used to protect plants. Placed around the plant, mulch reduces water lost to evaporation by as much as 30 percent. Mulch also helps plants stay healthy by preventing frozen roots and weed growth.

Mulch comes in many forms; some are perfect for desert plants, while others meet the needs of the more tender ones. The fact is — all plants benefit from some kind of mulch, as long as it is the right kind.

Mulch can be organic or inorganic, fine or coarse and, in some landscapes, it may even be rocks. Well-chosen mulch not only beautifies and unifies a landscape design, but also discourages weeds and reduces water lost to evaporation.

Other benefits of mulch:

• Helps drainage
• Encourages root development
• Improves soil by making nutrients more available to plants
• Insulates soil and plants in winter months, while cooling the soil and reducing water use during hot summer months
• Decorative

Organic Mulch

If possible, consider using organic mulch. Organic mulches are those that used to be living material, such as bark, wood chips, straw, leaves, grass clippings, compost, and pine needles. Nurseries have specially prepared mulches as well. Rocks, a good inorganic and decorative alternative to organic mulch, can get hot and should be shaded with water-efficient plants.