Eucalyptus trees thrive in Las Vegas.

Trees for Your Las Vegas Landscape

Trees, the main focal point of your landscape design.

Trees are a main focal point of landscape design and special care should be placed in research and placement within in your yard. Treees may very well be the most expensive greenery that you add and depending on the age/size of the tree you purchase, it may be necessary to call in a landscaper to plant them. I purchased most of my trees in 15 gallon containers or less and was able to plant them myself, but I do want to point out even small container trees were a bit of a project since the hole had to be significantly larger than the container in both width and depth.

Plan ahead...

How much space will the tree need? Take a look at your yard and landscape plans. In areas you want to plant a tree, determine the width and height you wish to cover. When researching trees find out how tall and wide the mature height of the tree will be. Also determine whether the tree has a fast, moderate or slow growth rate. I have magnolias that are expected to be 25-30 feet high, yet after 7 years they have only grown about 2 feet and remain under 15 feet tall. I also have trees that have grown exponentially over the years and as a result have changed some areas below from full or partial sun to shade areas. I have had to change some plantings because of it.

Evergreen or Deciduous?

Know if the tree is evergreen or deciduous. Evergreen trees will lose their foliage and needles throughout the year and generally stay green whereas deciduous trees will experience foliage and needle loss all at one time. In Las Vegas most deciduous trees are bare from late November until March. Some stay bare until late spring! I chose deciduous trees for trees that are in close proximity to my house. The reason I did this was to provide shade in the summer to help cool the house. In the winter the leaves fall so sunlight can shine on the home and help heat it.

Fruit or Flowering Trees

There are many fruit and flowering trees that do well in Las Vegas. I grow peaches, plums, apples and nectarines with ease. It took about 5 years before the trees established and began producing bountiful harvests. If you are choosing a flowering tree check to see if it prouduces a lot of droppings. Some people are not too found of constant clean-up or if you have a pool near the canopy the droppings can be a pain.