It’s May, and it’s starting to heat up around Las Vegas. We can keep our desert garden healthy throughout the month and beyond with maintenance, and by following some simple tasks. Yes, summer is coming, and we know what that means – it’s going to get hot, really hot! The good news is that we still have a few more weeks left to plant during this excellent planting season. We can plant the trees that bloom beautiful flowers and create shade coverage! Blooming cacti and succulents can also bring a splash of color to our landscape.

Just because it’s hot outside doesn’t mean we want to spend all our time indoors. On the contrary, we want to get outdoors and breathe fresh air. Once the heat and sunlight intensifies, shade trees can come to the rescue. Here in the Las Vegas area, we can plant trees such as the Tipuana tipu, one of the best shade trees for our area. They can create a massive canopy of shade, which can provide relief when we need to get outside for some fresh air during the hot summers. With proper planting, large shade trees can also help reduce temperatures on the warmer side of a home.

Summer is coming but we still have time to prepare our landscape for the impending heat of the summer. Gardening in the Mojave Desert does present challenges and offers plenty of rewards. Our goal is to make the task of keeping our garden healthy and beautiful easier. We asked our nursery pros for some tips and tasks for a healthy landscape this month, and this is what we compiled. Read about our landscape and garden tips for the month of May below.

The Beginners Guide to Gardening and Landscaping in Las Vegas

How to Water: Everyone in the area knows that conserving water is a challenge, but it’s something we must do in our area. keep a close eye on the watering schedule for our yards. And with the temperatures starting to warm up, it is essential that we monitor the temperatures, too. One of the best things we can do is to water slowly and deeply. If you seed Bermuda and warm-season grasses, apply one inch of water per week. We will want to be sure to keep our deciduous fruit trees well-watered.  If you want more information, click here for our informative watering guide. 

How to Fertilize: May is a great time to fertilize our landscape plants. The temperature is rising, and we may have noticed that our winter lawns are beginning to die out slowly. Don't worry though because the summer lawn is starting to take over. We will want to fertilize warm-season lawns. As soon as the soil warms up, we can seed Bermuda and warm-season grasses. Keep fertilizing rose bushes, too. Adding liquid fertilizers to rose bushes every two weeks is very beneficial. We will also want to keep fertilizing our vegetable and herb gardens as needed.

How to Protect Trees: Trees can get sunburn, too. New trees are especially susceptible to getting sunburn, so we can protect the trunk with a Protective Tree Wrap. What about the wind? No doubt that it can get windy in Las Vegas, which is why staking both new and old trees is such a great thing to do! What about the birds and our fruit trees? It’s nice to share. However, birds can also cause damage so we can cover our fruit trees with netting to protect them from bird damage. Put a shade cloth over tomatoes so that they can stay strong and healthy even as the weather heats up.

Remove Weeds: Weeds don’t care how hot it is, they’ll grow anyway. Keep removing weeds! Of course, the best time to get dirty and pull the weeds out is when it’s early in the morning or late in the evening – do it before it gets too hot! You can find all the things you need for controlling weeds at any of our nurseries.

How to Mulch: Extreme heat is on the way but there is no need to panic. Mulch around the area that receives direct sunlight on the dirt. Apply mulch around heat sensitive plants to keep the roots cool. Mulch can also prevent water evaporation.

What to Prune: Remove dead, damaged, or diseased portions of the plant. Remove spent stalks of aloes, agaves, and other succulents. Newly planted annuals and perennials can develop more flowers when we pinch back the growth> Cutting off the old blossoms can prolong the flowering season of spring annuals.

Vegetable Garden: Okra and sweet potatoes are ideal warm-season vegetables to plant. Pumpkin, cantaloupe, winter squash, and sunflowers can be planted, too. Install a shade cloth to protect your vegetable garden from the heat.

Add Color to a Las Vegas Landscape

Las Vegas, it’s an arid environment. That said, we can brighten up our property with trees and plants that add a variety of colors that are bright and beautiful.

Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia): Our climate allows the Crape Myrtle to explode with vibrant colors! They love the heat and are one of the few trees that can provide summer color. Plant them in any size landscape, and they can decorate your yard with shades of red, white, purple, and pink. Besides the colorful show, they can also provide shade. Homeowners and landscapers will appreciate their low-maintenance features.

Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia): This breathtaking flowering tree can bloom vibrant purple flower that can transform our arid landscape. Jacarandas are more than just one of the prettiest trees on the block. They feature unique fern-like foliage and a layered canopy that can provide some much-needed shade. These trees may look soft; however, they are very hardy trees and they can thrive during the warmer months of the year.

Piru Queen Palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana 'piru'): Plant this palm in your landscape and add tropical beauty and appeal. Our Piru Queen is custom grown in our local climate so that it is conditioned to thrive in our extreme weather cycles. These work best when planted in groups, where they can create shade and a peaceful feeling that can help you forget about how hot it’s going to be this summer.

Tipu (Tipuana tipu): If it’s shade coverage you want, look no further than the Tipuana tipu. When it starts to get bright and hot, you will appreciate the massive amount of shade it can provide! They can grow a massive canopy of shade quickly, and during the summer, they can produce eye-catching apricot-yellow colored flowers. Enjoy the great outdoors under a Tipu tree and take in the view!

Arizona Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans v. angustata): These shrubs can grow tall and wide, making them an excellent plant for fences and borderlines. They can light up your yard when the trumpet-shaped lemon-yellow flowers appear from spring to fall. Plant them in a spot that gets plenty of full sun exposure and let them grow – this is a colorful, low-maintenance shrub ideal for yards in Las Vegas.  

Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides 'Veitchii'): Go outside, breathe in the air, and enjoy the sweet aroma of the Gardenia bloom! These low to medium-sized mounding shrubs produce sweet, fragrant blooms from late spring to fall. Their glossy, bright, evergreen foliage can add fresh color to our arid environment!   

Orange Cape Honeysuckle (Tecoma capensis): Add this beautiful evergreen to your landscape and enjoy the year-round interest it can bring! People love the easy-care attributes, and of course, the brightly colored orange flowers that are sure to attract all the right attention.

Summer is not here yet, so take advantage of this weather and take care of your landscape. Visit your nearest Moon Valley Nurseries Las Vegas location and purchase the things you need to take care of weeds, the proper fertilizers that keep your plants healthy, and the mulch that allows roots to keep cool and moist!