Five Trees for Fall Colors in Las Vegas

Design a Festive Landscape

The fall season is coming up quick in Southern Nevada.  With local schools being back in session for a few weeks now, and football season already starting, it feels like fall already!  The change in the weather is also helping us feel the season change. It's getting colder and more beautiful outside, and now we can enjoy it again. Soon enough, our landscapes will be changing and transitioning into fall and showing off some spectacular fall colors along the process.

Many of our trees at Moon Valley Nurseries have the outstanding fall reds, purples, yellows, and oranges that we have come to expect and love this time of year. Fall is the best time to plant trees, and these fall-color trees would be perfect and just in time to WOW your neighbors all season long.

Arizona Ash

Arizona Ash is a deciduous tree that has striking, smooth, bright green leaves and can cover a lot of area in your yard with shade in the summer. Native to the Southwestern states, this tree loves the sun. While traditionally very green most of the year, the canopy will start to turn into a yellow-golden color in early fall.

It is cold-hardy and heat-resistant, so they are ideal for planting in our desert climate. If you’re looking for a fast-growing shade tree, you’ll love the Arizona Ash tree.

We find the Arizona Ash to be very adaptable for all uses such as being planted for shade, which keeps your house cool in the summer but will also keep your home warm in the winter when the leaves drop.

Raywood Ash

A popular choice when landscaping your yard in the Nevada desert is the Raywood Ash tree. It is known for its extraordinary display of dark red to deep reddish-purple foliage in the fall that gives any landscape that classic seasonal look. The leaves of the Raywood Ash drop off soon after the fall season, allowing for easy clean up just once a year.

During the summer, the Raywood Ash offers a much-needed service by adding shade to your yard! When the leaves come back in the spring, it becomes the perfect shade tree again, especially once they mature to their full height.  The Raywood produces darker foliage than most trees, which makes it stand out in landscapes and makes a great statement tree for the design.

Crape Myrtle

One of the best plant options for striking bursts of color throughout your yard is the Crape Myrtle tree. This tree blooms from the spring through the fall months and is a perfect addition to any yard, parks, and other properties. In the fall, the Crape Myrtle tree produces exquisite flowers that bloom brightly in many colors such as pink, purple, red, and white.

The Crape Myrtle can be planted nearly anywhere because it stays small-to-medium in size. They look lovely when they are planted in clusters and rows or as an accent tree full of color that will pop against green foliage or deciduous trees that share the landscape. For ultimate blooming potential, we recommend pruning in the winter while the tree is dormant.

Shumard Oak

Another awesome fall choice to include in your landscape for ultimate shade is the Shumard Oak Tree.

This oak tree is a medium to large sized tree and grows into a canopy with a wide spreading reach, which creates a large area of shade all around it. This tree is a fast-growing species of oak that is very tough and long-living, so it will be part of the family for generations!

This tree is known for its antique look with large dark green leaves that can grow up to eight inches long. Another benefit of having the Shumard Oak is the beautiful vibrant red orange colors that take over the canopy during the fall season that will get you into the holiday festivities!

Chinese Pistache

The Chinese Pistache tree is an incredible medium-sized tree that can be used in many ways. Due to its size and shade potential, it’s common to plant Chinese Pistache trees in rows for mass shade coverage and to create some privacy, or as a focal point in the back or front yard!

Because it’s a deciduous tree, it lets the sun through the foliage in the winter and offers a clean, dark-green umbrella-shaped canopy that can create massive shade in the summer.

In the fall, the Chinese Pistache can add beautiful festive color when the leaves turn to luminous orange, red, and even yellow. This is a perfect tree for the Nevada desert for its resistance to drought and low-to-moderate water usage.

Get Started with your FREE Custom Design at our Nursery

Find a Moon Valley Nurseries location near you to see the best fall trees for your region. Our nursery professionals are always ready to start designing yards and achieving our customers' goals.

Updated November 4th, 2022