The Best Shrubs for Las Vegas Yards

Don’t think that Las Vegas’s hot, dry climate dooms your dreams of a landscape with a hedge; one with flowering shrubs; or one that attracts birds, bees, and butterflies. Many attractive shrubs thrive in hot climates that offer little water and lots of sun. Below are some of the best shrubs for Las Vegas landscapes.

Use Hedges for Shade and Privacy

A hedge provides privacy, cooling shade, and protection from the wind. You also can use a hedge to define different areas of your landscape.

Hopseed (Dodonaea viscosa) features soft, fern-like, feathery-looking leaves and branches that can be pruned to form a tall, narrow screen. In its natural shape, the shrub forms a mound that creates a thick, effective hedge. A path of staggered pavers in Las Vegas would create a woodland or cottage garden look while letting rainwater reach the ground.

Golden bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea) produces leaves that start low on the cane, creating an excellent hedge. However, the canes are covered by an intriguing tortoiseshell pattern, so some remove the lower leaves to display the cane. Bamboo naturally lends itself to Asian-themed gardens. In Japanese gardens, a curving path of white gravel symbolizes a stream. Placing dark pavers in the middle of the gravel would provide the appearance of wet stepping-stones.

Flowering Shrubs Make a Dramatic Focal Point

A single flowering shrub can serve as the focal point for a particular area of your landscape. A wall of flowering shrubs can serve as a bright backdrop for a party area. Scented shrubs or shrubs with all white flowers in a moon garden can set off a romantic space for couples to enjoy each other’s company.

The delicate pink, white, or red flowers of oleander bushes (Nerium oleander) last until the first frost. Single blossoms tend to retain their fresh look while double-blossom flowers can become unattractive. On the other hand, some of the double-blossom varieties are scented. White pavers would complement the oleander and enhance a romantic atmosphere.

Pomegranate adds year-round interest to your garden space. The flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Set the planting off with a low wall built of pavers.

Best Shrubs for Attracting Birds, Bees, and Butterflies

Planting shrubs that attract birds, bees, and butterflies makes for a lively lawn. You’ll have visitors that will include several species of hummingbirds, songbirds, and butterflies to watch while you relax. Some of your visitors just might be working for you, though. Butterflies and bees pollinate your blooming plants while birds who feed on insects keep down the pest population.

Indian laurel (Ficus nitida), related to both banyan and fig trees, also grows naturally as a tree. In columnar form, though, it creates a dense, evergreen hedge. It produces white blossoms and a fig-like fruit that attracts fruit-eating birds.

The bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus) produces spikes of red flowers that could be the perfect backdrop to a party area or a play area for your human children or your fur babies. Hummingbirds also love partying and sipping nectar among these blossoms.

Plant a cluster of honeysuckle butterfly bushes (Diervilla sessilifolia) as an accent plant. The bush produces trumpet-shaped, pale yellow flowers for butterflies from spring through the summer. Butterflies also need places to warm themselves in the morning. Dark pavers would provide the perfect resting spot.