When you ask someone to list five things that remind them of Las Vegas, it isn’t likely that the word “tree” will come up in the conversation. However, trees are an essential part of most ecosystems, including the desert, and a beautiful addition to many Nevada landscapes.
Here are five of our favorite varieties of landscaping trees that create shade and privacy, produce oxygen, attract birds, and otherwise beautify your Southern Nevada property.
1. Palm Trees
You can’t drive down the Strip or other long-developed areas in and around Las Vegas without noticing the tall, stately palms that grace nearly every casino. Symbolizing relaxation and peace, Palms are also popular in neighborhoods throughout the valley because they create a carefree, tropical feeling.
The Best Palms For Las Vegas & Henderson
- Canary Island Date Palms – These attractive palms have a trunk that resembles a pineapple. They are slow-growing, averaging 6-12 inches a year.
- Mexican Fan Palms – This variety is known for its slender trunk and ability to grow 75 feet or higher. If you incorporate Mexican Fan Palms into your landscape, we recommend having them skinned and trimmed periodically for both aesthetic reasons and to help with pest control.
- California Fan Palms – This attractive variety somewhat resembles the Mexican Fan Palm but has a wider trunk, does not grow quite as tall, and has heavier fronds.
- Date Palms – This variety of palm has feathery fronds, unlike the fan-shaped fronds of the California Fan Palm. They can grow as tall as 25 feet and produce sweet, edible fruit.
2. Indian Laurel Columns
A dense and fast-growing evergreen, Indian Laurel Columns are a fantastic choice if you are looking to use trees to create a privacy barrier or control outside sounds. You can plant them in a row along your property line or anywhere you wish to make a natural screen.
Indian Laurel columns thrive in our summer heat, and you can prune them to just about any shape.
3. Mesquite Trees
Mesquite grows throughout the southwest and is very tolerant of Southern Nevada heat. Wild mesquite is often more shrublike than treelike, but landscaped mesquite can grow upright with full, large crowns.
- Western Honey Mesquite – This beautiful mesquite can grow 25 or 30 feet tall and more than 30 feet wide. It has slightly fragrant flowers and comes in both thorny and thornless varieties.
- Texas Honey Mesquite – Growing about as large as the Western Honey Mesquite, this thorny-branched varietal has beautiful bright green foliage that droops down, similar to a weeping willow’s appearance.
- Chilean Mesquite – Available in thornless varieties, Chilean Mesquites love heat and are drought-tolerant. They grow rapidly and have a broad canopy that provides sun-dappled, light-filtered shade.
4. Flowering Plums
Flowering plum trees are a beautiful and surprisingly hardy ornamental that do well in Las Vegas as long as they are regularly watered. They are famous for their dramatic white or pink blooms and subsequent dark reddish-purple spring foliage.
Also known as cherry plum trees or purple-leaf plums, these trees yield a small and tart but tasty fruit that you can use to make jellies or preserves.
5. Tipu Trees
Tipu trees are a fast-growing semi-evergreen that are increasingly popular in the Las Vegas valley. They are famous for their shade-creating foliage, golden flowers that bloom in spring, and their high canopy.
A side benefit of adding one or more tipus to your landscaping is that they will help enrich your soil’s nitrogen levels, which is beneficial to nearby plants.
Our Tree Planting & Maintenance Services
Adding trees to your property is beneficial to both the environment and to you. Trees create oxygen, help improve your soil, add shade and privacy, and some can even produce food. Planting and caring for trees in the desert isn’t easy, but our tree specialists can help.
- Tree Selection
- Planting
- Tree Trimming
- Stump Removal
- Palm Tree Maintenance
- Irrigation System Installation & Repair
Let Us Help You Pick & Plant Trees
Contact us at Green America Tree & Landscaping for help with selecting, planting, and maintaining trees for your yard. We look forward to helping you get the most out of your Las Vegas landscape.