The Best Flowers to Plant in Las Vegas

You can absolutely have a colorful yard in Las Vegas — the trick is choosing flowers built for heat, sun, and low water, and planting them at the right time of year. Here are the ones that reliably perform in the Mojave.

Plant in fall for the best results

Fall is the single best planting window here. Cooler air and still-warm soil let roots establish before summer hits. Warm-season annuals go in after the last frost, usually around mid-March. Planting tender flowers right before a 110° July is a recipe for disappointment.

Heat- and drought-tough perennials

These come back year after year and shrug off the heat once established:

• Desert marigold — cheerful yellow blooms much of the year
• Lantana — nonstop color, loves the heat, low water
• Penstemon (beardtongue) — spring spikes that pollinators love
• Blanket flower (Gaillardia) — red-and-gold, very tough
• Globe mallow — native, apricot-orange blooms
• Autumn sage (Salvia greggii) — long bloom, many colors
• Red bird of paradise (Caesalpinia) — bold summer color

Seasonal color and annuals

For pots and beds you refresh each season, split annuals by temperature:

• Cool season (fall–spring): petunias, pansies, snapdragons, dianthus
• Warm season (spring–summer): vinca (periwinkle), zinnia, celosia, marigold

Tips for flowers that last

• Water in the early morning and use drip irrigation to cut evaporation
• Give tender flowers a spot with afternoon shade
• Mulch or gravel over the soil to hold moisture and moderate temperature
• Deadhead spent blooms to keep the color coming

Want the beds designed, planted, and on drip irrigation without the guesswork? A local landscaper can set it all up.