City guide · Zone 9b
What to plant in Las Vegas, Nevada
A full-sun bed in Las Vegas: Dwarf bottlebrush 'Little John', Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation', Mexican bush sage, Blanket flower 'Arizona Sun', Angelina stonecrop 'Angelina'. Zone 9b, last frost around Feb 15.
Mojave Desert with strict water rules. Desert-adapted plants only.
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Las Vegas, Nevada at a glance
- Hardiness zone (2023 USDA)
- 9b (ZIP 89101)
- Typical last spring frost
- Feb 15
- Typical first fall frost
- Nov 20
- Spring planting window
- late February to mid-April
- Fall planting window
- late October to mid-December
- Annual rainfall (approx.)
- 4 in
Frost dates are typical metro values, not forecasts. Extreme summer heat and very low rainfall are the limiting factors; the zone number says nothing about either. Our lists for Las Vegas use the rules for the Desert Southwest.
Zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023 (USDA Agricultural Research Service; data by the PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University). ZIP code to state data: GeoNames (geonames.org), CC BY 4.0.
A full-sun bed in Las Vegas
6 or more hours of direct summer sun, 12 × 6 ft.
12 × 6 ft · Zone 9b · 6+ hours of sun · Low-water
Callistemon viminalis 'Little John'
Structure · Back of bed · 3-gallon pot · 3.5 ft apart · grows 3–5 ft tall · Mar–May
Listed as invasive in Florida in our table. Don't plant it there.
Can't find it? Use Upright rosemary 'Tuscan Blue' or Apache plume.
Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation'
Grass · Middle of bed · 1-gallon pot · 1.3 ft apart · grows 2–3 ft tall · Aug–Sep
Can't find it? Use Pink muhly grass or Parry's agave.
Salvia leucantha
Filler · Back of bed · 1-gallon pot · 3 ft apart · grows 3–4 ft tall · Aug–Nov
Can't find it? Use Lily of the Nile or Lavandin 'Phenomenal'.
Gaillardia × grandiflora 'Arizona Sun'
Filler · Front of bed · quart pot · 1.3 ft apart · grows 0.5–1 ft tall · Jun–Oct
Can't find it? Use Desert marigold or Blackfoot daisy.
Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'
Edge · Edge of bed · quart pot · 1 ft apart · grows 3–6 in tall · Jun–Jul
Can't find it? Use Hardy ice plant or Two-row stonecrop 'Dragon's Blood'.
Kinds
5
Plants
30
Coverage
93%
Gravel
0.44 cu yd
Gravel or decomposed granite: 0.44 cu yd at 2 in deep (6 bags of 2 cu ft). Plants cover about 93% of the 72 sq ft bed when mature.
A part-shade bed in Las Vegas
2 to 4 hours of direct summer sun, 12 × 6 ft.
Our plant table doesn't have enough plants for this yet: it can't fill a full bed for 2 to 4 hours of direct summer sun in zone 9b.
A shady bed in Las Vegas
Under 2 hours of direct summer sun, 12 × 6 ft.
Our plant table doesn't have enough plants for this yet: it can't fill a full bed for under 2 hours of direct summer sun in zone 9b.
Guides for zone 9
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 9, Southwest
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 9
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 9
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 9
- What to plant in a full-sun bed in zone 9
- What to plant in a part-shade bed in zone 9
- What to plant in a shady bed in zone 9
Questions and answers
- What hardiness zone is Las Vegas, Nevada in?
- Central Las Vegas (ZIP 89101) is in zone 9b on the 2023 USDA map: the coldest night of an average winter falls between 25°F and 30°F. Suburbs can be half a zone colder.
- When is the last frost in Las Vegas?
- Typically around Feb 15 in spring and Nov 20 in fall. These are typical dates; any one year can be two weeks earlier or later.
- When should I plant shrubs and perennials in Las Vegas?
- In spring, late February to mid-April; in fall, late October to mid-December. Fall planting gives roots a cool, moist season to settle before summer.
- How many plants do I need for a 12 × 6 ft bed in Las Vegas?
- Our full-sun bed list for Las Vegas uses 30 plants of 5 kinds, plus 6 bags of mulch.
How this page was made
This page was generated from FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules: the rules engine composed each list for the city's 2023 USDA zone, its region's summers and its state's invasive lists. The frost dates and rainfall are approximate metro values. No person or chat model chose these plants, and no named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Data by the PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University.
- ZIP code to state data: GeoNames (geonames.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants