Installing Plants

Desert plants can be added to your landscape at any time of year, but fall is the best time to ensure plant health. Plants should be purchased only as needed, right before you are ready to plant them and only buy what you can plant in a day or two. Once you buy your plants, water them daily and store them in a cool area.

Preparing the soil

To ensure your plants will thrive, you'll need to properly prepare your soil. Plants flourish in loose, nutrient-rich soil and because the soil in Southern Nevada is neither of these things, you will need to do some preparation.

Installing plants

Planting involves more than digging a hole and dropping a plant in the ground. Follow these five steps for effective planting.

1. Dig a hole about three to five times wider than the plant's container, but no deeper than the plant's root ball.
2. Fill the hole with water and wait about an hour. Ideally, the water will drain in an hour. If it takes more than two hours to drain, you may need to use something to aid drainage such as a "chimney" or "drain tiles," or look for another location as it won't survive long with poor drainage.
3. Tap the sides of the container firmly with a trowel to loosen the root ball. Gently extract the plant taking care not to damage the roots. Always handle plants by their roots and not the branches or foliage.
4. If roots are circling the bottom of the root ball, make vertical cuts to score the root ball and loosen roots. This allows the roots to spread out and grow.
5. Mix your organic amendment materials with the soil you removed when digging the hole. Evenly distribute soil around the new plant without packing it down until the crown of the plant is completely covered.
6. Water the plant thoroughly.

Spreading mulch

Use a layer of 1 to 3 inches of mulch, depending on your preferences. For best results, use your hands to spread the mulch and avoid layering mulch too thickly as it can affect plant health. Don't allow mulch to make direct contact with the plants, forming a ring about 2 to 3 inches around plants instead. This will help avoid disease problems. When finished, water down the mulch to give it moisture and help it settle into place.

Talk to staff at any local nursery or the experts at the Gardens at the Springs Preserve if you have questions. Done right, mulching will greatly reduce how much trimming or weeding you do in your garden, as well as provide very attractive groundcovering.