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| To deal with flat, rocky terrain, soil was trucked in to build raised planting berms. Then bulbs, perennials, ground covers, shrubs and small trees with staggered blooming seasons were added. |
Rock Gardening
Because the property is located in the foothills, rain has washed away much of its topsoil. This erosion left rocky, hard-to-dig soil, explains Halvorson. While clearing areas for planting beds, she unearthed tons of rocks. Rather than hauling them away, Halvorson decided to use them on-site.
“I made rock piles and dumped loads of soil on top to filter among the rocks, then planted the mounds with cacti, agaves and creosote from elsewhere on the property.” She also added various low-water-use foliage plants such as penstemon and Dalea capitata ‘Sierra Gold™’, a ground cover with filigree-like foliage and yellow flower spikes.
Halvorson’s original installation included a plot of grass in the front yard for dogs and grandchildren, but with the kids growing up, she says she is ready to remove some of the turf to put in a small playground. “As family needs change, so does your landscape,” she comments.
“I walk around my gardens now and wonder why I did this or that, but it’s all a learning experience,” she remarks. “Don’t be afraid to make changes.”
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Left: An orange hummingbird trumpet shrub provides dramatic autumn hues.
Right: Denise Halvorson adds or removes the courtyard canopy seasonally. Similarly, she grows deciduous trees to shade the courtyard’s southwestern exposure in summer. In winter, the sun shines through their bare branches, warming the area for outdoor activity.
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FLORAL FIESTA
Some of Denise Halvorson’s most prolific and carefree bloomers include:
• Blanket flower
• Brittlebush
• Cape honeysuckle
• Chocolate flower
• Coral fountain
• Lantana
• Licorice hyssop
• Maximilian sunflower
• Mexican bush sage
• Red salvia
• Rock penstemon
• Russian sage
• Yellow bells
Local Sources
Denise Halvorson recommends the following sources to learn more about gardening, landscaping and fruit production in and around Las Vegas:
• Master Gardeners in southern Nevada offer a variety of public education programs, including a demonstration fruit tree orchard;
unce.unr.edu/programs/sites/mastergardener.
• Visit the self-guided demonstration gardens and desert living center at Springs Preserve;
springspreserve.org/html/home.html.
• Attend garden tours. Happy to share her experiences with others, Halvorson, a Master Gardener, opened her landscape for spring garden tours, including The Garden Conservancy’s (
gardenconservancy.org) first-ever Las Vegas Open Day in April 2009, which showcased drought-tolerant properties. Her home also was a stop on the March 2009 International Master Gardener Conference garden tour, which was hosted by University of Nevada Cooperative Extension gardeners. Check the organizations’ Web sites for upcoming tours.