Las Vegas Homeowner Associations Cracking Down for Weeds

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If you live in a homeowner association in the Las Vegas Valley, I’m sure you have received a notice at some point about weeds growing on your property.  If not, don’t be surprised if you receive a notice even with only one or two weeds creeping up from the ground.  It seems HOA’s have nothing better to do but inform you about the one or two weeds beginning to sprout in your front yard.

Weeds seem to a problem this spring and now that it is entering summer, it’s going to be really hot standing outside pulling weeds.  Even if you spray the weeds with a chemical that is designed to kill the weed, it will take several days for the weed to completely die and for it to no longer be noticeable.  Obviously if the weeds are growing in your grass, you can simply mow the yard but if the weeds are growing in your desert landscaping, mowing isn’t an option.

So if you are Las Vegas Homeowner that has a weed problem and you need a Las Vegas Landscaper to clean up your yard, fill out our contact form and we can refer you to a reputable Las Vegas Landscape Company.

Landscaping for Curb Appeal and Safety

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When you prepare your Las Vegas Home for Sale, even if you haven’t really researched the art of “staging,” you instinctively know that the interior of your house should look well lit, neat and clean, with shined appliances, well-organized closets, vacuumed carpets, polished tile and counter tops, neatly arranged furniture groupings, and, of course, no clutter. Same goes for the garage; cleaned up oil stains and an uncluttered appearance.

But, what about your home’s exterior? Aside from having the paint refreshed or the siding steam cleaned, etc., many people pay little or no attention to the importance of landscaping, other then being aware that the lawn should be mowed and reseeded if there are any dead spots.

It’s important to remember that the potential buyer’s first impression of your home is what is seen from the outside, a feature of the home known in real estate lingo as “curb appeal.”

No matter what the interior of the home looks like, the buyer’s immediate impression of a home that is beautifully landscaped will make the buyer want to look more closely at the property.

Shrubbery planted close to the homes foundation, for example, in particular shrubs that are planted in front of windows, should not be allowed to grow high enough to obscure the view, for two reasons; shrubs that obscure windows make rooms darker and less inviting, and shrubs that obscure windows can make good cover for thieves who can work at prying open a window without being observed.

Similarly, thickly planted groupings of trees and shrubs should not be so close to the home’s foundation as to obscure a clear view of the front and garage doors from the street. Those kinds of groupings can not only hide the homes best features and make the appearance claustrophobic but again make perfect hiding places for bad guys.

From a buyers’ point of view, a home obscured by a dense forest of shrubs and trees could elicit a response such as, “why should I buy it if I can’t see it?”

Well-kept and colorful flower beds make a nice touch, as do strategically placed potted plants and flowers around the home’s entrance and the patio.

Don’t forget the back yard as well. The back yard doesn’t have to be lavishly landscaped, just neat. A play area for the kids is nice, a few trees and neatly trimmed shrubs, and healthy, mowed grass will look fine.

If your yard is walled and backs on to a busy street, there is an evergreen shrub called Pyracantha that is ideally suited to our desert climate, -being drought resistant and not affected by hot winds- and is a perfect addition to the backyard landscaping, providing both privacy and safety.

Grown as espaliers on fences or walls, it features small white flowers in the spring, and its berries will attract birds in the fall months. Pyracantha provides privacy, and helps stifle noise pollution with its dense, glossy green foliage, and safety due to its long, needle sharp thorns.

When planting be aware that Pyracantha can reach fifteen feet in height and ten feet in width.  Don’t forget to teach the kids to stay away. The family dog will learn quickly on its own.

Las Vegas Residential Landscaping

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All too often, new residents in the Las Vegas area make the wrong choices when deciding on landscaping for their home.  If you have recently arrived in the Valley from another state, you may want to plant the same shrubs, trees and flowers that you had in your yard back home.  The plantings you enjoyed in rainy, humid tropical Florida or cool and damp Oregon will not thrive in the dry heat of Las Vegas.

Surrounding yourself with the same landscaping with which you are familiar sounds wonderful in theory but in practice, here in the Mojave Desert, it will not work!  We have a specific type of climate here that presents a challenge to gardeners:  poor soil and very dry conditions with only 4 inches of rain per year.

However, our growing season is long with approximately 265 days from the last killing spring frost in early March to the first fall frost in early November.  Here in the hottest region of Nevada at an elevation of 2,162 feet, summer temperatures of 105 degrees are common – with occasional highs reaching from 110 to 116.

Before beginning your landscaping, be aware that if you have any allergies, these are some of the plantings that contribute to distribution of pollen:  Bermuda grass, privet and the lovely flowering oleander which blooms from spring through fall but is a poisonous shrub.   Two other types of trees that have made a heavy contribution to Las Vegas allergies are the olive and mulberry, which were not native to the area but were brought here by new residents.

By the way, statistics and our local allergists tell us that at this time, approximately 25 per cent of Las Vegans suffer from seasonal allergies.

Researching the Las Vegas desert plants should be considered and Sunset Western Gardens Books offer a wealth of information for gardeners.  Also, there are several good local nurseries that will answer questions about what plantings are best for this area.

Cacti, of course, are always a good bet for our climate since their need for water is minimal and they thrive in our dry heat.  These native plants come in a large variety of sizes and shapes and many of them put forth striking blooms.   They are easy to grow and usually grow very fast.

Some other trees to be considered – which are native to the desert – are palm trees such as the Sago and Desert Fan Palm.  Like the hardy cactus, these trees do not require much water and will work with our local landscaping environment, instead of fighting it.

If you live in a home in a community that is governed by a home owners association, you will be required to submit a landscaping plan to the board of directors to ensure that your plantings are in harmony with the overall landscaping of the neighborhood.