Fruit and citrus trees make a great addition to any yard and they are very easy to grow and maintain. Fruit and citrus trees can be grown almost anywhere in your yard - even in pots and containers.  Fruit and citrus trees are great for all skill levels of gardeners as they are relatively easy to get started with, but with proper care can produce more and more fruit each season.

While many people think Las Vegas isn't well suited for fruit production, there are many types of citrus that grow well in our climate. Feel free to click on one below for more information on the specific types we carry, these are just some of the many we have available:

While there are many types of trees to choose from, remember that your primary purpose for these trees is fruit production…if you’re looking for big shade trees, then it’s best to look elsewhere. Growing fruit and citrus trees is an easy task and it starts with planting them in the right location, you want an area that gets sun at least half the day.  Once you have your location picked you can than decide how many trees you want to plant. You are able to plant these trees relatively close together since they are smaller growing trees. Planting a variety of fruit and citrus trees not only gives you a wide range of fruit producing trees, but also helps with cross pollination of the trees, often resulting in greater fruit yields.

Citrus are great for the desert southwest because they are actually pretty drought tolerant and easy to maintain. Citrus trees prefer to be watered deeply and then allowed to dry out completely before the next watering.  Citrus trees of all kinds are generally slow growing and require very little to no pruning at all. Citrus trees are designed to look like big bushes and over trimming them can actually hinder fruit production. So if you’re thinking of growing your own fruit, know that it grows easily and requires little care for them to make your back yard work for you.

Trees and plants do a lot more for us than just make our landscapes look nice. They provide essential oxygen into the atmosphere that helps to cleans carbon monoxide.  Trees and plants also help hold our foundations together by working to control soil erosion from occurring with rains and run-off.

Trees and plants also can help improve our moods and reduce stress. Gardening is one of the greatest ways to get back to nature and forget about the day to day hassles of our lives.  Once your garden is planted you can enjoy it for months to come and while you are helping yourself you are also helping everyone around you and the earth.

You do not have to have a yard to benefit from trees and plants or to do your part to help the earth. House plants are a great way to clean the air in your home and reduce carbon monoxide dangers for you and your family.  You can plant everything from palms, patio trees, and flowers indoors. When planting indoors be sure to give your plants adequate lighting so they can continue to grow strong and healthy.  Use a lightweight potting soil that drains well and place by a window or artificial light source so your plants can benefit you the most, and put them in every room of your home.

To find out how to make your home and yard more earth friendly stop by any of our Moon Valley Nursery locations today! We have trees, palms, plants and flowers that will work well both in your yard, in your garden and in your home.

We help hundreds of people every day with questions about their yard, and many of the issues homeowners face can be solved with a better understanding of landscape basics. You don't need to be an expert to have a successful yard, but proper planning and care can really increase your curb appeal.

Most people do not realize this, but they are probably not watering properly and in the long run they are wasting water and money. By watering early in the morning right before the sun comes up you get the most amount of that water down into the root ball of the tree since the ground is its coldest and the water doesn't evaporate. Your nursery will give you a schedule for watering your new trees or plants correctly, so like anything else in life, it's easier if you go into this project with a plan...trees and plants need the right amount of water, over or under-watering can cause big problems down the road. If your yard, like many, are on a drip system, it's important to know how much water, be it too much or too little, it's putting out. See our plant watering guide for the basics of good watering.

Many people want a low maintenance backyard, so they have lots of rock & gravel with very few plants or trees. While you may be saving yourself some outside labor you’re actually costing yourself money - rock and gravel reflects heat, creating a persistently hotter environment around your house. Properly placed trees and shrubs can reduce the amount of heat that is put onto your home. If you need some help with this, APS has a few guides, or you can always talk to one of our design specialists.

Certain trees require pruning, some trees require no pruning. For example citrus trees, most people are surprised to find out, are just supposed to look like big bushes. The only things you want to prune off of a citrus tree are the suckers growing below the graft or dead branches. Otherwise leave your citrus tree alone.  Also just because the season is OK for pruning doesn’t mean you HAVE to prune your trees. Trees only need to be pruned when they need it to make them stronger and topping your tree each season only makes the tree weaker. We have a guide on trimming and pruning you should see if you have any questions.

You wouldn't make your family pet go a year without food, so why would you do the same to your trees? Adding nutrients to the soil will only improve the health of your trees and plants. Fertilizing should be done monthly to give your trees the biggest edge, we recommend our Moon Dust Fertilizer - it's specially formulated for our tough soils. Doing this will increase water efficiency, root strength, and will promote good strong growth. Fertilizing should be done March through October.

Many homeowners know they want certain plants and trees in their yard because they like them, so they put one over there, one over here, and one next to the spot out the window, because they can see it when they are in that particular room. But what they do not realize is they are not landscaping with a purpose, one that is going to serve them better over the long haul. Improper plant placement is one of the biggest reasons homeowners don't end up with the yard they wanted. Going into your landscape with a plan is very important, and having a landscape expert help you out with your design will get things going. Trees and plants grow - it's what they do - so planning and plotting for this expected growth is essential to giving your yard that beautiful look. While it's possible to drop an instantly grown landscape into your yard, this can get expensive, so planning with the right sized trees and shrubs while accounting for expected growth will really help your home's curb appeal.

Spring is the time of year that everyone is sprucing up their garden and planting new plants. This year, why not plant something that will make your garden come alive? Planting the right types of plants can attract some of nature’s most beautiful creatures such as hummingbirds and butterflies. Many of our native or low water desert plants can be planted to attract these creatures along with more tropical varieties making this list work for any landscape design. 

Here is a list of what to plant to create your living garden:

Planting an assortment of these trees and shrubs in your yard will be a sure fire way to make your landscape come alive with the beautiful color of some of nature’s most attractive animals. Check out our huge inventory of these plants at any of our Moon Valley Nursery locations.

With spring fast approaching and the temperature beginning to warm up, it’s time to start thinking about getting your yard growing again. Spring, for most plants, is when they will do all of their growing, so it’s also the time of year that they will need the most nutrients to develop good strong roots and foliage. It doesn't matter what types of plants or trees you have: palm trees, desert trees, tropical plants, shrubs - they all need food to grow strong and healthy.

Right now we are starting to see things spring to life that went dormant in the winter. Give these trees a much needed boost of nutrients – we recommend a shot of Super Charged Moon Juice along with a dose of the Moon Dust - to get the roots and foliage growing again. Palm trees are also starting to push new growth and fertilizing them with Super Palm Juice and Moon Dust will give them all the nutrients they are going to need.  Don’t forget about your shrubs and flowers, they to need to be fertilized regularly during the growing season to get the most out of them. Using the correct fertilizers also helps your trees and plants pull more moisture out of the water and increase uptake of the natural nutrients found in soil…using the right fertilizer will save you money by getting you a bigger bang for your buck.

If you have grass or sod in your yard, it’s also time to get your lawn back into good health. The winter lawn is going to start to die out as the summer lawn gradually takes over. Fertilizing now with Moon Royale will give the summer lawn a fresh and full-growing start. There is a lot more to this transition in your lawn, but that’s for another article.

Remember to fertilize all your trees and plants monthly from March all the way through October. We know your landscape is an important investment for your home and family, and that’s why we’re always here to help – feel free to visit or call our nursery with any of your questions. Neglected trees are the most common cause of death, and healthy trees will withstand the elements much better. Taking just a few moments once a month to feed your trees is the easiest way to protect your investment…you wouldn’t let your pet starve, so why let your trees and plants?

Evergreen hedges are very popular and there are a number of different types of bushes and trees that can be used to create a beautiful evergreen hedge. Hedges are useful for a number of reasons: they help to reduce noise from roads or loud neighbors, they block the view of two story homes & high rise buildings, they help reduce dust and litter from blowing into your yard, and some of the larger ones can offer several feet of thick shade. This article is going to list a few of the more popular evergreen plants that will create nice, thick, lush hedges for your yard:

• Japanese Privet - Great in the full sun, they can grow large enough to provide shade to create a nice thick hedge.
• Wax Leaf Privet - Named after its waxy leaf, this privet has a white sweet smelling bloom and many different hedge application uses.
• Carolina Cherry - This evergreen can be used as a large bush or even as a small tree. It grows easily in full sun and requires little maintenance in order to thrive.
• Bamboo (var.) - This grass-like plant is a very quick grower that provides a large amount of shade and looks amazing by pools or other water features in tropical settings.
• Oleander Bush - Oleanders not only add a large amount of color to any yard, but are also extremely hardy and resilient as they can bounce back from almost anything the elements can throw at them.
• Hopseed (Green/Purple) - With two options of Hopseed available, this shrub will give you privacy and can offer a contrast in color.
• Bottle Brush - Named after its crimson colored bottle brush shaped plumes, this evergreen works as a small to large colorful hedge and can even be trained into a small tree.
• Indian Laurel Columns - These evergreen hedges are very easy to grow and work in just about any landscape application. They will create very little litter throughout the year and require a minimal amount of pruning and other care. These hedges will grow large enough to block just about any unwanted view, but can also be kept small for use in other applications.

As you can see, you have many options when planting an evergreen hedge, you can choose anything from classic green to flowering, non-flowering, and even multiple foliage colors. Plant any of these awesome evergreens wherever you may need privacy from unwanted views and noises. Stop into any of our Moon Valley Nursery locations today to get your hedge growing!

Sissoo trees are creating cooler temperatures in outside entertainment areas this summer during Las Vegas's steamy summers. This popular tree is fast growing, durable and low water use and thrives in the desert southwest environment. This trees distinctive appearance comes from it being hardy and also having a noticeable strong thick trunk that's able to withstand high powerful Arizona monsoon winds. This large  tree produces a thick coat of green foliage and contains its leaves all year long, perfect for supplying shade to those hot areas of the house. 

Sissoo trees have been known to make a perfect privacy hedge to keep out unwanted views and add additional security to your home. These trees are especially convenient to have during the year to block out the sun from creating hotter temperatures inside and keep costs down from your electricity bill. Sissoo trees get its positive reputation from its natural way of completing any type of landscape arrangement.  

Additional Websites for Sissoo Trees
Moon Valley Nursery - Sissoo Tree
Arizona State University - Sissoo Tree 
eHow - Sissoo Tree Care  

1. Aphids
2. Birch Leaf Miners
3. Colorado Potato Beetle
4. Crucifer Flea Beatle
5. Gypsy Moth
6. Japanese Beetle
7. Red Lily Leaf Beetle
8. Scale Insects
9. Spruce Budworm
10. Spider Mite

Gardens naturally have a valuable relationship with insects, they rely on them to provide cross pollination and to also protect them from harmful insects. Garden owners must recognize the harmful bugs and from good bugs and react to harmful bugs before the insects lay eggs and overrun the plant or garden arrangement.

Aphids have the number are at the top of the list because they are very common in Las Vegas. Aphids are soft-bodied insects with long, slender mouth parts that they use to pierce stems, leaves, and other tender plant parts and suck out the plant fluids. Groups of these pests can decimate gardens.  The solution to protecting your plants from Aphids or any other harmful insects on the list is to learn to identify which types of insects helpful insects from harmful ones.  Moon Valley Nursery has a variety of insecticides to help to treat all your garden infestation problems accordingly.

Thanks for stopping by and make sure to check back with us next week. As always, we encourage you to please write any questions or comments and we will respond to them in a short timely manner.

Additional websites featuring Bad Bug tips:
About.com - Identiying Garden Insects
MamaKnows - Top 10 Bad Bug for Your Garden
The Garden Bug Book - A Garden Field Guide

Here in Nevada, people are quite familiar with the term “monsoon season.” From June 15th to September 30th, desert dwellers regularly experience violent thunderstorms, howling winds, and torrential downpours. But while monsoon storms can be quite thrilling to watch from inside your home, they can wreak havoc on the surrounding landscape. Even a gardener’s best efforts cannot fully prepare plants and trees to withstand the ferocity of a monsoon storm. However, there are a few things you can do to diminish storm damage to your home’s landscape. 

• Keep Your Trees Thin: Keeping your trees thin is the single most important thing you can do to “stormproof” them against the wind and rain of a monsoon. A dense canopy of leaves will not allow heavy winds to easily pass through, causing branches to break or even bringing the entire tree down. If you want to give your landscape the best chance of surviving monsoon season, have your trees trimmed by a professional who understands healthy tree structure. 

• Keep Your Trees Healthy: In addition to regular pruning, be sure to water, mulch, and fertilize your trees on a regular basis to keep their roots strong and healthy. By keeping your trees’ roots strong and healthy, you will give them better hold in the ground and minimize the risk of losing them during a heavy windstorm. Watering and fertilizing your trees on a regular basis also helps to keep their upper structures healthy and vibrant.  

• Keep Your Trees Secure: Staking provides young trees with the support they needs until their trunks are strong enough to hold their canopies upright. However, staking a tree that does not need it can do more harm than good. To learn whether or not you should stake down your tree, speak with the landscape experts at Moon Valley Nurseries. If you decide that staking your tree is the best option, you can pick up all the materials you will need while you’re here. 

No amount of preparation can fully prepare your trees for the power of a monsoon storm. Fortunately, Moon Valley Nurseries has the best selection of trees to replace any that you lose, and all at guaranteed low prices. From palm trees and desert trees to flowering trees and citrus trees, Moon Valley Nurseries has all the trees you need to create a great landscape around your home. For additional information about our inventory, visit our website or call (702) 361-1955.