Las Vegas Plumerias
These are plumeria plants I have been growing for at least 4-5 years. I think I bought them on clearance from Lowe's for $.99 a piece! One of those bargains that have lasted for me over the years, unlike a number of countless plant victims:( Yes, I am a Lowe's clearance rack hoarder. It's easy to justify buying lots of plants at rock bottom prices....maybe too much sometimes! Haha!
The desert can be merciless with plants but there are surprisingly many plants that can flourish in our zone 8b/9a, low humidity, and abundantly sunny Las Vegas climate.
The foxtail asparagus fern, as shown, is loving the eastern sun exposure. Late afternoon shade can make a difference between toasty plants and happy plants. On extremely frosty nights where lows fall into the 20's it helps to move the plumerias into the garage until the weather warms back up. In the winter months in Las Vegas, plumerias tend to defoliate for me and go dormant until spring....this dormancy seems to afford additional cold hardiness as I don't protect the plumerias unless a hard frost is forecast. I am a lazy gardener so please don't judge. I do however mix the potting mixture for plumerias with sand and perlite for extra drainage. Too much moisture is the enemy of plumerias and I have learned this lesson many times with root rot. Watering once or twice a week in a large container during the summer, seems to be ample soil moisture in my neck of the desert. Plumerias can go at least 2-3 weeks without moisture in the cooler winter months.
The area of town I live (Providence) is more elevated from the valley floor, causing more frequent winds and cooler winter temps than the Las Vegas norm. The Strip is easily 5-10 degrees warmer depending on the time of year! House eaves, trees, and block walls can add a few degrees of protection from frost for tender sub-tropical plants in the yard.
