Natural Resource Specialist, Central/Northeast Area

When living in an arid environment, home gardeners may prefer to use native shrubs in their home landscapes in an effort to conserve water. The term “native ” can be misleading, because all plants are native somewhere. But, are they native to northern Nevada? The focus of this publication is to provide home gardeners with information on shrubs native to northern Nevada that are suitable for use in home landscapes. For this publication, northern Nevada is defined as approximately the northern two-thirds of the state, the area north of an imaginary east-west line drawn through Tonopah and Pioche. Elevations in this area range upward from approximately 4,000 feet above sea level. Shrubs native to northern Nevada grow in many different microenvironments. Some do well in hot, dry settings, while others grow only where soils are moist throughout the growing season. Just because a plant is native to one part of northern Nevada does not mean it can survive and thrive in all areas of northern Nevada. 2 People often think that a shrub native to any part of Nevada can survive on the available or naturally occurring precipitation in their respective area, regardless of the shrub’