Hiya, Looks like you really have your work cut out for you. It might be really helpful to visit some established gardens in Vegas to learn more about what really works down there. I visited the Gardens at the Springs Preserve when I was at a Landscape Confrence 4 years ago, and have remained on their mailing list. I can't belive the scope of classes, tours and demonstartions they offer, it's absolutely wild! It is under 4 acres and is very walkable, and everything is well i.d'd Looks like it has been established at least 10-12 years, so you can see some nice, fairly mature specimens. I believe it is sponsored by the SNWA(S. Nevada Water Authority.) Reno needs to catch up I'm afraid; we have a botanical garden at Rancho San Rafael park, but its pretty feeble by comparison. Larger than its Vegas sibling, but less info is disseminated.Maybe things will change w/ the new director Bill Carlos who recently came aboard. Here is a link to the Gardens at the Springs Preserve: http://www.springspreserve.org/html/gardens_visitor_information.html I don't know what the topography + architecture is like at your parents new house (probably a stucco ranch, flat as a pancake?) but you might want to introduce some mounding with some rocks/boulders. Quite a few interesting gropundcover and perennial plants will enjoy growing in this type of situation, plus it makes it easier for your folks in that they don't have to bend + kneel so much. Also investigate container gardening (on a separate drip zone). I saw some really cool planters in Vegas, that thrived in a patio setting. Some were very elaborate and had ornamnetal grasses combined with different annuals that trailed out of the pots.Very luscious! Good luck in your gardening adventures down south! Here is a link that might be useful: Gradens @ Springs Preserve

Is that a butterfly on a butterfly bush? Simply stunning! My granddaughter won a contest with a similar one she took, Monarch Butterfly on a Butterfly Bush. Hers was in a local park.

They ARE charming. But they're also a little spooky. In the first photo, the lighting, the position of the girl, and the boy in priestly (altar boy?) garb add to the feeling of uneasiness for me. The second photo achieves a kind of sad creepiness by juxtaposing the wooden boy's very focused stare with the reflection of the live people, the people he is watching. Or maybe I've just seen too many "Twilight Zones"? But they're excellent photos that really suggest stories (or story-telling)

And I think this one is a Martha Washington geranium (but, I wouldn't bet alot on that recollection)