One of my best friends lives in Las Vegas, and though I’ve never visited her there (yet!), I always have a hard time picturing the dry heat she always describes. Here in the Midwest, it’s always humid, and that’s how our plants thrive. How could plants thrive in such a dry climate, I always wonder?

Plenty of plants, of course, take well to the dry heat of the Las Vegas scene. Some of the plants that people say live well there include various species of lovely orchids, desert marigolds, and the pale evening primrose. These aren’t the cacti you thought of when you pictured Vegas flora, are they? Me either!