Very doubtful without a HUGE amount of effort and care. As I am sure you know, the golf courses and casinos plant very many non-native plants outside. However they do so at a huge expense and with a round the clock professional grounds crew. The summer heat of Vegas is not very conducive to growing Japanese Maples.

Neither are the soil conditions and irrigation - generally far too alkaline to keep a JM happy, discounting the heat issue entirely. However, there have been posters here from Arizona who have grown JM's successfully, typically in a container situation and with sufficient shade and careful attention. I'd look through the forum archives to see what they had to say.

I wouldn't say it's totally impossible to grow Japanese maples in Vegas. There are people growing Japanese maples in Texas. USDA zones are just a general guide & your own micro climate plays a bigger role in whether your plants will do well.

Southern CA is considered desert for the most part, but Japanese maples do quite well here. I'll tell you your maples will look terrible in the summer due to the high temps and arid winds. You'll experience leaf burn and maybe even some new growth die back. If you live in the mountains outside of Las Vegas they may fair better in the summer.

I'd plant in on the north or east side of your house (morning sun/afternoon shade). Plant the more heat/sun tolerant cultivars.

Hope this helps.

I'd try asking in your regional forum......you may get much better feedback from gardeners in your immediate area rather than general speculation from those of us who grow JM's in more suitable climates :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Nevada Gardening forum

Thank you all very much for your advice. From what I've heard, it may be very difficult to plan a JM here (and it may require lots of TLC which I cannot afford). I'll find another tree to plant instead.

Ruas, Phoenix has an unbelievably nice botanical garden. Full of succulents and drought tolerant trees. It was a real eye opener for me. If I was planning some landscaping in Vegas I would go check that out, get some planting ideas.

All is not lost in Vegas if you like trees. Follow Luyeno's advice. Get yourself out to Red Rock and Mt Charleston. Both a comfortable drive from town, both have a little elevation and enough moisture to support some vegetation. Neat wide open clear night sky also.

Brings up something I heard at the beginning of an episode of Cops. The officer moved to Vegas from the Midwest. He said he loved the warm weather and if he ever missed snow he could go visit it for a while then drive back home!