| I recommend a visit to Dry Creek Garden Company on South Virginia, about two blocks south of the Home Depot across from the Hacienda Del Sol. There is a traffic light right where you turn into their little parking lot. In more general terms, stick to things hardy in frost zones 5 and 6, and forget about anything zone 7 for Northwest Reno. Also bear in mind that even cactuses need a bit of supplemental water here to survive. Drip watering is great, and you don't have to water as much. Overall,slash-nevada is right: there is a LOT you can grow here. Drive around older neighborhoods closest to your area and observe what grows well in yards. Take photos and/or notes to bring to the nursery so you can get the plants that really appeal to you. Roses do spectacularly well here, although I recommend you only grow own-root (not grafted) varieties. You may have to use mail order to get own-root roses, but ask at the nurseries for own-root roses anyways. Roses do well here because the air is so dry and blackspot is seldom, if ever a problem. Blackspot is a disease that causes roses to lose all their leaves, get weak and even die in damper climates than ours. | 
