You gotta play the cards you were dealt. First learn how to grow the stuff that grows well in the Mohave, then see how many rules you can break.

Sunset Western Garden Book is a good resource, and check with your local water company for a list of plants they recommend.

Thank you lazygarden! I did buy the Sunset book and agree it is a wealth of good info. I checked out your site too and you have this down to a science! I have read many of your posts and thank you for all the good info that you so graciously share on this challenging climate! Thank you!

One thing you have to do is start with larger plants that can handle the climate, and they will make microclimates under them where you can bring in the things that need a bit of shelter. I can grow things under mesquite trees that would never make it otherwise.

And map your house's sun and shade patterns so you know how far out the shade goes in various seasons.

Hi, I live in Mojave. You can grow a lot of beautiful things out here, but there's a whole lot that just won't make it outside.
The Sunset book is good. You might also want to check out high country gardens.com. They stock a lot of stuff that can handle our climate better than what you'll find in Home Depot.
Since I live out in the country on 10 acres, I gave up on a lot of things that worked just fine when I lived in a tract house in town. My biggest successes are sotol, texas ranger, yuccas, chiltalpa, desert willow and golden barrel cactus. I have a palos verde that is thriving, but the rodents are chewing up my honey mesquite. One thing I'm real proud of is some native coyote melon vine that I got to grow from seed.
I also have a California pepper tree that's doing great in the wind -- it's not supposed to.
I always start out with something small, so if it dies, I'm not out a bunch of $$$. Sometimes I have to put them in hardware netting tubes for a year or two to keep the ground squirrels off of them until they're big enough to take the abuse.
It is surprising what will work out here -- my mother had daffodils that she ignored for years that would come up every February. When I lived in town, I found a maidenhair fern growing in amongst my daffodils (north side of the house -- in shade most of the day).
I get my best results planting in the fall -- late September through November. So, now's the time to plan!
Good luck!

I have been looking at trees to plant and large shrubs. I like the purple robe locust tree but I have read awful stuff about it suckering.... in fact most of the stuff I have looked at there are horror stories about. But I am wondering if they get out of control in milder climates and things that would be noxious weeds in other places would actually be good here?? I definately need shade and wind blocks! I would really like some decidious trees or shrubs too that would shade in the summer but allow light in the winter and fall color is important to me. I am also interested in growing a tall vine around my front patio that would shade the harsh morning sun in the summer but allow winter sun (preferably it could be a very fast growing annual that would grow about 20 feet or more in time for summer sun or if needed a decidious vine). Thank you for the recomendation to highcountrygardens.com I will check that out!

My recommendations:
Shrub: Texas ranger (it works soooo well out here, it's scary)
Windblock tree: Afghan pine (Pinus eldarica)
Quick-growing shade trees: Chiltalpa, desert willows both get flowers that are just gorgeous
I'm still working on fall color. I just planted a pomegranite.
Vine: I just planted Cat's Claw vine (Macfadyena unguis-cati). It's doing okay. Has actually bloomed a little. It is supposed to grow very quickly -- mine's grown a little, but it's been hot since I planted it. Everywhere green in America it goes crazy. Mine is doing okay.
However, I know people who've done great with Wisteria in a windblocked location.
Trees to avoid (altho lots have them): cottonwood, weeping willow, and fruitless mulberry -- all three will tear up a lawn
Good luck!

Additional:

My California pepper tree is going okay. Although the leaves have turned a deep brown during the two winters I've had it. It started out in fall 2006 40 inches high. Now it's about 7 feet tall -- but it's real bushy. I'm going to give it a good pruning in January to make it more tree-shaped. It is supposed to have issues with wind. But mine is doing okay -- maybe because it is rare day that I don't have wind so it's used to it.

Cottonwood, weeping willow are both desert stream/wash trees. They like to have wet roots. You have to water them a lot to keep them happy. Cottonwood makes a big mess.

Fruitless mulberries are fast growing and great for shade, but they will tear up a lawn. Leaves will drop off the tree full green when we get a frost.

Im not familiar with cats claw but will look into it. My mom has wisteria and I have two in pots right now. I am concerned about planting it in this particular location because it will grow into my gutters and tear up the covering on my patio and would be hard to prune to keep within bounds in this spot. How about sweet peas? Do they or Morning Glories do well here? How does Trumpet vine do? I have seen bouganvilla for sale around town but it is only frost/freeze/cold tolerant to 30 degrees and it gets colder then that here...... I guess they sell it as an annual? On the coast bouganvilla lives for many years and gets HUGE, but I cant imagine it doing that here.... Maybe a climbing rose of some sort?

I chose the cats claw because I wanted something I could plant in July to cover a south facing wall. It's hanging on, but not growing much yet. I understand it covers every concrete wall in Phoenix.
Sorry, I don't know anything much about sweet peas, morning glories or trumpet vines. Look in the Sunset book and see what it says. Like someone said previously, sometimes you get areas on your property where things work better than others. I've think I had neighbors in town with trumpet vines cascading over fences that appeared to do okay.
Roses have been hit or miss. The wind killed a rose tree at a rental that I lived in. It was almost impossible to find a replacement.
However, at the house in town that I owned I had a climbing rose, planted in the middle of a bed by the previous owner, that just... wouldn't... die... I think I had to dig it up three or four times to get rid of it. Had another gorgeous peach-colored rose that grew low and wide in the full brunt of the wind -- it did just great right next to an agave.
I have two friends who have many gorgeous rose bushes at their homes in town.
I like roses, but didn't want to have to deal with thorns at my new house (I have a 3-year-old.).