Norm Schilling says Spring is the time for renewal and rebirth in the garden.
UNLV Arboretum Lecture Schedule
The garden catalog I went shopping in is from High Country Gardens, a mail-order nursery known for their wide selection of desert adapted plants. Though the plants are smaller and more expensive than if you were to get them from a local nursery, you can find plants here that may be otherwise difficult to find.
Because they're quite small when you get them, plant them as soon as you can. Then make sure to water their little root systems frequently to get them started, gradually backing off on the frequency of watering. Check them often after planting, and if you observe wilting, check soil moisture with your fingertips or a moisture meter, and if dry, water.
Remember to check sun and water requirements, and also note the size of the plant. Make sure they have enough room to grow!
Oh...and have fun!
Here's their main link: http://www.highcountrygardens.com/
And these are the plants I mentioned in the program, and recently planted in my garden:
Gaillardia grandiflora 'Arizona Sun' (Blanket Flower)
Linux perenne 'Appar' (Blue Flax)
Penstemon palmeri (Pink Wild Snapdragon or Palmers Penstemon)
Marrubium rotundifolium (Silver Edged Horehound)
Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' (Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass)