songbird wrote:

fruit trees like dates and figs
are two i would plant in almost any dry climate
with enough sunshine and heat.

Figs need a gooly quantity of water and don't do well in cold climes,
certainly not the higher elevations in Utah.
http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgi.../hgic1353.html
Dates require their feet flooded.
http://www.dateland.com/Tutorial.html