The Okanagan Xeriscape Association
Welcome
You have just opened the door to a whole new way of looking at your landscape, whether that’s the yard around a house; the landscaping around your condo; the entrance to your business; or the welcome to a new home or subdivision you’ve built.
The Okanagan Xeriscape Association is a registered charity founded in 2009 to help people Garden with Nature, conserving water and energy in the process, but creating beauty.
Join us.
Support us.
Enjoy our website and extensive plant database of waterwise plants.
Come to a class or workshop.
Visit our Xeriscape Demonstration Gardens in Kelowna and West Kelowna.
Learn while volunteering. Ask questions of our experts.
By learning more about xeriscape, you are learning how to create colourful, attractive outdoor spaces while minimizing your use of water—a resource that’s in short supply in the arid Okanagan climate, as well as elsewhere.
That means you save money on water, but at the same time, when you employ xeriscape principles you also save money on pesticides because you’re growing plants that suit their natural environment so they are less vulnerable to insects and diseases.
Plant of the Month- April
Osteospermum
Typically in our Okanagan Valley growing zone, we think of Osteospermums as annuals. These tender perennials, also known as African daisies, are typically featured in spring and fall as a cool-season annual and look lovely planted with pansies.
However, the Osteospermum barberiae var. compactum ‘Purple Mountain’, known commonly as Purple Mountain Sun Daisy is a perennial suitable for over-wintering in our climate zone.
Native to the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa where they are found at altitudes of 2000-3000 metres, these Osteospermums are among the hardiest of the species and once mulched, have been successfully over-wintered in zone 3 in Calgary. ‘Purple Mountain’ will bloom from April to mid-summer and if deadheaded will continue blooming sporadically until frost.
This African daisy features eye-catching blooms in brilliant lavender-purple with a golden centre held above stems reaching up to 12 inches.
These daisies are not fussy about soil Ph and are drought-tolerant once established. This Osteospermum can be sited in either full or part-sun but will be more floriferous in a full-sun location. Osteospermum barberiae var. compactum is attractive to bees and butterflies but unfortunately not deer-resistant.
UPCOMING EVENTS
OXA Spring Plant Sale
Saturday, May 11 from 10 am to 3 pm
Members-only pre-sale and refreshments on Friday, May 10 from 5–7 pm
Wild Bloom Nursery, 840 Old Vernon Road in Kelowna
Keep updated by friending OXA on Facebook or Instagram to receive our social media information, and check back here for a list of plants on offer.
Dig with Sig
This popular weekly drop-in allows you to work with Sigrie Kendrick, OXA’s executive director and master gardener, helping with garden maintenance. At the same time, you can ask questions to learn more about drought-tolerant plants, gardening with nature, and xeriscape landscaping. It’s a win-win!
You do not need to be an OXA member to join us in the garden – simply come along with gloves and a trowel.
We will be back working in the garden again in the early spring 2024!
Do you follow us?
If not, you really should check us out! Our social media pages are super informative and fabulous to follow especially for current events and seasonal information on everything xeriscape. Sharon Spring, OXA Vice President and Director of Social Media, does incredible and passionate work in creating content to promote OXA and xeriscape.
Follow us and take a good poke around through previous posts for gorgeous photos and great content.
Our Blog
Our new blog, On The Dry Side, is an opportunity to share information on how to garden with nature while conserving water in the Okanagan Valley.
As a group blog and forum, we welcome your contributions and comments and hope to create a blossoming community of xeriscape gardeners as well as a valuable archive of articles.
Learn
About Xeriscape
What is xeriscape and why it is perfect for the Okanagan environment? Learn how you can start conserving water in your own landscape.
7 Principles of Xeriscape
Xeriscape Classes
Get Inspired
The UnH2O Garden
A complete guide to each of our UnH2O Demonstration Garden themed beds– a 4,000 square foot garden, planted in 2010, which includes six theme areas to illustrate xeriscape possibilities. (See the Get Inspired tab in our main menu)
Xeriscape Stories
Our Xeriscape Garden Stories include photographs and stories showing xeriscape in action right here in several gardens in the Okanagan including winners from our 2011 and 2013 Xeriscape Garden Contests.
Resources
Informative resources, including an extensive list of the best books on xeriscape for our climate, links to websites, and a directory of xeriscape gardens to visit in the Okanagan, including our UnH2O and Spirit Square Garden.
We would like to thank the Okanagan Basin Water Board and Okanagan WaterWise for their support and funding
Did you know?
- There is LESS water available per person in the Okanagan than anywhere else in Canada
- The Okanagan has one of the highest rates of water use per person in Canada
- The 2nd largest use of water in the Okanagan is for watering our household lawns & gardens
Here’s a reminder to check out the Make Water Work website to make your pledge to reduce water waste.
You will also find valuable information such as these useful PDF publications–
Make Water Works Tip Sheet and Make Water Works Plant Collection
Xeriscape is a very effective way to make water work.
