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 Garden in 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.
We would love you to join us! Find out more.
Events
Our first online xeriscape class will be held in June, presented by OXA’s executive-director Sigrie Kendrick.
Introduction to the Seven Principles of Xeriscape for Beginners is an overview for those new to xeriscape gardening in the Okanagan.
Time & Date:
June 22nd from 7 – 8 pm
Cost:
$30 Non Members
$25 OXA Members
$50 Couple from the same household
Registration is limited to 25, so register early!
Plant of the Month
Centranthus ruber
Jupiter’s Beard
Centranthus ruber, commonly known as Jupiter’s Beard or Red Valerian is a fantastic pollinator plant that has its origin in the Mediterranean. Despite being native to an area so distant from the Okanagan, this plant is a great addition to our gardens here in the valley.
This perennial features attractive grey-green foliage with carmine-red blooms, and reaches a height of up to three feet.
Centranthus tolerates poor, dry and infertile soil and may border on weedy in well-irrigated areas, but any babies are easy to pull or hoe. Whenever this plant is in flower it is completely covered in a wide variety of pollinators and can be pruned after bloom to encourage a second flowering later in the season. Deadheading Centranthus will produce flowers from spring to frost.
Later in the year, the fragrant blooms are followed by interesting seed heads similar to those of dandelions. Centranthus ruber is not prone to pests or disease but like so many xeriscape plants, it may suffer crown rot in overly-wet soils.
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
Xeriscape Stories
Resources
Did you know that the 2nd largest use of water in the Okanagan is used on our household lawns & gardens?
Here’s a reminder to check out the Make Water Work website to make your pledge to reduce water waste. Xeriscape is a very effective way to make water work.
