Communities in Bloom Award Goes to OXA
by Sigrie KendrickPrestigious Showcase Award
In October, Communities in Bloom presented the Okanagan Xeriscape Association’s demonstration garden with its prestigious Showcase Award, presented annually to exceptional community gardens or projects. The City of Kelowna also received an “evaluated” Grow Award for its Clean Team Program- “fostering a positive, safe environment,” and an award for Community Appearance. When the B.C. Communities in Bloom evaluators arrived at the Okanagan Xeriscape Association demonstration garden this year, they found themselves standing in what one judge called “a living classroom for sustainable landscaping.” The recognition that followed—the prestigious Showcase Award represents more than just another accolade for our organization. It is a validation of the vision by co-founder Gwen Steele that began decades ago and continues to reshape how Okanagan residents think about their relationship with water, native plants, and the landscape itself. Communities in Bloom, Canada’s premier horticulture organization, has been celebrating community beautification and environmental action since 2005. Its vision is “To inspire all communities to enhance the quality of life and our environment through people and plants in order to create community pride.” The program’s showcase awards highlight exceptional projects that demonstrate innovation, sustainability, and community engagement—qualities that the Okanagan Xeriscape Association has cultivated as carefully as the demonstration garden itself. Located at 4075 Gordon Drive, the demonstration garden serves as a testament to what’s possible when horticultural expertise meets environmental necessity. In a region where summer water restrictions have become as predictable as the season itself, xeriscaping, the practice of creating landscapes that require minimal irrigation, will be an ecological necessity. The garden showcases hundreds of water-wise plants that thrive in the Okanagan’s semi-arid climate, from ornamental grasses to carefully selected non-invasive perennials that bring colour and texture without demanding excessive watering. What sets our garden apart, and what likely caught the attention of Communities in Bloom evaluators, is its dual mission of beauty and education. This isn’t a sterile display of Yucca eking out existence in heat-producing gravel. Instead, visitors encounter six thoughtfully designed theme garden rooms that prove water conservation and visual appeal aren’t mutually exclusive. Our pathways wind through each section, demonstrating everything from pollinator plants, plants suitable for gravel or rock gardens, and alternatives to the all-too-often-planted cedar hedging.
Excelling Across Multiple Categories
Our educational component runs deep. Throughout the growing season, the organization hosts workshops, garden tours, and consultations, welcoming thousands of residents who are reimagining their own landscapes. Volunteers, the organization’s lifeblood, staff Seedy Sunday, information sessions, maintain the demonstration gardens, and share their accumulated wisdom about what works in the Okanagan’s unique climate. They continue to spread this knowledge in our community.
The timing of this recognition feels particularly significant, coming just as the garden is celebrating its 15th year. As climate change intensifies pressure on water resources throughout B.C., the practices we champion should be shifting from optional to essential. Municipal water utilities increasingly recommend the general use of xeriscaping principles, and our demonstration garden provides a visual reference point for residents wondering how to implement these practices without sacrificing the beautiful gardens they love.
Communities in Bloom’s evaluation criteria focus on a variety of areas. The Okanagan Xeriscape Association demonstration garden clearly excels across multiple categories, but its strongest showing comes in environmental action and community involvement, with a focus on education.
The Showcase Award also acknowledges the countless volunteer hours put in as OXA members gather to maintain the garden. In a post-COVID era when volunteer organizations often struggle to maintain momentum, OXA has built an engaged community of advocates who understand they’re not just maintaining flower beds but are working together towards a more sustainable future. Their work extends beyond the garden through school programs, partnerships with local governments, and advocacy for water-wise landscaping policies.
For Communities in Bloom, recognizing the Okanagan Xeriscape Association aligns perfectly with the program’s evolving mandate to celebrate not just beauty, but sustainability and environmental stewardship. The demonstration garden represents both ecological and aesthetic beauty—precisely the kind of project that deserves showcase recognition.
As visitors wander through the garden’s pathways this season, admiring the red foliage of the Acer ginnala, the dried coneflowers, and spectacular ornamental grasses, all thriving with minimal water, they’re witnessing more than award-winning landscaping. They’re seeing proof that communities can bloom beautifully even in challenging conditions, and can take inspiration for transforming their own outdoor areas into sustainable spaces.
For a wide range of inspiring information about xeriscape, look through our website to begin your xeriscape journey.
