Refresh the UnH2O
This 4,000 square foot public garden, painstakingly built by volunteers and generously supported by donors and partners including the City of Kelowna, the Government of Canada, the Okanagan Basin Water Board, local nurseries, and many more, has become far more than a display. It serves as an outdoor classroom, a pollinator haven, and a testament to what can be achieved when community, creativity, and conservation come together.
A Living Educational Tool
The heart of the UnH2O lies in its purpose: a vibrant, living educational tool—a model to demonstrate to people what they can do in their own landscapes using the seven principles of xeriscape to conserve water, yet create a lush and attractive outdoor area. It tracks water use, shares planting ideas, hosts workshops, welcomes volunteers to “Dig with Sig,” and shows us that beauty and sustainability are not mutually exclusive.
These principles can be applied to commercial, industrial, civic and residential properties, resulting in easy-to-maintain, attractive landscapes that don’t break the water bank—an important consideration in our arid climate with its hot summers and vulnerable water supplies.
Time to Refresh the UnH2O Garden
- Updated informative signage to keep sharing the latest knowledge and inspire visitors
- New plants to replenish and replace 15-year-old perennials with the addition of exciting new varieties and cultivars
- Updated irrigation systems to help with maintenance during that crucial first year of new growth and to conserve water thereafter
Help us grow Xeriscape
When you support our campaign to Refresh the UnH2O as a business, organisation, individual, or family, you are helping ensure this vital community resource continues to thrive as a place where people learn that water conservation and beautiful landscapes go hand in hand.
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Native Plant Garden
Pollinator Garden
Ornamental Grasses Garden
Mediterranean Garden
Lawn Alternatives Garden
Woodland Grove Garden
Gravel Garden
As a non-profit charity, the OXA does not have the funds on hand to embark on such a major project.
“Our only option is to appeal to the public to help us raise the funds needed to bring the garden back to its full potential. Each of the seven theme gardens is in need of a refresh, with some of the latest varieties of xeriscape plants, new cultivars and simply new plants to replace 15-year-old perennials,” explains OXA President Sharon Spring.
Spring estimates OXA will need $75,000 over the next three years to refresh the organization’s primary demonstration garden, including new signage and maintenance for that crucial first year.
“Please join us in this project to create beauty in this valley and conserve our precious water resource,” she added.
Business or Organisation Support to Refresh the UnH2O
With the support of a local native plant nursery, OXA has begun the project by renovating the Native Plant Garden in the UnH2O.
XEN Nursery of West Kelowna, under the guidance of manager Josh Smith, provided both plants and labour earlier this year to complete the first refresh of a theme garden with such native plants as Scarlet Gilia, Gaillardia, Yarrow, Golden Asters, Showy Asters, Nodding Onion, Orange Arnica, Prairie Smoke, Western Blue Flax and Penstemons.
The Kelowna FireSmart Program has agreed to sponsor interpretive signage for the Woodland Grove Theme Garden, where there are a number of demonstrations of FireSmart hedging alternatives to the thirsty and flammable cedar hedge.
Brad and Shauna Burnell of Waterkind Consulting have agreed to sponsor updated drip irrigation in the UnH2O Garden.
As a thank-you to local businesses for such tremendous support, OXA will include their names on the new signage in the garden, as well as acknowledge their support here on the website.
MAKE A DONATION
Whether you’re a business or organisation looking to make a community impact or an individual or family passionate about water conservation and xeriscape gardening, we’d love to hear from you.
Contact admin@okanaganxeriscape.org to discuss and make payment arrangements.
Use our Donate Now button below to pay via CanadaHelps.org
* Note: Subscription options are available.
Mail your donation to OXA:
PO Box 25207, Mission Park P.O.,
Kelowna, B.C. V1W 3S9
Pay via E-transfer–
treasurer@okanaganxeriscape.org
