The History of OXA

OXA AGM 2024

Article by Gwen Steele

Hello and welcome to the 15 year celebration of OXA. It’s lovely to see so many familiar faces!

My connection with xeriscape began in 1992 when I was working in the perennial department of Burnetts Nursery. The most commonly asked question was “What can I grow in a dry sunny garden that is hard to water.” My quest for answers took me to the library where I found a book “Taylor’s Guide to Water-saving Gardening”. It was all about xeriscape – a perfect guide to gardening success in our climate. I was hooked and have been promoting xeriscaping ever since.

In 1996 my husband and I established Dry Valley Gardens in North Glenmore. We ran it until 2004 focussing on perennials and ornamental grasses. We had a huge demonstration garden where plants were tested to see how little water they required to thrive. This knowledge became the basis for the plant database.

In 1999 I began teaching gardening classes Parkinson Rec. and through OUC in our gardens. The focus was on gardening with the climate. About 2007 I met Lisa Masini in a xeriscape class. She was inspired by my presentation and decided to study landscape design through Guelph distance education.

After the class I told her of my desire to find a way to share my knowledge with the rest of the valley. In the fall of 2008 she found a newspaper article soliciting applications for the Okanagan Basin Water Board’s Water Quality Improvement Grants. We met with them and they were enthusiastic about our plans to form OXA. We received a grant for $30,000 in March 2009. We started work on the website, and I worked on information for the plant database. The website and database launched in September 2009. It now has more than 25,000 visitors per year.

2010 – 2011

In February 2010 we put on a workshop with four presenters for landscape and nursery professionals. At the end, we told them of our plans for a demonstration garden and invited them to help us with labour or materials.

We had approached the city for land to make the garden. They gave us a 4,000-square-foot site in front of the new H2O Centre. Lisa designed and oversaw the installation of the garden. I chose and laid out the plants. It took from May to September. This included excavating the very poor soil that was full of construction debris and rocks. It was replaced with good soil.

The garden was funded with $30,000 from OBWB and an Eco Action grant from the federal government of $28,486. The landscape industry contributed over $23,000 in labour and materials and the city of Kelowna contributed about $11,000 in kind.

The garden was officially opened with invited dignitaries on September 30th. We had initially been disappointed that the city didn’t give us all the land in front of the H2O Centre but were glad the garden wasn’t any bigger once we started the work!

We began selling memberships in 2010 and I began teaching classes through OXA in the H2O centre and the garden. It was also the beginning of many xeriscape presentations to community groups.

In 2011 we had our first xeriscape garden contest. There were 20 entries. We held it again the next year but found it was too much work for the results and discontinued it.

The garden became a hands-on learning experience for OXA volunteers and a place for free gardening presentations throughout the gardening seasons.
We put on two workshops with Owen Dell a xeriscape landscape architect from Santa Barbara. Fifty-six attended the professional workshop and the next day forty-one attended the workshop for homeowners.

2011 was the beginning of my weekly Gardening with Nature column in the Capital News.

In 2011 the garden was selected as the best Community project for Communities in Bloom and at the provincial conference it was declared the best public project in Kelowna.

For the Kelowna Garden Tour we had an information display in Donna Cook’s extensive xeriscape garden. OXA has had a display on the garden tour every year since.

2012 – 2019

In 2012 we mulched the garden with Glenmore Grow. Previously we had used Ogogrow but it was too rich, producing too much growth. The abundance led to holding our first plant sale. It was mostly divisions and babies from the unH2O garden. Plant sale propagation was done by volunteers in my backyard and continued there until 2016. Sales were held in the unH2O garden. Great P.R.

Long-time volunteer, Maureen Lisle has been invaluable in creating signage for plant sales and making sure things run smoothly as well as being a faithful volunteer in the garden and propagating for the sale.

In spring 2013 we found extensive damage from voles. Spring clean-up was very exciting with disturbed voles racing through last year’s dead vegetation.

In June 2015, with one month’s notice, we were asked to have our garden as part of the garden tour. We had a busy month getting it ready.

In 2015 we hired Ali Mooney to manage the garden under my direction. We also hired Terry Short as administration assistant.

OXA began a collaboration with OBWB and Bylands Nursery to promote a selection of xeriscape plants available to garden centres through Bylands wholesale nursery. It included visits to valley nurseries to do presentations and encourage xeriscape displays. The program has continued and expanded.

In 2016 plant propagation moved to a property in the Mission and then to north Glenmore for two years. Since 2019 propagation has been done at Joan Byrne’s Wild Bloom Nursery on the Old Vernon Road. Spring sales have been held there for four years as the volume of plants is too much for the demonstration garden.

We had major labour saving in 2016 when we converted to using computer-printed thermal labels using Bowman Nurseries equipment.

In 2017 we began collecting seeds from the garden to use at Seedy Saturday and other events.

In 2018 we received a City Partners in Parks grant for upgrades to the garden. Over the years the garden has gone through many modifications plus many revisions to the drip irrigation system.

Throughout the years OXA has annually had funds from the Okanagan Basin Water Board. We are very grateful to have that ongoing partnership.

2020 – 2024

In 2020 OXA achieved charitable status.

In 2022 OXA opened a new demonstration garden called the West Kelowna Xeriscape Spirit Square Garden in the Westbank Centre Park at 2569 May Street. It features different plants than the unH2O Garden and they must be deer resistant.

The unH2O Garden has been expanded by about 1500 square feet. This space has been used for shrubs that could be used for hedging instead of cedars and for a few more trees.

2022 was the first year of the Fall Plant Sale. It’s held in the unH2O garden. The sale is an educational tool to promote Fall as the best time to plant.

In 2024 there are 350 members. Classes and presentations continue and new ways to spread the message are constantly being developed.

The website has been completely upgraded with new features and changing content.

In 2019 I resigned as Executive Director due to ill health. Sigrie Kendrick took over and has done a great job expanding OXA’s scope along with an excellent board. I have been very impressed with how Sig and the OXA board have increased the reach of the organization.

I am very grateful to all who have contributed to OXA’s success including Lisa Masini and Judie Steeves who have been board members since its inception.