The Woodland Grove Garden

Trees and shrubs have varying requirements for water, and in the dry Okanagan, it’s important to select varieties that are tolerant of this arid climate for the health of the plants and the landscape.

In this garden, you will find appropriate plant options to grow in this region. You will not see any that belong naturally in a wet, coastal climate, such as pyramidal cedars, frequently planted as a hedging material, because they require far more water than is naturally available here and they are extremely flammable, which is an unsafe choice for the Okanagan, with its history of wildfires.

Instead, you will find alternatives throughout the garden, including: Philadelphus lewisii, or Mock Orange (in the Native Garden); Amelanchier allnifolia, or Saskatoon (in the Native Garden); Mahonia or Berberis aquifolium, or Tall Oregon Grape (in the Woodland Grove); Cotoneaster lucidus; Hibiscus syriacus, or Rose of Sharon (in the Pollinator Garden); Ligustrum vulgare, or European Privet (in the Woodland Grove); Pinus mugo ‘Columnaris’, or columnar Mugo pine (Woodland Grove); Acer tataricum ginnala, or Amur Maple (in the Mediterranean Garden); or try ornamental grasses such as Andropogon gerardii, or Big Bluestem (in the Ornamental Grasses garden).