Gardening with nature
Plan your garden to feed pollinators as well as for beauty
Pollinators have great access to food during the summer months, when there is a buffet of flowers blooming on every corner and in every field and meadow. But...
Mother knows best—Mother Nature, that is
Native plants naturally thrive in the climatic conditions where they’re growing, so let’s encourage them in our own gardens. Native plants...
Plant sale fundraiser to offer unique drought-tolerant plants
It’s plant sale time of year again. With spring, everyone with an interest in growing is out looking for something different to try in their garden...
Scary precipitation stats from Environment Canada
Well, the numbers are in, and they should terrify all of us. March was an extremely dry month throughout the Okanagan Valley, with Kelowna experiencing its...
It’s officially spring, so it's time to plant
Spring has sprung, finally. Wow, was it just me or does this past winter seem to have been the longest ever? Perhaps slipping on the ice at a neighbour’s...
Rest your lawnmower and let the lawn grow
This spring, give your lawn mower a break. You’ve got a valid excuse not to mow the lawn. There are lots of ecological benefits to letting turf grass grow...
Fight the impacts of climate change on your garden
The past eight years were the warmest on record—proof, if needed, that climate change is here. That was just one fact brought to the table by Mario...
Join the move towards good landscape choices
We have to move away from inappropriate landscape choices such as turf grass, cedar hedges and inappropriate plant selections and instead move toward choices...
'Re-wilding' is one way to rebuild an ecosystem
Re-wilding is the term for restoring healthy ecosystems in the landscape that have been disturbed by humans. Think of the millions of acres of mono-culture that...
Don’t be a dinosaur—conserve water
Next to our vital agricultural industry, outdoor landscapes in the Okanagan suck up the most water. And there’s no comparison when you consider which user...
Xeriscape supporters are supporters of Mother Nature
Looking back on 2022, I can’t help but be grateful for all the enthusiasm shown by people interested in conserving water by championing the use of...
Picking the right plant for your xeriscape garden
There are no absolutes in gardening. What I consider in some situations to be "garden thugs" are "landscape heroes" under other conditions....
Don’t torture your shrubs, bushes and trees
It makes me so sad to see trees and shrubs tortured by people who chose the wrong one to trim like a hedge, or trim it into unusual shapes. It’s even...
Choose deer and drought-resistant hedging
Deer, deer everywhere. Wow, does the deer population of the valley seem to have exploded recently. With the sudden early snow limiting grazing options for them...
Engaging young minds in the garden
Recently the Okanagan Xeriscape Association was approached by the Okanagan Christian School to consult on a sustainable school planting and provide a xeriscape...
Try a new, easier fall clean-up in the garden
Leave the leaves. I’m here to question why, as gardeners, we are so obsessed with the big fall clean-up, including raking or blowing all the fallen leaves...
Plant now for spring garden colour
The Okanagan Xeriscape Association is extremely thankful for all of the support from both volunteers and the community last weekend at our first-ever fall plant...
Xeriscape perennials show its not just about rocks and cacti
In welcoming autumn planting of perennials, the Okanagan Xeriscape Association will hold its first fall plant sale this weekend. OXA recently expanded its...
Perennials are better planted in fall, not spring
We humans are certainly creatures of habit and often continue our habits without questioning why. This includes seasonal garden tasks. Why, for instance, have...
Xeriscaping provides the colour in your garden without the water use
In summer’s hot, dry weather, plants accustomed to wetter and cooler climates tend to lose their lustre and droop, even if we throw way too much water at...