Okanagan Xeriscape Association

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Okanagan Xeriscape Association

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Water-wise landscapes for a drought-stressed Okanagan
🌱 Xeriscape Education + Climate Resilience
🌱 PLANT DATABASE / WORKSHOPS / RESOURCES
okanaganxeriscape.org

The Okanagan Xeriscape Association educates people on ways to:
💧Conserve water used on landscapes
🌿 Create climate-resilient plantings
classes • blog • xeriscape plant database • demonstration gardens • presentations

10/29/2026

Join us at The UnH20 Demonstration Garden this Friday! This volunteer opportunity is suitable for beginners and experienced participants alike, with activities for every ability. We planted two oak trees last week 🌳🌳

🗓 Friday October 30th, 2026
⏰ 9-11am
📍 4075 Gordon Dr, Kelowna

Do you want to stay up-to-date with Dig with Sig?

Our Event & Garden Coordinator Martina Pejic has created a new email list to let members know where Dig with Sig will be each Friday to ensure better communication - just a simple one-liner on where to find this fun weekly volunteer opportunity. Please let us Martina know if you'd like to be on this email list during the growing season [email protected]
__________

This popular weekly drop-in allows you to spend time working in The UnH2O Demonstration Garden (and sometimes other locations) with Sigrie Kendrick, OXA’s executive director and master gardener! This is a great opportunity to learn more about drought-tolerant plants and xeriscape landscaping.

You do not need to be an OXA member to join us in the garden – simply come along with gloves and a trowel 🌼

10/25/2026

Small steps, big wins
Climate care begins at home

This week’s column of Gardening with Nature shares practical, actionable steps you can take to help tackle climate change - because small actions can lead to big change!

"The good news is that most of your garden doesn't want fertilizer. Xeric plants evolved in lean, poor soils, so feeding them with nitrogen is actually negative and produces lush, soft, growth that needs more water and is more vulnerable to stress and pests." - Sigrie Kendrick, OXA executive director and master gardener

Read in full https://tr.ee/58fbMB
'Castanet - Oct 21: Climate care begins at home'

10/21/2026

Join us at The UnH20 Demonstration Garden this Friday! We welcomed a new volunteer last week 🎉 Whatever your experience or ability, there's something for you : )

🗓 Friday October 23rd, 2026
⏰ 9-11am
📍 4075 Gordon Dr, Kelowna

Do you want to stay up-to-date with Dig with Sig?

Our Event & Garden Coordinator Martina Pejic has created a new email list to let members know where Dig with Sig will be each Friday to ensure better communication - just a simple one-liner on where to find this fun weekly volunteer opportunity. Please let us Martina know if you'd like to be on this email list during the growing season [email protected]
__________

This popular weekly drop-in allows you to spend time working in The UnH2O Demonstration Garden with Sigrie Kendrick, OXA’s executive director and master gardener! This is a great opportunity to learn more about drought-tolerant plants and xeriscape landscaping.

You do not need to be an OXA member to join us in the garden – simply come along with gloves and a trowel 🌼

10/20/2026

Supporting Pollinators in the Okanagan: A Gardener’s Guide
Aug 17, 2026
On the Dry Side - OXA's Blog

Do you have blooms for every season (especially early spring and fall)? How about patches of bare soil for ground-nesting bees?

In this blog post we cover:
🔹 Prioritize Native Plants for Pollinators
🔹 Provide Blooms Throughout the Growing Season
🔹 Think in Sequences, Not a Single Peak of Bloom
🔹 Group Plants to Make Foraging Easier
🔹 Give Pollinators Places to Nest and Overwinter
🔹 Provide Water for Pollinators
🔹 Avoid Pesticides Where Possible
🔹 Create Pollinator Corridors Across the Okanagan

Read in full:
https://okanaganxeriscape.org/supporting-pollinators-okanagan/

10/19/2026

Did you know Sigrie Kendrick, OXA executive director and master gardener, has been writing a bimonthly column called 'Gardening with Nature' since 2022? That's over FOUR YEARS of xeriscape-related columns to dive into.

Scroll through the archives on Castanet https://tr.ee/sQD4XN_Pfz
'Castanet - Gardening with Nature column - All' on LinkTree

10/15/2026

Do you want to stay up-to-date with Dig with Sig?

Our Event & Garden Coordinator Martina Pejic has created a new email list to let members know where Dig with Sig will be each Friday to ensure better communication - just a simple one-liner on where to find this fun weekly volunteer opportunity. Please let us Martina know if you'd like to be on this email list during the growing season [email protected]
💚 Every Friday during the growing season
💚 9-11am
💚 Kelowna & surrounding area

🗓 Friday October 16, 2026
⏰ 9-11am
📍 4075 Gordon Dr, Kelowna
__________

This popular weekly drop-in allows you to spend time (usually) working in The UnH2O Demonstration Garden with Sigrie Kendrick, OXA’s executive director and master gardener! This is a great opportunity to learn more about drought-tolerant plants and xeriscape landscaping.

You do not need to be an OXA member to join us in the garden – simply come along with gloves and a trowel 🌼

10/13/2026

Plant of the Month - October
Bluebeard, Caryopteris

Just as many xeric gardens begin to fade in late summer, Caryopteris × clandonensis ‘Dark Knight’ comes into its own. Commonly called Bluebeard, Blue Mist or Blue Spirea, this compact deciduous shrub produces dense clusters of deep indigo-violet flowers from August well into October, bringing rich colour when little else is blooming.

The foliage is as appealing as the flowers. Narrow, silvery-grey leaves release a pleasant, sage-like fragrance when brushed, and their pale colour is a classic drought-tolerance adaptation, reflecting intense sun and reducing water loss. The cultivar ‘Dark Knight’ typically reaches about 3 ft in height and width, making it a tidy choice for borders, rock gardens, and sunny slopes.

Why Caryopteris Thrives in the Okanagan
If you’re wondering about the name, the “× clandonensis” tells us this plant is a hybrid cross of two wild species, originally bred in Clandon, England. Its parent plants hail from the dry, rocky hillsides of China and Mongolia. Crossing them gave this shrub its incredible drought tolerance, love for lean soils, and affinity for intense summer sun– making it an absolute champion for Okanagan xeriscaping.

Find out more on the blog post!
https://okanaganxeriscape.org/caryopteris/

Find out more on the blog post!
🔗 Link in bio "Blog - On The Dry Side" > search 'Bluebeard'

10/11/2026

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we’re reminded of the abundance that comes from community. Few places capture that better than our local community gardens.

These shared spaces bring people together to grow fresh food, share knowledge, and nurture connection. They’re also a great example of xeriscaping in action - using water wisely through hand watering and targeted care.

Here’s to a season of gratitude, growth, and giving back to the earth.

Featured gardens: Penticton Community Garden and Michaelbrook Community Garden in Kelowna. Nature photos shared by OXA board member JudieS.

10/10/2026

Why messy gardens matter
Dead heads in your garden feed birds and provide habitat

Which perennials act as natural bird feeders? Which ones provide shelter over the winter? How about winter interest? Find out more in this week's column of Gardening with Nature by Sigrie Kendrick.

Read in full https://linktr.ee/okanaganxeriscape
'Castanet - Oct 7, 2026: Dead heads in your garden feed birds and provide habitat'

Address

2965 S Main St
Penticton, BC
V2A 5J7

Website

http://www.okanaganxeriscape.org/, https://linktr.ee/okanaganxeriscape

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