6 minute read
Save both money & water using XERISCAPE
Moving to a new home is the perfect opportunity to carry out your vision of a colourful, climate-resilient landscape that conserves water and saves you money at the same time.
In today’s sunny, dry Okanagan, awareness of the importance of conserving water is even having an influence on people’s property-buying decisions.
Of course, there’s also a money-saving side benefit to the environmental considerations, since most water purveyors now charge by the quantity of water used instead of a flat fee. That makes people more aware of how much they use, and results in a desire to use less.
Kelowna-born gardener and former nursery owner Gwen Steele learned about the concept of xeriscape, or “gardening with nature” in 1992 and has been preaching its benefits ever since.
She co-founded the non-profit Okanagan Xeriscape Association in 2009, and is now retired, but she’s still passionate about the xeriscape approach to conserving water used on the landscape.
Since water meters began to make an appearance on local residential properties, she says she’s seen “an exponential change in attitude on the part of homeowners, toward xeriscape.”
In 2000, she began teaching classes on the principles of xeriscape and how to replace water-hungry lawns, hedges and gardens with native or less-thirsty plants, many of which are just as attractive and colourful.
“Interest has steadily increased, but particularly after we’ve suffered through a drought year,” she notes.
In recent years, more and more people tell her that they didn’t put the landscape in, but chose to buy their current home over similar properties, because of the nicely-xeriscaped yard.
She’s delighted with such responses because it shows that her message is getting through.
Increasing interest in the xeriscape classes, presentations and workshops held regularly by OXA confirms that.
Xeriscape not only requires less water, but also less of your energy: mowing, watering, weeding and pest control.
Renovate or start fresh
Some people start from scratch, but most people renovate an existing landscape to a xeriscape by removing turf, adding good soil and then planting the site with drought-tolerant plants: annuals, perennials, shrubs or trees; or a combination.
She emphasizes that xeriscape is a method of landscaping, not a style. “Using xeriscape principles, you can achieve any style of landscape you wish, whether it’s English country garden, southwest desert, meadow, mulched shrubbery or mulched perennials—or a mix.”
Steele is adamant that xeriscape is not rocks and cactus. In fact, she says rock mulch is very frustrating for homeowners to maintain because debris from nearby is bound to blow in and lodge in the crevices between rocks, along with dust and seeds, providing a haven for the growth of weeds.
“And, it’s tough to weed between the rocks,” she comments.
Rocks or gravel have the added disadvantage of retaining and reflecting heat, which in an Okanagan summer, is not a desirable feature of your landscaping.
On the other hand, maintenance of a proper xeriscape is easier than a conventional landscape because the plants are naturally better adapted to this climate, which means they are healthier, less stressed by heat and low water conditions, and so they’re also less susceptible to insect pests and disease.
She recommends that homeowners who are interested in converting their existing landscape to xeriscape begin with a small area of their yard and gradually convert additional sections. That way, you learn from the first plot you planted. You also take on a manageable task that isn’t as likely to overwhelm you, and you can even propagate plants from the first plot for the succeeding areas you tackle.
Most importantly, she recommends you educate yourself, by going to the OXA website at: www.okanaganxeriscape.org where you’ll find not only basic information about xeriscape, but also examples of what such gardens can look like; details about classes you can take and other resources. There are lots of photos, and there is a regularly updated blog about xeriscape.
OXA also posts frequently on its Facebook page and Instagram and executive-director Sigrie Kendrick writes a regular column for local news media.
A very useful tool on the website is the plant database with hundreds of xeriscape-appropriate plants.
It includes details about each plant, its bloom time, features, water needs, size, colour, light needs and more, as well as photos of the plant.
While on the website, join OXA for access to a regular newsletter and notices of events as well as other perks of membership.
She also recommends visiting the OXA public demonstration garden in front of the H2O Aquatic Centre on Gordon Drive in Kelowna. It’s called the UnH 2O Garden and includes five different theme gardens: a pollinator, Mediterranean, native plant, ornamental grass, gravel garden, lawn alternatives and woodland grove.
Brochures listing the plants in the garden are available on the site.
There’s also a smaller xeriscape demonstration garden in West Kelowna, the West Kelowna Xeriscape Spirit Square Garden on May Street.
If you prefer to have a professional convert your yard to xeriscape, Steele advises that you be careful in selecting a designer or landscaper, because some interpretations of the term are not truly xeriscape.
She advises that if you have educated yourself about xeriscape principles and chosen a style of landscape you’d like, with plants selected from the OXA website that appeal to you, that will go a long way toward helping to select a professional who will guide you in achieving your goal.
“Ask the designer educated questions and ask for referrals from previous clients. Then talk to those clients about their finished landscape design,” she advises.
“Do your homework, and you’ll have a beautiful, colourful landscape that’s easy to maintain and that you’ll enjoy, while helping to conserve water and save money,” she says. TMG
