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Check out our Make Water Work Plant Collection

Heading down the runway is a lineup of prickly succulents, fruit trees, and plants that will make your yard pop and water use drop.

In partnership with the Okanagan Xeriscape Association, the Make Water Work Plant Collection brings together a palette of WaterWise plants that celebrate the beauty of what’s possible in our Okanagan climate.

And NEW THIS YEAR – we have updated the list to note plants on the list that are deemed FireSmartTM!

You can be WaterWise and FireSmart.

Let’s Make Water Work better in your yard!

Full Make Water Work Plant Collection

HOT TIP! Save money with drought-tolerant plants. They need to be watered way less than their water-hungry counterparts.

Combine for the perfect plant ensemble

These plants provide easy-to-care-for gardens with various seasonal colours that thrive naturally, even in drought conditions.

This collection includes 105 perennials, grasses, trees and shrubs. Go ahead, dive in.

NOTE: To view more details, click an image followed by the name in the pop-up window.

Perennials

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German Iris

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Blanket Flower

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Hardy Ice Plant

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Bigroot Cranesbill

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Wooly Thyme

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Blue Flax

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Butterfly Gaura

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Chives

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Cushion Spurge

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Walkers Low Catmint

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Firewitch Pinks

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Garlic Chives

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Gloriosa Daisy

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Heartleaf Bergenia

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Hen and Chicks

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Jupiters Beard

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Lambs Ears

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Thread-leaf Coreopsis

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Missouri Evening Primrose

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Moonshine Yarrow

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Nodding Onion

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Ostrich Fern

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Prickly Pear Cactus

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Thyme

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Rhubarb

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Russian Sage

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Sage (herb)

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Salvia Caradonna

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Santolina

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Sea Lavender

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Silver Mound

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Stella D’Oro Daylily

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Stonecrop Purplee

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Barrenwort

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Dusseldorf Pride Thrift

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Lavendar

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Perennial Candytuft

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Red Rocks Penstemon

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Yucca

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Grasses

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Blue Fescue

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Blue Gramma Grass

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Blue Hair Grass

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Blue Moor Grass

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Blue Oat Grass

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Blue Sedge

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Bluebunch Wheatgrass
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Feather Reed

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Hardy Pampas Grass

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Heavy Metal Switch Grass

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Little Bluestem

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Mexican Feather Grass

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Northern Sea Oats

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Prairie Dropseed

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Big Bluestem

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Karl Foerster Feather Reed

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Shrubs

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Saskatoon Serviceberry

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Dwarf Arctic Willow

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Beauty Bush

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Black Currant

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Blanc De Coubert Rose

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Blue Elderberry

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Blue Mist Spirea

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Slowmound Mugo Pine

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Tiger Eyes Sumac

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European Privet

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Fernbush

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Wax Currant

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Gro Low Sumac

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Hansa Rose

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Hicks Yew

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Japanese Barberry

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Common Lilac

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Miss Kim Lilac

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Mock Orange Waterton

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Northern Gold Forsythia

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Oregon Grape

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Rabbitbrush

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Red Currant

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Winter Creeper

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Gold Coast Juniper

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Hedge Cotoneaster

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Juniper Moon Glow

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Juniper Skyrocket

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Potentilla

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Soopolallie

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Spruce Baby Blue

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Spruce Little Gem

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Trees

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Amur Maple

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Apricot

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Golden Rain Tree

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Green Ash

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Common Hackberry

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Italian Plum

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Ivory Silk Lilac

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Japanese Pagoda

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Kentucky Coffee Tree

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Maidenhair

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Weeping Caragana

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Thornless Honeylocust

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Wayfaring Tree

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Purple Robe Mexican Locust

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Paul’s Scarlet Hawthorne

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View the Full Make Water Work Plant Collection

Full Make Water Work Plant Collection

Important notes about the fire-resistant plants listed by FireSmart BC and noted on the Make Water Work Plant Collection:

  • The fire-resistant plants listed in the FireSmart BC tool are based on research completed to date, so the list is not exhaustive. With further research, additional plants may be added or removed.
  • Not all plants on the chart are equally FireSmart. Some will ignite easier than others, especially in dry areas of the province.
  • Data in the chart is based upon research performed to date and is subject to change based upon further research. For example, this information may be modified in the future due to climate change and other factors that can cause seasonal conditions and weather patterns to vary.
  • Always check your local garden centre to verify your cold hardiness zone and choose your plants accordingly.

The plants noted as FireSmart on the Make Water Work Plant Collection list include the coloured dots in the legend below, recognizing that plants should be placed at certain distances from buildings to reduce fire risk.

Legend

Priority Zones
Immediate Zone 0-1.5 m
Intermediate Zone 1.5-10 m
Extended Zone 10-30 m
Extended & Beyond 21-30+ m
Generally considered fire-resistant, however more research is required to determine which zone is appropriate for use. Use with caution as some may pose more risk than others.

For more details on the Priority Zones noted in the legend above, visit FireSmart BC.

MAKE WATER WORK PLANT CARE TIPS

Watering

  • All plants need weekly watering during the first year to get roots established. Some varieties of shrubs will need weekly watering for 2-3 additional years.
  • It is best to give the plant a slow soak, then allow the surface of the soil to dry out before watering again. This encourages deep, drought-tolerant root growth.
  • Plants in water retentive soils (such as clay) will need less supplementary water than those in sandy, fast-draining soils.

Mulching

  • A 2-3″ layer of organic mulch on top of the soil is recommended.
  • Mulch helps retain moisture, minimize weeds and keeps soil surface soft for water retention.
  • It also provides plant nutrients, which helps minimize the need for supplementary fertilizers.

Planting

  • Plants planted in the fall will have a much better root system by the following summer than plants freshly planted in the spring.

Plant Collection Benefits

okanagan water management and conservation Make-Water-Work-Slide-3
  • Create beautiful, easy-care, drought-resistant landscapes that enhance home value.
  • Reduce water use by 30-100%, depending on the plants used.
  • The Make Water Work plants chosen as part of this collection are suited to the dry Okanagan climate, and will naturally thrive.
  • During water restrictions, these plants will continue to look great.

Water is a finite resource. As the valley grows and costs of treating water rises, it becomes more important to make wise choices about how we use our water.

For an even more extensive listing of WaterWise plants, visit www.okanaganxeriscape.org/db

Participating Garden Centres

Ask about the Make Water Work Plant Collection at these participating garden centres.

North Okanagan

Blue Mountain Nursery Company
1871 Pleasant Valley Rd.
Armstrong, BC
Phone: 250.546.8181

Swan Lake Market & Garden
7920 Highway 97
Vernon, BC
Phone: 250-542-7614

Nicholas Alexander Landscaping
6325 Hwy 97 97
Vernon, BC
Phone: 250-542-8881

Central Okanagan

Lake Country Home Hardware
3223 Woodsdale Road
Lake Country, BC
Phone: 778-480-8030

Kel Lake Garden Centre
4351 Shanks Rd.
Kelowna, BC
Phone: 250-766-4475

Wild Bloom Nursery
840 Old Vernon Rd.
Kelowna, BC
Phone: 250-900-4815

South Okanagan

GardenWorks Penticton
670 Duncan Avenue W.
Penticton, BC
Phone: 250-492-5703
Toll Free: 1-800-667-0765

Sagebrush Nursery
7556 Island Road
Oliver, BC
Phone: 250-489-8898

Sandhu Greenhouses
9707-128 Ave.
Osoyoos, BC
Phone: 250-495-2676