Xeriscaping Plants

The cushion spurge features bouquets of vibrant yellow flowers that signal the start of spring in late April and into May. They can be cut back to display bright green foliage the rest of the summer. As a self spreader and being deer resistant they are a great addition to your xeriscaping design as a resilient ground cover. 

The german iris is capable of thriving with no supplemental water making it the ideal xeriscaping perennial plant. It blooms in almost any colour ranging from white to gold and black or mixed colours. It's fragrance attracts hummingbirds while also being deer resistant. 

The moss phlox is a low growing perennial xeriscaping plant that's very hardy while featuring pink, red and purple flowers in April and May. It's fast creeping dense foliage is deer resistant and will attract hummingbirds and pollinators. An excellent way to combine colour with a ground cover for landscape beds. 

The ostrich fern is the most drought tolerant xeriscaping fern that features bright green foliage. It's deer resistant and even native to the Okanagan often found growing in large clusters. It produces edible fiddleheads that are rich in nutrients and popular as a cooked dish as an added bonus. 

One of the most drought tolerant xeriscaping plants, this perennial has stunning blooms of red, pink, scarlet, orange, violet, white and mixed colours in May and June that last 3 to 4 weeks. It's deer resistant and a self spreader in the right growing conditions.

The beauty bush comes by its name honestly due to the robust light pink flowers that bloom in May. Hummingbirds love it while being resistant to deer making it ideal for most neighbourhoods in Kelowna. Prune to create a low growing bush or to reach heights of up to 12 feet. 

Xeriscaping plants are known for being hardy and the caragana definitely fits that description. It's an aggressive spreading thorny bush that will provide erosion control through seeding and suckering. It features bright yellow blooms in June and also available in many different colour varieties. 

The Hans rugosa rose is a rare xeriscaping rose bush that blooms May through September in Kelowna. The dark pink roses attract pollinators, are very fragrant and even edible. Once established it very drought tolerant especially in heavy soils. It will spread by suckering and is also great for erosion control. 

The mugo pine is a favourite in Kelowna because of the many varieties and unique appearances. It's incredibly hardy and some varieties can grow to be 15 feet tall. They are a distinctive deer resistant xeriscaping plant and is a great addition to just about any landscape design. 

The smooth sumac shrub makes our xeriscaping plants list because of its hardiness, vibrant colour and deer resistance in addition to looking great. It's native to Kelowna and surrounding Okanagan and can be easily identified by its red leaves in the Fall months.

The "Colorado" blue spruce is the most popular evergreen tree in Kelowna and Okanagan Valley. It has attractive blue needles that grow right to the ground are unmistakable. It's very hardy and can handle variety of growing conditions. 

The douglas fir is notorious for producing great Christmas trees because of its thick foliage and fast growing properties. It's native to the Okanagan and once established requires very little maintenance to stay looking great for many years. 

The lodgepole pine can handle drought, cold, shade and poor soil conditions. It's one of the hardiest conifers and is known for its rapid growth. As an added bonus its deer resistant and provides food for birds throughout the year. 

The ponderosa pine is a very hardy tree that's native to the Okanagan. It provides food for birds and produces a fragrant odour especially in the heat of summer. It's susceptible to pine beetles and produces pollen in the spring. 

The silver hue of the rocky mountain juniper makes it attractive as an accent tree but are also commonly used as a deer proof hedge around property borders and fences. They provide protection, privacy and are hardy in the Okanagan growing zone.

The bearberry is a xeriscape ground cover that looks great and produces edible red berries. It will attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees and boasts medical benefits via extraction of the leaves while being one of the hardiest xeriscaping plants. 

Hens and chicks or sempervivum are a very common ground cover that have become one of the most popular xeriscaping plants because of the many unique colours and varieties available to local residents. They can tolerate full sun and extreme temperatures while requiring little or no water. 

A hardy ground cover, mother of thyme boasts a thick foliage that blooms through June with colours of red, pink, white and purple. It's fragrant blooms attracts pollinators and since it's deer resistant it's ideal for the British Columbia interior region. 

Stonecrop is arguably the most popular and versatile xeriscaping ground cover in the interior. It can be found in colours ranging from neon pink to turquoise making it ideal for creating an incredibly unique xeric garden that's hardy and low maintenance.

Sweet woodruff is unique for being a one of a few ground cover xeriscaping plants that grows will in the shade. This makes it ideal as an attractive cover under trees or areas shaded by a building or fence. It's a fragrant aggressive spreader and self-seeder that's also deer resistant.

The honeysuckle vine blooms with vibrant colours in the springtime in full sun. It can grow as an standalone shrub or vining on a fence, trellis or wall. A healthy layer of mulch will ensure substantial rooting and lead to a very drought tolerant and hardy plant for your xeriscaping landscape. 

The jackmanii clematis vine is a popular xeriscaping plant because it's hardy, fast growing and is covered with velvety dark purple flowers that fade to violet over time. It's ideal for walls, fences or arbors and grows in part shade or sun. This award winning plant blooms in early to late summer.  

The silver lace vine is a versatile option that's also great as a ground cover xeriscaping plant in Kelowna. It spreads aggressively with its attractive foliage and blooms making it great for erosion control and weed suppression. 

The trumpet vine is an a fast spreading, invasive, suckering creeper vine that features bright orange or yellow blooms in July and August. It will attract hummingbirds once established and will grow just about anywhere whether its a fence, pergola or house exterior wall. 

The aggressive spreading virginia creeper vine makes our list of the best xeriscaping plants for Kelowna because of it hardiness and attractive appearance. In the right application this xeriscaping vine can we a great addition. The sap found the leaves can irritate skin in some individuals.

The blue gramma is one of the most versatile xeriscaping plants and can be used as a ground cover low traffic grass for a natural lawn or as a mounding cluster ornament grass in a landscape garden. It blooms between June and August and very hardy during the winter months after it's been trimmed. 

Blue lyme grass is another ornamental grass that can be used as an attractive ground cover that requires little or no water. It will spread in ideal conditions and great for erosion control on steep slopes. This wild rye can even be harvested for consumption.

Golden tufted hair grass is a great way to add a vibrant golden green accent to your xeriscape landscape in the Fall. It's hardy and drought resistant including being deer resistant. It self-seeds, will spread in ideal conditions and has light requirements ranging from shade to full sun. 

Mexican feather grass is a relatively hardy ornamental grass that looks great in most applications. It blooms in July and August with tan flowers and is hardy to growing zone 6a. It's ideal as a single accent or a small cluster with other perennial xeriscaping plants for colour and contrast. 

Ribbon grass is one the xeriscaping plants that growing in popularity because of it's incredible hardiness and low water requirements. It will spread to provide ground cover and does well in both shade and part sun. It will bloom in June and July and can be cut back before the winter months. 

Please use all appropriate and proper safety precautions when attempting projects on this website. All projects are attempted at the reader's own risk. 

Duralawn® participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, as an Amazon Associate we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.