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Kelowna's Unique Climate: A Guide to Landscaping for Four Seasons

Date: November 23, 2023
Author: Synergy
Kelowna's Unique Climate: A Guide to Landscaping for Four Seasons

Have you ever stepped into your garden as the last few days of summer fade away and noticed that it feels like something is missing? Your annuals aren’t as lively as they used to be, and your flowers lack life as autumn approaches. If you’ve ever been in this situation, you may want to consider a more seasonal approach when planning your landscaping for year-round blooms. 

Nestled in the heart of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Kelowna is known for its hot, dry summers and short, mild winters. The city’s semi-arid climate, low annual rainfall, and restrictions on water usage make it an ideal place to practice gardening that reduces or eliminates the need for supplemental water from irrigation. This is also known as xeriscaping; it is gaining popularity among homeowners and is an excellent method to weigh up if you’d like to cultivate plants adapted to survive in dry conditions. 

Apart from xeriscaping, the secret to escaping dull landscapes between seasons is strategically planting for all-season colour. Lucky for you, many plants that ensure four-season colour also make great alternatives for eco-friendly landscaping; talk about two birds, one stone!


Setting the stage for multi-season colour 

  • Hardscaping: Hardscapes are essential for sectioning off your lawn or garden and drawing the eye to different heights and features, creating depth and interest. A retaining wall around your home’s foundation calls attention to a flowerbed bursting with colour in the spring and summer. At the same time, a beautiful specimen tree surrounded by brick edging becomes the focal point when it shows its magnificent fall colour. Kelowna's winters bring snow and chilly temperatures, making hardscaping an essential consideration. Choose durable materials for pathways, patios, and other hardscape elements that can withstand freezing and thawing cycles. Additionally, incorporating elements like fire pits or outdoor heaters can extend the usability of your outdoor space into the colder months.

  • Outdoor Lighting: This feature gets sidelined quite often, but it makes a huge difference to the seasonality of your landscape. High-efficiency LEDs can be strategically placed to highlight beautiful accent plants, decorate shrubs and trees, line pathways, or dress staircase railings. You could even have spotlights adorning the perimeter of your garden. You’ll need the extra light and warmth when the sky turns dark too soon during those winter months!


Falling for Crimson hues

If you make the right moves, autumn has the potential to be an even more colourful season than spring! It is the best time to start planting trees, shrubs, and perennials before the winter. You can never go wrong with red fall foliage, like the Flame Amur Maple. It is one of the few maple varieties that can handle frigid winters, and like other maples, its autumn foliage is truly memorable. Another option is the Virginia creeper; it is tough, grows fast and turns into a magnificent scarlet in the fall. However, it can get out of hand really quickly if not tamed in time - they are beautiful, but proceed with caution!


Winter Wonderland

Winter is often the quieter, sombre season when it comes to landscaping, but paying attention to details can help perk up your frosty outdoor space. The focus can now move to evergreens; they form the cornerstone of winter landscaping. In the Spring and Summer seasons, they get overshadowed by blossoming flowers, but come winter, they form the perfect snow-globe-worthy scene with fresh snow perched atop branches and leaves. Plant some juniper, spruce, cedar, and even ornamental grasses in the fall, and your winter backdrop will flourish!


Flowers of Spring

Planting for spring is a careful, chronological process. Pro tip: Plan a planting schedule for a longer show in the spring. You can start planting waves of spring bulbs each week in the fall, and when spring arrives, you’ll be able to bask longer in the glory of continuous blooms. Let’s not forget the show-stoppers: fruit trees, almost every tree that bears fruit in the summer, has the most stunning, fragrant flowers as spring season openers. 


Sparkling Summer

Often, spring gets the most attention, and summer is the aftermath when landscapes tend to look a bit wilted as blooms start to fade. Not all is lost; the Winnipeg Parks Rose is a gorgeous, low-maintenance option. They are tough rose bushes that will bloom abundantly with cherry-red flowers. The shrub’s foliage has rich red fall tones that will merge well into those autumn months. Native flowers like the Coneflower are a great choice for summer, too; they bloom for weeks on end, are beautiful, fantastic for pollination, and easy to maintain. 


Multi-taskers

Apart from breathtaking seasonal standouts, it is nice to have some multi-seasonals to ensure your garden always has plants carrying it through seasonal changes. Some options are flowering crabapples, chokeberry, and Tor spirea, which boast picture-perfect flowers, fruit, and fall foliage. 


If you’ve got it all planned out but are in dire need of a fresh outlook and inspiration or have no clue where to start but want your garden to have the expert touch, contact us at Synergy. We can help transform your outdoor space to embody beauty through the seasons. From design to implementation, we’ve got your roots!