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Beaches and fruit aren’t the only things to include in your visit to the South Okanagan.
Tuesday, June 15th, 2004 by GetawayBC.com
Whether you’re looking for bright and beautiful or eco and region friendly, there’s a colourful blossom for all eyes and noses.
Flowers appear all summer long throughout the city, whether it be at a park or walking the streets of downtown.
Over 25 types of annuals can be viewed in Penticton and some sites to keep in mind for closer inspection are:
- The Rose Garden near the S.S. Sicamous on Lakeshore Drive;
- Riverside Drive, along Penticton Creek, from the Sicamous to the city’s north entrance;
- Rotary Park, near the Peach on Okanagan Lake beach;
- Rotary Point, just west of the Lakeside Resort and Casino;
- Gyro Park, at the north end of Main Street;
- Surrounding the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre;
- Lamposts downtown boast stunning hanging baskets.
The Penticton Art Gallery boasts more than just creative works inside – located behind is the Penticton-Ikeda Japanese Garden, which is a quiet respite on the lake.
The garden is a tribute to Penticton’s sister city in Japan and was mapped out by a professional Japanese garden designer.
Extra peace is offered through high walls surrounding the garden, Asian-inspired benches a bridge leading over Penticton Creek to Okanagan Lake Park.
In 2005 a bright painted torii was erected on the bridge as a welcome to visitors seeking the retreat of the garden.
Summerland boasts its own ornamental garden which is maintained by Friends of the Garden Society. Full of beautiful flowers and plants, the garden is a great place to get away as it has a large walking trail winding through the park.
Some of the flowers to see starting in June are azaleas, rhododendrons, bellflowers, ornamental onions, sunflowers, asters and butterfly bushes. But those are just a small portion of all the plants. The garden is also a great example of xeriscaping, which is low-water consumption gardening. For more information about the gardens visit www.summerlandornamentalgardens.org.
The South Okanagan’s dry climate makes xeriscape a perfect fit for the area. Xeriscape gardening uses plants that thrive in dry conditions, such as rabbit brush, sage brush, oregon grape, wild roses and locust trees.
Examples of these gardens can be found at:
- The garden at the east end of Penticton Avenue
- Kettle Valley Railway Park at the west end of Hastings Avenue
- Vancouver Place. ;