Kamloops gardeners facing drought concerns

KAMLOOPS – In the wake of drought concerns, water restrictions and the threat of wildfires, many property owners are taking a new approach when it comes to gardening and the landscape of their yards.

“Since last year’s extreme drought, xeriscaping is becoming a real talk of the town,” said Colin Lyons, owner of Lyons Landscaping.

Taking advantage of the warmer winter temperatures, Lyons Landscaping has been flooded with xeriscape requests.

“This winter [we’ve been] designing and dealing with a lot of properties that are going to get installed this year,” he said. “[They] all want xeriscaping or some form of it, or a larger footprint of less water use in their properties.”

But it isn’t just xeriscaping, as many residents start to plan their gardens, water usage seems to be top of mind.

“We’ve noticed that people are concerned about the amount of water that they put on their plants and are trying to choose plants that are more drought-tolerant,” said Shawn Ulmer from Art Knapp Garden Centre.

She says many are looking into native plant species as well.

“These are all the things that people are looking into. It’s a big change for people,” Ulmer said. “People can’t do it all in one year, but they are looking into it. For people who are starting from scratch, it’s a little easier to design a landscape that is more drought tolerant, more native, and more fire smart.”