Summerland Ornamental Gardens

The Summerland Ornamental Gardens have been growing on the bench above Trout Creek since 1916, when the Dominion Experimental Farm planted them to show Okanagan settlers what would thrive in a dry climate — and more than a century later that is still the point. Fifteen acres of heritage trees and lawns roll toward the canyon rim, but the heart of the modern garden is its xeriscape and native-plant beds, where the plants that belong in this valley are labelled with their Syilx Okanagan names alongside the Latin, so a walk here doubles as a field guide to the sagebrush country you have been driving through. Birds work the shrubs year-round, spring brings the big bloom, and the seasonal hours stretch from an 8 am opening to 8 pm on summer evenings (shorter in winter, weather permitting). Admission is by donation, with $5 a person suggested; dogs are welcome on leash and there are several places to park off Highway 97. The gardens are run by a volunteer society, the Friends of Summerland Ornamental Gardens ([email protected]), whose plant sales and tours are the best way to take a little of the Okanagan home.