Wildfires near the city of West Kelowna, British Columbia, home of MPG’s sister association the Okanagan Xeriscape Association (OXA), have burnt 13,000 hectares of forest, some remarkable xeriscape gardens and homes. Hundreds of households have been ordered to evacuate, including that of OXA’s president, now camping on the other side of the lake in a friend’s garden. The climate of the area, 400km east of Vancouver, is sunny, mild and dry rather than typically Mediterranean but OXA – like MPG – promotes water-wise gardening. OXA is one of the six members of Mediterranean Gardening International (MGi) to which MPG has been affiliated for ten years. For amazing statistics on water consumption, the meaning of “xeriscape” and plants suited to the area see their interesting website