Has your garden ever been part of a tour?

We've been asked to participate in a garden tour. Half of me says this would be fun, the other half says it's not done or ready to be viewed by strangers. I would hate to hear someone say, "Why was this on the tour?". There are parts that I really like, others that are just ordinary garden plants. The design is, "Hey, there's room for this here." and in it goes. Later we figure out that it doesn't look right or has outgrown the space. And there are parts where plants haven't filled in or haven't yet been planted. I realize it will never be done, but how do you know it's ready for a tour?

I would like to share what we are doing while not wasting someones time.

Thanks,
jb

jb, you sound like you garden just like I do! LOL I was told that my garden could be on a tour for my local daylily club, but there is no way it is ready for that. I just started collecting daylilies 2 years ago so all of mine are very small and things just aren't filled in the way I want them to be. I put in so much new stuff last year and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it looks this year, but there is no way it is ready for anyone to tour it. Wish I had some answers for you.

Junior, they probably wouldn't ask you if your garden wasn't ready. I know on the tours I go on, I love some of the gardens and some I don't. I'm sure for every garden I don't like, there are people who do like it and vice versa.

There is a really pretty bed and breakfast here that was on a xmas B&B tour here in December. They had gorgeous gardens, hundreds of rhodies. She owner told me that our garden tour told her she'd be ready for the tour in maybe another 3 years. I was surprised - I would have thought she could be on it now.

Not that my garden would ever be asked to be on a tour (unless of course they were showcasing weeds that year), but I would not want so many people traipasing around my yard. I have heard the neighbors hate you due to the traffic. (For one day, you'd think people could be understanding!) However, if I *did* have a nice yard, the only time I would want to be on a tour is if I were getting ready to sell the place. Then that might be a good advertisement, esp if you were selling in the winter when people can't see how pretty a garden can be here.

You should be really flattered to be asked! People will stop to talk to you who like your garden. The rest will move on to the next stop. Say yes if it's something you want to do!

And let us here know in advance, so we can get tickets and come. Is this the Woodinville tour? I've heard that's a good one.

Gwendalou

Jb, show us a picture here and let us be the judge.
But if you want my opinion now, I think it is a honor to be asked to be on a tour. That means your place looks great.
You should be proud.
Carol

If you have been asked: you should really consider doing it. You obviously have something that attracted the invitation! Working daily in our gardens, we all know the faults and the drawbacks, but strangers passing through for an hour don't absorb all those minor defects.
Gwendalou has a good point too: you can't please all the people all the time: tastes vary too widely.

My mom and gardening inspiration was asked repeatedly to be on the city garden tour back in the midwest. I saw the beseeching letter written by the organizer as one final plea to sway her steadfast refusal, but no. We tried and tried to convince her to share the wondrous fruits of her labors. Stubborn mule that she is, she felt it would never be 'perfect' enough for a tour. Her yard is a wonderland for gardeners- scale and variation, texture, intrigue- it's all there and crammed into two city lots and largely done by her own 4 appendages over 50 years. It will be a very sad day when that place gets sold- it's a treasure. (PS I do not garden like my mom, sadly.)

So, I'd say: why not try it for one year, see how it goes? You might find it inspiring, or educational. And if it turns out to be totally humiliating just keep some cement boots on hand for the visiting complainers.

I vote: DO IT!

One of the local schools has a fundraiser that is a garden tour. It is kind of fun ; I was asked and did it. I don't really feel like I have anything to brag about other than I have lots of room on the farm.

Lenjo! Lenjo! Good to see you back and welcome to your very own regional forum. Where have you been hiding? You have been sorely missed!

I saw photos of your Round Up picnic and I was very impressed with your place. Remember that space (let alone your gorgeous garden beds) is something that others may not have, and thus cherish. Every place is unique and offers its own set of treasures. I wish someone valued moss up here, I could win a medal LOL.

Good to see you Joann!

My friend gets busloads of people each year at his backyard exotic nursery www.tropic.ca . It takes alot to get everything cleaned up and looking good, available washroom, run out and get a few flats of colour (impatiens) to brighten it up, labels, labels, labels and the time. By the end of the day you're exhausted. You should maybe think of having a few potted up plants of some of your rare or interesting things for sale, a family member to help out direct people to the washroom, etc.

Yes, Hi, Joann, it is very good to see you here as Annie says.
Hope you had a good trip to CA.
Need to come and see you but this weather isn't cooperating at all.
Carol

Actually they have never seen the garden. They asked because I'm a member (NARGS) and I live in Duvall.

Here are a few pics from last year. As I look at them I wonder why I was worried and we've decided to be on the tour. Of course as soon as I say that I see the flaws and all the work there is to do. :)

As my wife and I were looking at these pics I said, "If we stumbled into this garden in Italy we'd break out the picnic lunch and the vino and settle in for a while." It's not perfect, but it's very pleasant.

Thanks for your thoughts.

jb

Another

and another

and this

and

Oh my, YES.
I can see why they might ask you even tho they haven't seen it.
It looks beautiful to me.
If the pictures look good to me, I just wonder what real life would look like then!
Go for it.
It is like housecleaning when company comes to visit. It will force you to do some cleaning up that you have been putting off.
What a great place to live and walk outside to each day.
Carol

This one

JB
Such a fine looking garden. I would enjoy strolling through your garden on a tour. In fact it should be at the end of the tour. Everyone could then enjoy their picnic packed lunches.
The pictures give me a very tranquil feeling. Very Beautiful!!!

Thanks Carol. It is a very nice place to live. We have both had the thought that this will spur us on to clean and finish and tidy things in a way we might not ordinarily do. And then we'll get to enjoy it for years to come.

Here is a more unfinished area.

jb, if that area is unfinished I might as well just take a match to my garden. LOL I am saving every one of these as inspiration! Thanks.

jb, I got lost in your photos and when I found myself again I thought, "What WAS he worried about?" Your garden is beautiful, peaceful, and very inviting. You should be proud to have it part of the tour.

That's an awesome garden! I can see lots of work put into it. Very tranquil and nicely laid-out. Congrats!

Wow, jb, wow, wow, your garden is absolutely stunning, you should be in Sunset magazine.

Annie and Carol, I have been hanging around the Rose forum. But now that there is a regional forum for us I will be here. Joann

JB, your pictures say that your garden is very peaceful and inviting. The tour group should enjoy themselves a great deal, and you should get as many or more compliments than you can handle. Dotti

LOL Katy, just put the matches down. There will be no garden torching on my account. In that area the plants have not grown in yet. The pic looks greener and fuller than reality. Really.

Thanks for all the kind words. I was not fishing for compliments. With the way winter looks right now I had forgotten that it will get lush and full. When I looked at the pictures, to post here, I thought , "Oh, these look kinda nice, people are gonna think we're whack jobs." lol. In our defense I will say that we have been working on this garden for 5+ years and the pictures only show the best views. Guess we can't see the forest for the gunnera.

Sincerely,
jb

Oh that is just marvelous jb! Did you haul in those huge rocks or work with natural materials found there? I know Duvall has some big rocks. What basic area are you in? I know Cherry Valley, Stillwater Rd, Big Rock Road and that's about it.

You've done a wonderful job using that slope- the pond, the trails, the fence/trellis(?) are all marvelous to behold. I second the question: if the photos look this good how would it look, smell and sound in person? You have nothing to fear but how much you'll blush with all the complements. Get ready to kick the dirt and say "oh pshaw, it's nothing" over and over again!

We are in the Stillwater/Big Rock area. We've had to bring in some rocks, but 90% were here. The steps and the whitish rocks on the right, in this pic, were brought in. The rest were unearthed when we had an acre cleared. They asked us if they shoudl bury them and we said no build us a rockery behind the house. Saved us a few thousand.

Oh pshaw. :)

jb

WOW!!

JB, LOL, What are you worried about? It's lovely. I think people will be really interetsed to see what you've done with all the rocks. It looks like you have lots of pathways, levels, etc., which make a garden much more interesting.

Also, a lot of gardeners (this would be me esp) focus on flowers and color. Putting together greenery in a pretty way is harder to do, imo. It's my hardest thing. I love seeing places like yours to get ideas.

Go for it. If at the end you have any areas you haven't gotten to, you can have them closed off to the tour.

You'll be sure to have lots of interesting conversations with fellow gardeners too!

So...what is the organization putting on this tour and when is it?

Gwendalou, who doesn't too terribly far away...

Thanks for the encouragement Gwen. The northwest chapter of NARGS is putting together the tour. There are two dates, one in May (the exact date escapes me) and the other is June 24th. We'll be part of the 24th. I don't know if it's only open to members, I'll find out. I wouldn't think so. We would have no problem DG'ers that want to join in.

jb

Just saw this thread and juniorballoon, you are SO ready for a garden tour! It's beautiful! don't belong to any clubs around here, but I've been on a couple of the garden tours and your garden would be right at home with most, and better than others! I haven't had a garden tour at my home, but last year I held a neighborhood and friends garden open house after the pond was finished. I have never been so stressed out in all my life, but it was worth it. We gardeners are perfectionists when it comes to our own gardens. We can forgive anything in someone else's garden, but our own need to be 'perfect'. I spent the better part of two weeks getting ready, buying 'color' and putting it in, planting pots, etc. but every person I overheard ooohing and aahing made it totally worthwhile. I say go for it! Your garden is absolutely beautiful!

Juniorballoon I just ran across this and I further agree to visit your garden for a tour when I'm in seattle next. LOL You have done a spectacular job with terracing and hardscape. You will enjoy all the questions and plant names you will have to remember. Start studying latin. Many of the garden tours I have been on often don't have the gardener present. they give you a layout of the garden and have you walk around. your scupture of a woodland is georgeous!

I was on a farm tour one year. The organizers wanted me on their list even though I told them I did not really have a farm, but a large vegetable garden with some fruit trees and bushes. They said that some people would want to see more what they could do at their own homes. When I have been on garden tours, I like the gardens best that are not designed and installed by professional landscape archtects, but done by the gardeners themselves over years of time. These are often the people who will talk with you and love to answer your questions about plants. If you don't mind spending the day talking to people and showing them around your beautiful garden, I bet they will really appreciate it. Have fun!

Maury, is that a yearly tour? When I go on garden tours, my favorite ones are always the farms! I would love to go on that tour. I assume it's on Vashon Island? If you have more info on that, would you please post.

I completely agree with you that the ones done by the homeowners themselves are the best. Last year my favorite one had laundry out on the clothesline. :)

Gwendalou

Gwendalou, The farm tour is on Vashon Island. It has happened for the last 2 years as a benefit for the EarthFair. I like the Farm Tour even though I am not a great fan of the EarthFair. Last year I wasn't on the tour because I wanted to be able to go see the farms myself. It was put on sometime in the Spring (can't remember which month). I'll post here again when I hear about it. The other farms are more commercial than I was. Most had items for sale (eggs, llama wool or products, lavender oils, etc.) I gave away tomato and herb starts just for fun. It is an enjoyable tour. They had 12 different farms, some big, some small and enough variety to make it interesting.

Hi Jb, I'm new in here but I was asked a few years ago when I was haveing a benifit yard sale to raise money to help with my granddaughters transplants. At that time I only had like a half a whole in the ground where I was digging a pond. I felt just like you said. I was tickled that they thought it was good enough but gosh my gardens seem to always be in transition.And then I have the negative side of me thinking, gee that would give lots of strangers access to my place and know just how to get back when I'm not around. Isn't that terriable I think that way? Anyway, so far I'm enjoying this forum and I hope to learn a lot and meet some new friends. Debbie in eastern,Wa.

Hey Debbie welcome. I am a person who spent a lot of time in your home town. I love Tonasket. Do you know Donna? She is here under "rutholive". She lives in tonasket.

Hi Soferdig, No I have never met her but I'm hopeing to.When were you here and for how long? This trulley is a small world. It takes the world wide Web for me to meet people from my own very small home town.LOL! Thanks for the welcome, Happy Outside Debbie

I spent my 20's and 30's in tonasket hunting on Island Mountain. We built a log cabin up there and it burned down about 20 years ago. I know the whole area, Conconally lake, Palmer Lake, Chewsaw, magnetic mountain, FlatIron mountain, aneas valley, and most importantly the barter fair. I was there this year during deer season. Wow has it grown since the 70's! Our Cabin is just up the mountain from the Barter fair location. We were kept up all night with the drumming.

JB, skip the garden tour and have a PNW Round Up at your place. Everybody can trade plants and then go to the Duvall Cafe for strawberries and creme fraiche. Theirs is the best I have ever had.

Heck, if you have it in July when I visit Everson, maybe I can come. LOL

I would not be averse to hosting a Round Up. There is plenty of parking and space to setup trades and sit and soak up some sunshine or a lovely beverage. Later in July would be a good time. Give us a chance to chill after the tour.

Actually I am determined not to get in a frenzy getting ready for this. We're only going to be able to do what we can and that will be fine.

I did find out that the tour is open to the public. They are putting together a flyer with driving instructions. When that comes out I'll post it.

jb

This message was edited Mar 17, 2006 8:37 AM