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Home Garden Tour a chance for new inspiration (with photos)

Linda Brazill  —  7/09/2008 10:32 am

Visiting a garden is one of the rites of summer. And once organizations realized that folks were willing to pay for the privilege of getting a peek at someone else's property, garden tours were effortlessly transformed from merely fun into fundraisers. Olbrich Botanical Gardens' annual Home Garden Tour is Friday, July 11, and Saturday, July 12, with the theme "Outdoor Living in Maple Bluff."

The tour will be held 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at eight locations in Maple Bluff, beginning at 29 Cambridge Court. Tickets are $10 in advance for Olbrich members, $12 for the public; $12 on the day of the tour for members, $14 for the public.

Every garden -- no matter the size, style or location -- has ideas to offer garden guests if you learn how to look for them. If you'd like to go touring with a partner who can help, Gordon Hayward is the man for you. The Vermont-based home gardener, landscape designer and author has visited Madison multiple times to give workshops and lectures at Olbrich.

Hayward stresses the value of becoming an educated garden visitor, saying that "what we get out of visiting a garden is not up to the garden; it's up to us." And it's not about making judgments or continually wondering what's that interesting plant, he notes in an old Horticulture magazine story.

While all of us can be seduced by the sight of something new, visitors will get the most out of a tour by getting a few big questions answered and concentrating on the big ideas any given garden embodies. Consider, for instance, how the house and garden relate to each other and how the garden fits into the larger landscape.

Note the garden architecture and structures, and the transitions from one area to the next. If you're trying to solve specific problems in your garden, look to see if this garden has any of the same situations.

One of Hayward's major themes is whether the front entry is clear to people as they approach a house. He's even written a book on the subject: "The Welcoming Garden: Designing Your Own Front Garden."

Notice how and where (and whether!) the colors and materials of the house have been repeated in the garden. Do the doors of the house lead to paths, and do windows focus on views?

Check the proportions of the beds adjacent to the front of the house to see how they relate to the size of the house. In "The Welcoming Garden," Hayward writes "the ideal entrance garden should be at least as deep as the front of the house is high." Most of us skimp, I think, because that sounds too big to us. But when you see it done, you immediately realize how right he is.

If possible, walk through the entire property first, to get a sense of size and layout. Now go back to the beginning and look at the garden with a fresh eye. Note links like paths and pergolas between garden areas, or whether the space is divided into discrete rooms.

How many different functions does the garden sustain: spaces for sitting, walking, meditation? Note how water and sound (rustling grass, bells) are used in the garden. Are there areas of sun and shade? Are there curved paths as well as straight ones?

Are there obvious transitions from one area of the garden to another? How are they indicated: by a change in grade, materials, light, placement of arbors or artwork? Are there uninterrupted views, or do fences and hedges keep you guessing about what's ahead? Answers to any of these questions should offer plenty of ideas and inspiration to take home.

Only after the visitor has looked at these broader elements should the focus turn to the plants. But even then, note how they relate to the overall look and feel of the garden through scale, texture, and color. And whether you're looking at trees, shrubs or flowers, notice where -- and how often -- they've been repeated.

If you are the head gardener at your house, take a minute to determine the degree of maintenance these tour gardens require to keep looking good. If it's more than you can do -- or want to do -- that should play a part in designing your own space.

Lastly, remember that you don't have to try to squeeze every interesting plant and idea into your garden. That's what tours are for: so we can see and enjoy all the things we'll never get around to doing at home.

For more information: www.olbrich.org or 246-4550.

Linda Brazill  —  7/09/2008 10:32 am