Anatomy of an annual garden tour

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Brief peaks at the sun, burst of rain showers, cool blustery winds, and even a bit of hail thrown in for good measure ... that was the day of Green Valley’s Annual Garden Tour.

Despite Mother Nature’s try at interference, a bevy of hardy yet cheerful volunteers from the Green Valley Gardeners club made the hundreds of visitors feel welcome at each of the five gardens.

Occasional dashes for cover didn’t dampen the spirits of the more than 50 hosts, garden greeters, and resident gardeners on duty throughout the mostly soggy day.

Perhaps you are curious how an event of this magnitude has come together each April for the past 28 years.

The first tour was in 1981, chaired by George Merten of what was then called the Men’s Garden Club of Green Valley.

It was a success with more than 300 people visiting the sites. Mr. Merten died unexpectedly one week later, and for a number of years the tour was named in his honor.

Through the next two decades, this event became a part of the community’s social fabric, and was successful as a major fundraiser.

From these monies, support has been provided for the weekly informative gardening seminars; the Arid Garden; the Allen J. Ogden Community Garden; and MedianGreen’s beautification project.

So how does a garden tour begin? The beginning point is soon after each year’s event when a new team of two to three people is selected to chair the project.

This year the volunteer co-chairmen were friends Leslie Campbell and Ann Ketterer. Because Ann had assumed this job previously and “knew the ropes,” and Leslie had new, fresh ideas, these ladies made a perfect team. Besides, they like each other!

Large open gardens

The test of a good tour is to provide a variety of different gardening styles. This year, of the five gardens, three were large open properties of an acre or more. These gardens allow space for “letting the imagination run wild,” but additionally have the challenge of filling in the space with style.

Large open gardens also have the added challenge of visiting wildlife and the damage they may do to vegetation. Each of the Valle Verde Del Norte neighborhood gardens on the recent tour are unfenced and often have javelina, rabbits, coyotes, and deer stopping by to browse plants.

It is interesting to see how homeowners of open gardens choose to handle this condition.

Small spaces

Adding small gardens is very important, because these spaces are most common in the area. Here the challenge is to present fresh landscaping ideas in a small space, again done with style and grace. Both of the La Joya Verde sites were perfect examples of this.

Each garden on the tour is chosen to be different from the others, yet with its own personality be imaginative, well-maintained, and have lessons to teach the visitor. This is the variety desired in a well-balanced, pleasing-to-the-eye group of gardens, each tended by friendly homeowners.

The goal for an April tour is to have the gardens chosen before winter dormancy sets in. After early November, many gardens begin to “shut down.” It is not uncommon for the selection process to view a dozen or more lovely gardens before choosing just the right combination for the upcoming spring tour.

During the winter, volunteers are solicited for the nearly 100 support jobs necessary for a successful, well-run event. There are garden greeters, folks to do advertising sales, publicity, ticket design, poster distribution, ticket-folding and mailing, liaison with ticket sellers, and garden hosts (bless them).

To keep the communication lines open in the months prior to the tour, there are many coffees, phone calls, e-mails, meetings, garden visits, contacts with homeowners, long hours and sleepless nights!

It is early April; for nearly a year the work has gone on; and it is almost time for the big event. Preferring not to listen to weather forecasts, workers still search for the umbrella as they prepare to do their jobs.

Sure enough, at 1:30 a.m., the front moves in, the winds pick up even more, and the sound of rainfall is heard. Next there is lightning, thunder, wind gusts, and even a little hail… sleep is difficult, especially for our co-chairmen… but the show must go on.

Six hundred tickets sold

Six hundred tickets are out there, and folks are expecting to see gardens! All of the volunteer workers have arranged their busy schedules to include their duties and time for their own touring.

All through the day, it was a little sunshine, then a light shower, next more sun with a rainbow this time, then bone-chilling winds, next the warming sun, then a soaking rain with hail thrown in… folks commenting, “This is like being back in Minnesota”… but the show went on without a hitch. The tour was over at 3 p.m., and at 4 p.m. the skies began to clear!

Thanks to all the committed souls who braved the ever-changing elements to be helpful and friendly to visitors as promised… and to all those who toured the lovely gardens that, by the way, held together beautifully… and to all the homeowners who with good humor were gracious to all… once more there was a successful annual garden tour.

This is one that will be remembered for years to come, and it is a sure thing that the 2010 tour will be on a sunny, mildly warm day with a light breeze. It’s already a plan!

Mary Kidnocker is a Master Gardener who writes frequently about the subject from a local perspective. Her columns are featured each Sunday.