Field Trip: Collect Ideas on a DIY Garden Tour
Nothing beats taking a garden tour for education and inspiration. I’m lucky enough to reside in a place with several yearly garden tours, but for one reason or another, I’ve never been in a position to make even one of them. This year the time eventually worked out for me to attend one in a locality near my own home. Two of my children are gardeners, and we had a lot of fun traveling from house to house, chatting with all the homeowners and admiring their handiwork.
Alison Hodgson
Suggestions From My Local Garden Tour
This border of Annabelle hydrangea using a towering hedge of yew stopped me in my paths. The yew not simply provides complete privacy from the newer housing development behind it, but it also beautifully highlights the hydrangea. The appearance is so straightforward and yet so magnificent. I understood it is the perfect solution for camouflaging the hideous timber retaining walls within a place of my yard.
Alison Hodgson
This homeowner replaced his yard with a long grass, Nepeta, and oregano. He did it himself in phases, and it’s a free-form flow that is pleasing and natural.
Alison Hodgson
These wine bottles are not just decorative; they are shoring up a part of the lawn that would otherwise get washed off in a major rain. The homeowner was fast to state that friends gave her along with her husband lots of the bottles, although she bought a few of these cobalt ones, her favorites.
Alison Hodgson
This little vegetable garden packs a lot into a very small space. A gate and curving path like those would make mundane tasks such as weeding and watering a joy.
Alison Hodgson
I liked the way this homeowner implanted this palette backyard using strawberries and impatiens to create a practical and lovely show all summer long.
Create Your Own Garden Tour
Though this was the first time that I have taken a formal garden tour, I realized I have been creating my own tours for years. Even if you don’t have access to some formal garden tours anyplace, everywhere you look you will find areas ripe for a DIY version.
Alison Hodgson
Public and private gardens and parks. I’m blessed to live near Meijer Gardens, a botanical garden and internationally acclaimed sculpture park. We have been members for years and love to tour the gardens. When we were rebuilding our property, I paid special attention to shrubs, particularly those implanted in swaths.
Alison Hodgson
Local nurseries. Among my favorites includes a children’s backyard. It includes vegetables and herbs in addition to several perennials and self-seeding annuals. On an overcast day, this is a bright spot.
Alison Hodgson
In my previous gardens, I’ve had foxgloves as a significant feature, but I had not gotten them established in our new home. This screen inspired me to do it.
Alison Hodgson
I already had a few washtubs and buckets, but this casual and pleasing display galvanized (sorry, couldn’t help myself) my own urge to gather more.
Alison Hodgson
Alison Hodgson
Even should a garden center does not have a formal display garden, there’ll usually be extensive plantings. I always look closely at the usage of color.
Alison Hodgson
In addition, I like to discover the combination of annuals with perennials and shrubs.
Alison Hodgson
A beautiful planter is always a good thing to record.
Alison Hodgson
Businesses. Some companies have large budgets for their grounds. I took these images at my husband’s office when I was considering underplanting our evergreens.
Alison Hodgson
This hedge of viburnum helped me determine just how many I would need to have exactly the same effect.
Alison Hodgson
Neighborhood entrances. Many gated communities using elaborate entrances are within walking distance of our property. I walk by this one almost every day. You can tell this was a fast snap, shot while I was walking the dog last fall, but it helped me remember the specific shade of purplish-pink Cleome when I had been purchasing annuals last spring.
Alison Hodgson
Medians. I took this at a stoplight, since I liked the combination of perennial grasses together with all the salvia and annuals. You will notice salvia in lots of my images, since last year I included a group of them which was a little bluer than I anticipated, and I had been attempting to determine what to plant alongside.
Neighbors’ yards. I’ve already confessed to being a house stalker, so it should come as no surprise that this involves garden stalking too. I really don’t take pictures, though … yet.
How about you personally? Exactly what DIY garden tours have you created? Share what you’ve seen in the Comments.
More: How to Cultivate a Young Gardener | Inspiring gardens