Bainbridge In Bloom - 2008

[JohnB]

This forum - "Opening your Garden to a tour" has not had a lot of activity - but I'll try to change that a bit. Over the Christmas time-period, my wife (Kathleen) and I discovered that we'd be nominated to be a host garden for the 20th Anniversary Bainbridge In Bloom tour!  It's a 3-day event over Friday-Saturday-Sunday in early July. On the Friday, a small select number of visitors self-drive to the gardens, on the Sat/Sun approximately 1500 visitors are bused from Garden to Garden. There are usually 5 or 6 gardens on the tour. Some more details of last year's tour can be found on the website: http://www.gardentour.info/ - once the details are finalized for this year, the site will reflect 2008.

One accepts the nomination with great pride and also trepidation. Immediately you're flooded with self-doubt and scared that any pruning, fertilizing or other maintenance activity is going to result in disaster!  Hopefully, that will pass soon 

Given our location on Bainbridge, we initially were not sure that the buses would be able to get the visitors close enough to us - and when they do - would they be able to turn around and take the visitors back - afterall, we don't intend to be a campground!  We were able to resolve this problem after our neighbor, who has a 50 acre horse facility, kindly allowed us to use a private loop road at the top of her property for the buses to turn. Then we had to wait for the Kitsap Transit folks to test it out!  All this time, we're in a sort of limbo - very excited that we're probably going to be on the tour - but not sure. That was finally resolved just a few days ago, so now the game is on!

Of course the next flurry of activity that I had to get started was to make sure my plant catalog was up to date and commit to keeping it up to date. After being on quite a few of these garden tours, the one thing that really frustrates me, is not being able to find out what a particularly nice specimen is without trying to track down the homeowner (who may be hiding somewhere). So what I intend to do is give the docents a good guide to the garden areas with all the [key] plants defined - I'll also have a few guides that the visitors can borrow and take around with them. I've started some preliminary experiments with the Garden Tour program of IGP5 and it's really good - but I suspect that George and I will have a chat because I'm bound to want to do something that George has been itching to do, but not had the motivation

So, it's now 144 days till the first visitors will walk in -- I better go get that cap-mounted light and get out and weed...

[NightHawk]

Congratulations John and Kathleen. 

There is a similar scheme in the UK, which you will probably be familiar with John having lived here, but for anyone who does not know about it I will explain.

This is the "Yellow Book", operated by the NGS (National Garden Scheme - www.ngs.org.uk/gen/the_yellow_book.aspx), where garden owners (mostly private) can ask the NGS to be included in their book.  The book lists around 3,500 gardens that open to the public, and the proceeds from visitors (entry fees, sale of tea and coffee and plants, etc.) go to charity.

The NGS have exacting standards though, and their main criteria is that there must be at least 20 minutes of interest for the visitors.  Health and safety is also a major concern for the NGS, where things like steep slipery steps and paths need to be attended to.

They will send a representative to go around your garden to see if it is suitable.

Sadly, our gardens are no where near big enough to hold interest for 20 minutes, but there are some lovely ones that do make the scheme. 

Anyway, good luck in your venture - have fun and make yourselves proud. 

Kathy & Laurie.

[ideasguy]

Now this is REALLY exciting stuff 

Congratulations John and Kathleen 1500 visitors - that is incredible. Spread over 3 days, its still an average of 500 a day, and thats a lot of visitors.
I hope you get really fine weather for your 20th Anniversary Bainbridge In Bloom tour!

In early July - will any of your Rhodos be in bloom at that time?

As for the Garden Tour program of IGP5 (Reports> GA015) - well, I'm absolutely delighted to see you are using this for the presentation.
I havent done any updates to that program in a while, but heres a few little things that come to mind:
Logos - Ive already promised this to Covington Water District (your WA neighbours who use this report).
Photo for Page 1
Web Page Generator - to create web pages of the Tour Document, and of course, to publish it on the internet. I'll be more than pleased to host that on the http://www.ideasforgardens.net server.
I could develop that to include photos.
All in all, it would be a terrific preview of the garden to sparkle the enthusiasm of those lucky folk who will be on that tour.
As for "merchandising". Well, how about making up a SWAP CD?
Loads of possibilities.
I look forward to your specific requirements. As you know, thats how the IG programs evolve.

Thanks for sharing this on the forum John, and I hope you can persuade your friends and family to help you get ready for that great event.

[JohnB]

Finally, I get some time to re-join the the forum - since my last post earlier in the year, the Bainbridge In Bloom garden tour has been and gone, we hosted a wedding in the garden, I changed jobs (out of the very troubled US Financial Industry), we celebrated my wife's entry into her second half century, and then last week our 30th wedding anniversary -- quite a year so far!

It had been my plan to post a few notes while we were building up to the event - but time just didn't seem to be there. I did manage to get my database much more complete and had a few printouts (22+ pages long) for the on-site master gardener's to refer to on the day - they were delighted.

I've posted photo's of the garden tour and also the beginnings of a garden gallery on http://johnandkathb.smugmug.com  so please do take a look. I know you offered to host the garden pictures, George, and I thank you for that - but Smugmug is a great service that lets me store original quality pictures in case I lose them on my computer. Being a host garden on this event was quite a wonderful experience - not as traumatic as I thought it might be. There are some details of the tour itself on http://gardentour.info

The three day event attracted around 2000 visitors, mostly on the Saturday and Sunday. The Friday was "Patrons Day" and was a self drive event, rather than being brought around by bus. The weather was wonderful and having a local made ice cream stand on site was a plus - I managed to sample all of the nine flavors!

Just three weeks after the Bloom, our closest friends had their wedding ceremony in the garden. That was very special and it was a real pleasure to use the garden for such a special occasion.

It seems that I also now have lots to catch up on, on this forum - so I'm looking forward to browsing around.

JohnB

[NightHawk]

Great to hear from you again John. 

You certainly have been very busy.  It's amazing what things transpire to hinder your leisure time.

I've had a look at your web site, fantastic photos and a marvellous garden.  I'm green with envy. 

I like the feature that allows you to choose the size of the photo to view - great stuff.

Look forward to hearing more from you (as time allows, of course.  )

Laurie.

[ideasguy]

Its REALLY good to hear from you again John!

Gorsh!! Ive just browsed through all those photos of your garden and the tour. How on earth do you manage 5 acres? What I mean is, how do you manage 5 acres AND keep it looking so fantastic?
I am totally in awe. Your home and garden is simply incredible.

That software is something else, John, I have to say. A beautiful presentation.
As Laurie has commented, its neat to be able to enlarge the photos.
I hope you don't mind - Ive downloaded a few of the photos.
One I REALLY like is Hydrangea 'Kabaret' (2 images on your presentation)
Its a real beauty, and those flowers are so different from the norm.

Rhododendron 'Ben Nelson' looks good. Any photos of it in bloom?

I'm really pleased to note that you managed to get your database updated before the tour. 22 page document! That is really impressive.

Thanks for the links John. Ive had a visit to the web sites. Lots of interest there for another few visits!
Very interesting I have to say.
I read on the web sites that you have 200 varieties of Rhodos half of which are species. What a pleasure it must be to see those in bloom.
Was flowering over before that tour?

Thanks to the gang here,you've a bit of catching up to do on the forum, John  Enjoy!

Good luck in your new career!