What do YOU look for?

Spritz, I would expect to see what i see here...a beautiful garden..Plenty of flowering plants and shrubs, blending colours and textures...A garden well planned and weeded...Otherwise i could stay at home and look at my own, which would never be near good enough to show to the public......I just wish i could go to the Open Day....I know it will be a great success....

I would be happy to see an abundance of flowering shrubs, trees and flowers, especially if some are a little more unusual than the mainstream ones! If I spotted a weed or two, I would ignore them, nobody expects to see a perfect garden after all. I think most visitors are in awe of anyone brave enough to open their garden to the public in the first place! I sometimes take a pen and notepad to write down the names of plants I may like to buy in the future, so I'm one of the annoying visitors always asking questions! Your garden is looking fabulous in these pics. Why exactly were you on your hands & knees, Spritz? Long handled shears are available in the shops you know ... lol!

i agree with motinot ~ i like the impression it gives when you walk in ~ i wouldnt notice a few weeds, i would notice the lawn being generally neat ~ but the memory of a garden is what i want to take away ~ a massed bank of colour and ideas of what goes well together ~ which i can see in your garden. some plant labels are helpful i think and one or two plants to buy is always nice.
we have a few open gardens near here and it is the massed colour and planting of interesting plants that i remember; one garden was just dull with nothing to talk about but all the others had at least one idea that i could take back with me ~ from tiny courtyard gardens with a colourful plant on the wall brightening up an otherwise dark corner to very large lawns and tiered plantings with ponds.
perhaps just somewhere inviting to sit?? one garden had loungers out on the lawn ~ not for the visitors to use but it just made the whole garden look like a place to relax in.

sorry, didnt mean to write that much ~ your garden looks just right for a visit as it is ~ such lovely colour.

If a garden is open under the NGS (which is a hard-won honour) I'd expect something special. The design and planting should be beautiful, hopefully with some original and unusal ideas to inspire the visitors.

We know they are private gardens, so forgive the occasional weed, but a mass of weeds shows a careless attitude, and (yes!) cutting the edges is worthwhile as it is the "finishing touch" which helps to show off the garden at its best!

Yours is looking lovely - it's bound to be enjoyed. :))

Thank you for your comments, which I'm finding very interesting - and helpful too. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with the list of 'to-do' jobs, and I just wondered if all the hard work was noticed by visitors. It seems that it is!

I laughed about the long-handled shears. Yes, I have some, but the hands and knees bit is to weed the edges as I go - then on the day before the open day, I just whip round and trim the edges with the 'easy' shears after OH has cut the lawns. :-))

Now you know, Sheila - and I'm looking forward to meeting you, too. x

I too like nice clipped lawns & edges because that just makes the garden look so neat & tidy (even if it isnt!) and then a massive splash of colour, shrubs, trees, sculptures, a bench or two, quiet corners and water. Plants labelled up are so useful and a plant table too. Oh and of course a nice cup of tea & homemade cake and good company. Hope all goes well Spritz, your garden looks delightful.

Well by now you should know what I m like pleasent hostess, , that s informative, as for the garden, refreshments after a journey, my favourtie garden was the secret garden wild and natural some weeds give lots of pretty colour flowers on them I would expect what I could take from there as most people do, in what plants I could buy and take home for my garden, as it s for charity why care about a few weeds no way would you ever catch me on my hands and knees trimming the lawn for any thing I would use a strimmer . Have you ever thought of phoneing around for some one like Nosey Potter to put some of his garden sculptures in so people can buy to help raise money for charity I m sure Leigh would donate some of the money to charity.

Your garden is justly included in the NGS - it is beautiful. If I visit a garden I like to see it neat or like Moti says I can stay at home and see an untidy garden. I always like to see well stocked borders etc and perhaps one or two unusual features with ideas to take home. I also like plants for sale if possible and I'm a glutton for a cup of tea and home-made cake.

Best of luck with your open days. Wish I lived nearer !

An interesting blog spritz. I'm like you - on the other side of the counter so to speak - so it is interesting to hear what other people are looking for.

Personally, I'm looking for a well-kept garden (lawn cut and edged, as few weeds as possible, and no eye-sores), interesting and unusual plants and ways of combining them.

Good luck with your opening - the garden is looking good as always

I love the look of your garden, massed plants in the border offset by immaculately trimmed lawn. When we're deciding which garden to visit from the Yellow Book we both look for plant sales and home-made teas. My partner votes for any garden with a vegetable patch. I vote for traditional cottage gardens. Some gardeners seem to like interacting with the public and are more than willing to chat with us, which I really like. If I don't recognise a plant, then I want to know what it is so I like to see labels in other people's gardens. But I never leave the gc labels in my own garden - I think they detract from the look of the garden so I write the details in a notebook instead. One Open Garden I visited had drawn plans of the garden with lists of what was in each bed. There was so much work involved in doing that but I did appreciate it. Hope your open days go well and you have good weather. You deserve it after all your hard work.

What a great garden Spritz! I have been around a few gardens here in Hull and they do vary a lot. To be hanest, I like the gardens to be colourful, tidy (not hygienically clean), and I am not bothered about colours being mixed together or tall plants towards the front of the bed. The grass needs to be short but if its patchy or well worn here and there with some daisies etc then great. The odd weed around doesn't really matter: no one can get every single weed out! Gardens are for enjoying close up, not from a distance. They should be extensions of the home and therefore have a lived in look (like yours does!). These are the best gardens in my opinion. You have put a great deal of effort into making your garden the way it is but at the end of the day the only opinion that really matters is yours!

i once did some labels for plants for a friend that was opening their garden for charity~ but they were not real plant labels ~ it was things like:
costalotus
spreadsalot
spikyitus
etc
friend told me there were more comments about the labels than the plants but it made something for people to talk about!!!

Spritz, I am with Andrew on this one, a well kept edged lawn sets off a garden, in small gardens I would not expect to see weeds, larger gardens fair enough, especially if there are wild areas.
Interesting planting with well grown plants, perhaps a few novel ideas, labels seem to be frowned on by the NGS here (unless that is just our County)
Shirley don't ask me too many questions I shall go in to panic mode lol
When we visit a garden the planting is more important than the tea and cake, although it is very nice to sit and relax with a cuppa, it is hard work for the hostess!!
A plant sale is always very welcome.
Good luck with your opening, the garden is looking wonderful as usual, I have spent most of the afternoon on my hands and knees, weeding the gravel!! in time for Sunday.

I can't really answer your questions Spritz as I'm over here. But I can say that I look for tidiness and lots of mature plants and flowers...the more unusual and special, the better. Anyone can plant a bunch of marigolds and petunias and have colour but a garden, like yours, that has been loved and worked definately stands out to me. :o)

PS...I must tell you with sadness that the lovely geraniums which I grew from the seed you sent were all killed over the winter. :o(
I think I have a couple of seeds left so I'll have to start over and try to mulch them deeper this time.

I would look for exactly what I see in your photos, Spritz. An obviously well-cared for garden with intelligent planting. Never mind the odd weed or two - as has been said in previous comments here - nobody can oust every single weed. Good luck on your open days. :o)

I expect to see a garden like yours Spritz lots of planting giving me lots of ideas, very few weeds the edges kept neat and to be able to wander from area to area as I do not like it if you can see everything at once. As to lack of labels? I do not mind that as in full beds its not really viable, but I do wish more owners would go that extra mile and hand out a typed list of the plantings. One good list I was handed just listed plants found in each named bed/area. One garden I visited had a plan of plantings on the barn door they called it their plant map this was also available in a photo copy for 50p. I rarely talk to the owner as I find they are busy with others but that suits me fine.

Oh yes...a cuppa and plant sale would be great ..:>)

Lol Motinot

Going back to your questions, Barbara, (e.g. edges), critical people don't necessarily notice what's done, but ALWAYS notice what's NOT done! :) See you next week. x

I think some of the gardens that are open are a let down Sheila and should not be open, weeds and poor maintenance is not what I pay to see! What I pay/expect to see is gardens that are cared for and set an example for what we too can aspire to. That does not make me critical it means I dont like being conned even if it is for charity.

I hope you didn't think my remark was directed at you, Drc?? I was actually thinking of certain husbands that I know - as this comment also relates to housework lol.

I agree that we want to be inspired by ngs gardens.

You should expect more from a NGS garden, a certain standard has to be reached before you are allowed to open your garden, hey .....what am I letting myself in for here? I am very critical of our garden there are still areas we could improve, and we will continue to do so, we cannot wait to to get on with plan A, as soon as we get back from our hols, we shall start....

I think I'm on plan H, Dd. lol. I'm the same as you - I'm very, very critical of my garden.

Denise, thank you - I needed people to be honest, and you have been, as have the other members who commented.

As to plant lists, I would find that a real problem, in two-thirds of an acre, I must have a couple of thousand plants. I asked OH what he thought about a plan - he agreed that it would be almost impossible.

I do make sure I'm available if anyone wants to know what a particular plant is, though, and yes, Motinot, the local WI do teas, and we also have a plant stall. :-)))

I think that's important - I head straight for the plants when I go to open gardens! lol.

Lol Spritz now your telling the truth and good on you.

I can see your garden on here Spritz and wish myself there.

Hi Barbara. I would like to see a garden that was loved. It would not have to have flowers. Maybe it would be a foliage garden, or a cactus garden lol,
But it would have to have the feeling that its owners 'loved' it. - And your garden is like that :)
Good luck with your open days !

nice point hywel
i like gardens and rooms that make me feel comfortable and able to relax in.

Your garden looks lovely as always, good luck on your open days.

I guess that I'm a little out on a limb here as I'm not so much into the garden as I am the plants themselves.
So Sue walks around saying that is wrong with those etc, but my most common moan is "seen it all before".
What I want is plenty of new stuff - it doesn't have to be a beautiful garden, it just has to be interesting. I want to leave thinking where on earth can I get that?
And there must be an indoor section too!

Errrrr....would my greenhouse do, Meanie? I do have some unusual plants for you to see - you know that already. lol.

Thank you all for your good wishes. If this wind would only calm down, I'd feel happier! There are little twigs and leaves all over the place. Unbelievable!

Don't worry Barbara or you will be a wreck before the open days , Your garden is beautiful! packed full of gorgeous plants , who could fail to be inspired by it , I love little secret bits that are hidden from view to come upon as surprises also nice brickwork on the paths/steps arches etc. I do like to stop for a cup of tea and a cake but there's usually a village hall or similar catering for that ..
Good luck for your open days , not that you will need it ..I hope it stays dry for you x

Greenhouse is fine Spritz!
Tell you what I hate - people crashing into the plants! I see it all the time at the botanic gardens. Winds me up!!!

Drc - if you visit a Yellow Book garden that really is not up to standard and let's the Garden Scheme down, you should let the County Organiser know. It's only by feedback from the paying visitors that lets them know there is a problem. I remember visiting a group of village gardens many years ago - five were immaculate, the sixth shouldn't have opened as it hadn't been touched for six months after the paid gardener left

I have often thought it would be interesting if houses had a log-book in which changes were recorded, including applications for planning permission and maybe basic information, such as that collected in the census,about the folk who have lived there. This log-book would also contain information about the garden and other features in the plot. It isn't just stately homes that have interesting histories.
Have you thought of printing out your blogs from here on GoY, putting them into a loose-leaf file and putting it out for your visitors to browse through. I know there is some very interesting material therein.

i love natural gardens that explode with colour .............. big blousey borders and unusual plants , something to tempt me to buy , i like to see a well kept garden , and dont mine the odd weed , but to some people weeds are wild flowers , yours is gawjus and i wish i cud visit ..................... to me if you go home and want to copy something , then its a success and a joy lawns are not our thing ............ but i know a gud one wen i see it !!
we went to open garden and saw love lies bleeding . loved it and have grown lots of it this year ............. so thats wot i like .............. inspiration , go home , see if you can do it !!! hope you get a sence of that from my garden !! i have so ,many ideas from this site and gardens like yours , so thankyou

Never having been to an Open Garden I wouldn't know what to expect really. I'd like to see it neat & tidy without obvious eyesores. The lawn would need to be looked after but not in a bowling green fashion - after all the odd Daisy or Buttercup makes it look loved rather than manicured! The edges should at least be tidy, no need to be overly fussy about getting a nice straight edge. I was in the Cambridge Botanical gardens last year & in some places they were trimming the edge - it made such a difference - before & after!

I'd like to see many plants in flower & tidy without too many dead heads or seed heads. A few weeds wouldn't muck up a display - while they were just a few! I find myself trying to identify plants - wherever I go! So a few labels or a plan wouldn't go amiss with me! I wouldn't expect it to be labelled up like a botanical garden, after all its a garden that is lived in not a museum piece!

I love the photos you have put on here & would dearly love to visit your garden & to meet you in person - we'd get on fabulously with our love of plants! Unfortunately it won't be possible.

Wishing you good weather & a wonderful day with lots of caring visitors. :-))

Don't you all say nice things! Thank you. This blog wasn't meant to be me fishing for compliments - honestly!

Balcony - I had to smile wryly at your comments on lawns. Mine are: some grass, but with moss, clover, daisies, dandelions, badger holes and now the rooks have joined in and are pecking holes every day. :-(((((

I'm just glad to hear all your views on what you'd like to see in an open garden. I wish you could all be here on Thursday, though. :-(

Neatly edged lawn etc, that will tell me there the whole story, well groomed. I agree your garden is spectacular, a 10 & all that is needed has been done, although we never feel it is so.

I love to see plant tags to tell me the unusual & some little write up on the property. The tags help when you get 100's of ??? what a certain plant is. remember the "new" gardeners, they want to learn & does not have the knowledge we have, so lovely plant 'tags" to me is so great.
Plant stall, GREAT idea, I do the same, I make a bee line for it, tea, OMG now that is A- rated.

Will hold thumbs & have a G & T before hand LOL!!!!just joking, but afterwards 4 sure.

I think you know that I plant closely - any plant tags would be lost! LOL. I really don't mind people asking questions - it keeps me on my toes. :-)

I have my own plant stall, and also a Nursery comes with their plants, so there will be plenty to choose from. :-)

(Mine are a lot cheaper...)

Teas - we open up the garden room doors, and the ladies who serve teas have a table in there, so people can choose their tea & cake or a cream tea, and take it off to sit in different places, like the summer house or on the patio in the back garden. They seem to like that.

Barbara , we visited some gardens today, they had the most fabulous displays of roses everywhere but they couldn't tell us the name of anyone of them ... which was a shame really because I would have liked to have been able to buy a couple that I liked ...

The Post code and opening times please. I am hoping to pay you a visit on Thursday 2nd if I can find my way to you. I am coming down to babysit my grand children and I am sure they would love to meet a certain good looking labrador.

Barbara your garden looks perfect to me, just what i would expect from an open garden. I do like to see lawn edges neatly trimmed and I do mine on my hands and knees too, I would be looking for lots of colour, variety and groupings, also would like to see the names too. Plant sales are a bonus,as is unusual features particularly water too. I would want to come away with excitement and lots of new ideas for my own little plot. Good luck and enjoy :0))

Amy, after some research and help, I think I know the names of most of the roses. :-))

Things that I planted I know, as long as my memory lasts out, that is. lol. It's the inherited plants I've had to try to ID.

Pp - I wish it 'was' perfect, but my 'friends' the badgers, and a rook colony from up the lane, too, are determined to wreck the lawns. :-(( I think most other things are covered, and I really hope that visitors will enjoy their tour - and the tea, of course!

Scotsgran, I've sent you a pm. Henry will be pleased to meet you and the children - and so will I. :-)

If a danish point off wiew counts, I can tell you, that I look for: atmosphere, that I can se comming ideas/dreams, that the owner likes to show around/discuss.

It´s reminds me: If any off you come to Denmark; You should me welcome in my wild garden with to much weed, but also many flowers and many plants.

Of course your ideas count, Hanne. I do like showing people round my garden - if I didn't, I certainly wouldn't open it. LOL.

I'd love to see your garden, weeds or not. :-))