Garden writer Neil Watson of Fishers, Ind., avoids stepping into a garden bed to take a photo during a tour of an Ann Arbor, Mich., garden. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp
June is one of the busiest months for garden tours. The Hoosier Gardener talked about garden tour etiquette June 16 on Fox 59 Morning News.
You can find out about garden tours by clicking on HortusScope in the left hand column. Colleague and friend Wendy Ford puts together this monthly calendar of garden- and nature-related activities as a community service, which she shares with readers of the Hoosier Gardener.
Here are some tips for garden tour etiquette, which t
Garden tour tips:
• Stay on the paths. NEVER step into a garden bed, even to take a photo…stepping into the bed will compact the soil, plus you might step on a plant.
• For ideas, take photos of plants, plant combimations or sketch the scene in a notebook. Do not take seeds or snippets of plants without permission.
• Wear hat and use sunscreen. Mosquito repellent may be necessary. An umbrella may be handy, too, because most garden tours are rain or shine.
• Don’t carry on conversations w/old friends in the middle of pathways…this blocks the passageway for others on the tour.
• Most tours have sections of the landscape roped off, such as the trash can area or gardens under construction. The reason doesn’t matter. Going into a roped off area is like opening a closed door in someone’s home.
• Carpool to reduce traffic in a tour’s neighborhood. Also, on some tours, parking is difficult or scarce. Shuttles sometimes are provided to reduce traffic.
• Dress appropriately in case the landscape is wet or muddy. Wear comfortable shoes that you can walk on gravel, mulch or soil pathways.
• Thank the homeowner for his or her hospitality and for allowing the tour. You have no idea how much work having a tour is, yet it is opportunities like tours that give us the great ideas for our own landscapes.
• Make a day of it…have brunch before or a late lunch after with friends. Garden tours are very social events.