I wouldnt worry about critics. I dind gardeners are eager to learn and will be especially interested in your process of creating and maintaining it.

I think you should write exactly what you said in your OP: It's a 25 year project on 5 acres, We have had successes, some by accident rather than planning, and lots of failures. We have beds and arrangements that I look at and think that doesn't really work. And others where I marvel and what the plants have done. There is a limit to the amount of time, energy and resources to work on them and they will be what they will be on the day.

Perfect. I imafgine they want specifics, so you could add something about the type(s) of garden in different areas of the 5 acres and include names of some of the plants.

@SeniorBalloon I agree with cyn427 about using your OP comment in your opening statement to describe your garden! 5 acres sounds like more than a garden & maybe more than a country garden too so your garden is likely to attract interest. I looked at the site for NW Perennial Alliance Garden & it’s really a big deal. My guess is you’re in the Northern section? I’ve taken the local garden tours in my area & it was lots of fun & very informative. The gardens were private & owned by people like us who love to work outside in our private spaces; they were all sizes & shapes and also ran the gamut from jaw droppingly gorgeous to ”just” a nice space to sit and sip a glass of something. What I enjoyed most was seeing the creativity of other gardeners to create a pretty scape out of some challenging sites. Any criticisms I had or heard from others were related to personal preferences about color mixes or something a person would add or delete. The best thing for me was to see garden settings in person that were ’real’ and not the high gloss pics splashed across the pages of a garden magazine that few could create. I also loved learning about some new to me plants & the opportunity to see some mature versions of plants I’d considered for my own yard. I hope you have fun with sharing your gardens with others. I hope too that after the tours you share your thoughts on your experience here.

I think the hardest part is taking the credit for what you've created and getting over that fear of sounding like you're a little more 'full of yourself' than you are. That's the sense I get. You seem to take full credit for the 'mistakes' but it's all just the plants doing it on their own and luck when the idea of success comes up! I don't have any mistakes, just 'works in progress' lol

You could add some specific interests maybe. Woodland plants? Hydrangeas? wildlife? Kind of give an idea of what your theme is.

I'm sure it will look great and many people will get it. If you're worried have a crabby friend stop by and let their complaints fly, and then figure out what you want to or would consider changing. I have friends who ply visitors with wine so that they are more willing to speak honestly!

Another opinion is also helpful when you look at the same thing every day, and you rememebr it through the years. It's hard to see the disaster which grew up around the front entrance when you're all focused on your new favorite planting... or at least that's how I am. I'm the type who is deadheading lilacs while the lawn is an unmown mess and there are hoses tangled across every pathway ;)

I wish I lived closer for a visit! 25 years on 5 acres is a dream I've never realized or will ever have. It's an honor to host. After all, we're all gardeners and we love plants and the people who plant them!

What a beautiful and heartfelt gesture! The decision to submit your garden to the Northwest Perennial Alliance Open Garden program reflects not only your dedication but also your generosity in sharing 25 years of effort, passion, and learning with others. It’s inspiring how you embrace the imperfections and triumphs of your garden as part of its story. Best of luck, and we're sure your garden will leave visitors with a sense of wonder and admiration!

Been there, done that and don't care to repeat it :-) The work to get everything ready for an open garden is huge, regardless of the size of the garden you have. But I was working full time then so my gardening time was limited.

I have also visited many local gardens, both as part of the NPA Open Garden program as well as local garden tours. Some have been remarkable and very memorable while others are very so-so. What always struck me was the design involved - some folks just ave a natural feel for that - as well as the plant choices. It is relatively easy to suss out those gardeners that take an active interest in their garden and those that hire it done and then tart it up with lots of annuals stuck here and there.

Brian, I know you to be a very experienced and talented gardener and I'm sure your garden will read that way as well. I would love to visit when the time comes!!

Just a hint but if you can schedule the open at the same time as other local NPA members, the attendance increases significantly.

Great comments thank you all. To clarify, while we live on 5 acres, it's not all gardens. This isn't a Bellevue Botanical Gardens :o) Its a rustic, home made country garden. The beds are spread out over about two acres with wide sweeps of grass in between. The main concentrations are around the house and in the field below where we have our greenhouse.

The critical comments won't hurt my feelings, I know where things are good and where they're not, but I will be disappointed if people don't feel it was worth their time. It is a bit of a drive to get out here.

During those 25 years my wife and I both worked, (retired now) and have had the normal aging issues that slow you down in the garden. Moving a good sized shrub is a major task these days, so some things are just where they are. Which is fine as I said it is what it is. We love it and its a marvelous place to end the day with a glass of wine.

SB

Greenhouse? You have a greenhouse? Be still my heart! When we moved here to NE Vancouver area from our home in East Hill Kent a greenhouse was on my wish list. I didn’t get one but we do have a lovely storage shed that matches our house in exterior finishes. I wouldn’t be surprised if visitors take an interest in your greenhouse - both exterior plantings around it & peeking inside to see what’s going on there. I did visit Bellevue Botanical Gardens once during holidays to see the lights. Lovely!

I participated in my local garden tour, Open Gardens, for 4 years in a row, prior to the pandemic. Funny, writing that garden description was always a challenge, as I am very artistic, so I’d write these very artsy, non literal descriptions which intrigued and confused folks. But it was how I wanted to express myself. The tours themselves were some of the more anxiety building things I have ever done as I didn’t know what to expect opening up myself to the masses. But folks were overwhelmingly positive and especially appreciative - the first things folks said upon entering was thank you so much for opening your garden. It meant a lot. I’d like to hope it would still be like that if I were to do it again now; however, with increased social media a lot of those filters are off, and you are being taken to task and called out for so many things which a lot of our gardens were established on before we had a lot of current information. I am thinking of opening up my garden again for a final time this year, and I have some ideas on how to address some of the challenges I mentioned. I’d love to hear your experiences!

We have decided not to do the open gardens. Once we started thinking about what we'd want to do before it became more like work and not fun. One of the things I love about being retired and working in the garden is to get up and think about what do I want to do today. Instead it was feeling more like what do we have to do. We may do it some year, but not this year.

"One of the things I love about being retired and working in the garden is to get up and think about what do I want to do today. Instead it was feeling more like what do we have to do."

I look forward to the day I will be able to say the same! (about anything, not just gardening).

I am very fortunate with many blessings. I hope you all get to do this.