The Garden Life: Garden needn't be perfect to share it with appreciative guests

When preparing for the arrival of garden guests, spruce up the details in a few key garden locations. (ROBB ROSSER)

Last year in early July I wrote in my garden journal, "When summer comes to Scout’s Run, we can always count on a bevy of visitors to the garden." That was an understatement since I had already had three small parties in very early spring, a couple of visitors from out of town in May and the Washington State University Master Gardener’s Music in the Garden event on a sunny afternoon in mid-June.

This talk of visitors has me considering the many different ways that people see a garden. For anyone planning to open their garden to visitors or planning on visiting other gardens this summer, the concept of what we look for when we do visit begins before we even arrive in the garden.

Those who love gardens in general arrive with the intention of being pleased and invariably find something in which to delight. There are those who visit gardens to garner ideas and there are those who come to compare. Sometimes, our own perceptions change when others come to see the garden we have created. Few of us can help being swayed in some way by the reaction of others to our own artistic endeavors.

More than one visitor to my garden for the Music in the Garden event casually expressed appreciation that my garden was less than perfect. Truly, I know the comments were made in the most generous attitude. I like to think that what they were saying was this, "Thanks for not making it look unachievable."

"Thanks for being a real person and not a super gardener. (Whatever that might be! Thanks for reminding us that gardens are a joy, even if we’ve missed some weeds or the dog has scuffed the gravel onto the walkway or an idea has not matured enough to be a Kodak photo opportunity, yet."

When I was getting the garden ready for the big event last June, a neighbor asked if I was nervous about everyone seeing how some areas of the garden were in disarray. I think that was a code word for weedy. It’s true that there were weeds that I just couldn’t get to, a couple of rhododendrons needed to be deadheaded and an area of lawn had already grown a tad patchy and sparse. Still, I had to say, "No."

I would never be able to share my garden if I had to hold on to perfection as the measure of its rightness. If I required myself to be perfect before I got up in front of a group of people to speak about any facet of gardening, I wouldn’t be able to open my front door and leave the house. Perfection is a trap I choose to avoid, in gardening and in life. Give me the luscious, exhilarating chaos of reality any day.

When I’m alone working, I typically see my garden through the chores on my agenda. This is the way it should be, of course, or nothing would ever get done. From my point of view, most projects are not yet finished, even if they appear complete to other viewers. They see a cascading pond and I see plants still waiting for a period of maturity to take hold, rocks slowly developing a patina of green moss and a vision of future garden ornament.

When I know that guests will be visiting, I consciously remind myself to look at the garden the way a visitor would look, through fresh eyes, seeing the garden as a whole. Choose a specific location that allows you to look out on the whole, big picture. This is usually what the visitor will see, especially the first-time visitor. It’s a refreshing exercise for any gardener and I recommend it to any gardener who considers their garden a creative work in progress.

To prepare for guests, begin at the beginning. Where is the visitor’s eye drawn when they approach each area of the garden? Spend your time and energy sprucing up the details in these locations. You don’t always need a gardening expert or a design book or me to tell you what to do. Instead, invite a fellow gardening friend over for a trial run.

Have fun and enjoy the journey through your own garden. You and your friend and all the visitors who follow will marvel at the good work you’ve done.

Robb Rosser is a WSU-certified master gardener. Reach him at Write2Robb@aol.com.