Opening a Garden with OGV
We open inspirational gardens of every kind to the public from designer to owner-grown and maintained, huge to tiny, rural to metropolitan, productive gardens and everything in between! We are always looking for new gardens to open.
The gardens usually open for two days (normally a Saturday and Sunday) and we arrange ticketing, publicity, promotion and insurance and share the gate takings with the garden owners.
The criteria for opening a garden are varied, but the basic requirement is that there should be at least half an hour to an hour of interest for visitors. Some key criteria include:
- A striking feature such as an avenue of trees, a vine engulfed arbor, a water feature like a lake, sprawling lawns amidst many garden areas to explore, garden sculptures
- Knockout plants such as heritage listed plants, a combination of unusual plants, mature trees, natives or exotics
- A magnificent old house completely complemented by the garden
- Pot plantings, courtyard plantings, use of re-cycled materials or home propagated plants
- A garden that has been designed by a well-known landscape designer
- A sustainable garden that is testament to how it has evolved over time to combat climate change
Read about the experience of one of our garden owners Matthew Henry, owner of Clear Springs (pictured above).
If you have a private garden you’d like us to open please get in contact with us. One of our selectors will call to arrange a time to come and talk to you and explain in full detail the process involved. You can email us at selectors@opengardensvictoria.org.au.
Garden owners can choose to keep their share of gate takings which is generally a 50/50 split.
Some owners choose to donate their share to a charity of their choice. Organisations that have benefitted via donations from OGV and garden owners:
Animals Asia, Anglesea CFA, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Burwood Heights Primary School, Cabrini Hospital, Chelsea Australian Garden at Olinda, Friends of Cranbourne Botanical Gardens, Duneira Garden Trust, Emmy Fights All, Geelong Animal Welfare Society, Global Gardens of Peace, Groomed to Go, Guide Dogs Australia, Karwarra Australian Plant Garden, Leukaemia Foundation, Melba Opera Trust, Millhouse Neighbourhood House, Movember, Nepean Historical Society Museum, Olinda CFA, Oxfam, Parkinson's Victoria, The Planthunter, Port Phillip Eco Centre, Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, Rotary Brighton, Save-a-Dog, Steve Waugh Foundation, The Narre Warren Scout Group, The Red Cross, The Waverley Garden Club, Transit Soup Kitchen & Food Support, Tylden Primary School, UN World Food Programme.