This page is for Open Garden owners (or those considering it).
If you’ve put in the hard yards and want to share your garden with other avid gardeners and nature lovers in the 2026 Festival of Gardens, we’d love to hear from you.
Opening every second year in November (even years), featuring an average of 20 gardens, the Festival has more than 15,000 garden visits.
Expressions of interest for the 2026 Festival of Gardens will be called for in mid 2025
Sign up for our occasional e-newsletter, keep an eye on our Facebook or Instagram pages or watch the local paper for the Expression of Interest call out.
THE PROCESS
During November 2025, each prospective garden will be visited by independent assessors from outside the Mt Alexander Shire. Once assessed for suitability under the Festival of Gardens guidelines, successful applicants will be notified, giving them 12 months to prepare their gardens for the Festival in 2026.
Our gardeners find the experience of opening their gardens to be rewarding and it creates a strong community of kindred spirits. Our garden visitors love it and many come back every festival to enjoy both the old and the new gardens in Shire.