CONTRIBUTED

The sixth annual Weymouth Garden Tour will offer garden lovers the opportunity to stroll through and become immersed in gardens they will not ordinarily get to see.

An invitation is extended to garden enthusiasts to tour five gardens in Pinehurst and Southern Pines from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 14. The cost is $15 per ticket in advance and $20 the day of the tour.

This is a fundraiser for Weymouth Center for Arts and Humanities. The program booklet, which is the entry ticket for the tour, provides a map for locating the homes as well as detailed descriptions of the gardens, written by Marijanet Doonan.

The gardens offered on this year's tour are those of Anne and Tom Register, Kathy and Bill Smith, Connie Atwell, Nancy Donald, and the Emmanuel Episcopal Church.

"Each garden offers visual pleasures and sensual delights, and all visitors will be guaranteed to find at least one 'wow' in every garden," says a spokesman.

The Pinehurst garden of Anne and Tom Register was created by the couple. Tom, the botanist, and Anne, the colorist, have taken their knowledge of plants and a special eye for color and texture and created a pleasing and serene experience.

"All the senses are stimulated, beginning with the tingling aromas of the plants, which include lilacs, camellias, gardenias, and butterfly bushes as well as a vast variety of herbs," says the spokesman. "The eye is tantalized by the colors and textures of Harry Walker's Walking Cane, the Cherokee Roses, rhododendron and the ferns."

Nearly 20 red cedar trees that are over 50 feet tall and over 100 species of plants, shrubs and flowers, are settled into a woodsy design.

Courtney Herndon, a local artist, will have her artwork on display in the Registers' garden. Herndon's primary medium is oil, but she also dabbles in watercolor and pastels. Her work, which is a wonderful addition to the garden setting, has been on display at past Weymouth Garden Tours.

The gardens of Kathy and Bill Smith, in Southern Pines, are divided into five separate but flowing spaces that can be enjoyed from any window from within the house. Kathy Smith considers her gardens a gift of color and beauty that are enjoyed by the family every day throughout the year.

The naturally planted garden at the front of the house greets visitors with columbine and peonies, giant red and yellow cannas and dainty bleeding hearts.

"Wonderful discoveries are made by merely looking under and through the shrubs and flowers found in this area," says the spokesman. "The rose garden grows with new additions every year."

Ferns grow profusely in the shade garden, the canopy of trees offering just the right stimulus for growth. New growth contrasts to the established plantings and offers delight to the eyes. The patio is the pivotal place for family gatherings and is an extension of the house.

Looking out over the patio, the eye not only settles on the plantings but on the organic vegetable garden that is surrounded by a gate and fence lined with roses. Grape vines trail on the arbors above. The children of the family help plant and take care of their own plots, and the family enjoys the benefit and taste of these organic vegetables.

Emmanuel Episcopal Church, in Southern Pines, not only offers tranquil gardens, but a chance to stop for refreshment and review what has been seen and anticipate what is yet to come. The refreshments are complimentary and are served by volunteers associated with the Weymouth Garden Tour committee.

"Serenity is the word which would best describe the feeling from this Memorial Garden, a place of memories and beginnings," says a spokesman. "The garden was created by the congregation under the leadership of Rector John Tampa and dedicated as a gift for the members and the community.

The garden has taken a number of decades to design but offers an oasis for reflection and meditation. A statue of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of nature, keeps a watchful eye over the garden. The feeling and visual delights envelop the visitor throughout the day as the reflection from the sun pours through the trees.

Advance ticket sales begin Sunday, June 1, at the following locations: Aberdeen Florist, in Aberdeen; The Country Bookshop or Weymouth Center in Southern Pines; Post Box Plus, The Faded Rose or Given Bookstore, in Pinehurst. The program booklet contains extensive information about the gardens on the tour and also a map showing locations.