A garden tour benefiting the ongoing arboretum projects at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, will be held on Saturday, July 16.
The sixth annual tour, which includes nine gardens in Cape and two gardens in Scarborough, runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $25 in advance and $30 on the day of the tour.
Tickets are available online at www.fortwilliams.org through Friday, July 15, or in person at Broadway Gardens Greenhouses and Nonesuch Books in South Portland, or the Community Center, Jordan’s Farm Stand or the Fort Williams Park Foundation Office in Cape Elizabeth. The office is open 10 a.m. to noon, Monday-Friday.
On the day of the tour, tickets can be purchased at the new Children’s Garden at Fort Williams, which is quickly taking shape this summer and which should be open to the public in early September.
Ellie Speh, the volunteer coordinator for the Fort Williams Park Foundation, said, “We have a wide variety of gardens this year, including the community gardens in Cape Elizabeth. We also have two homes with rich histories, a lovely seaside garden, a bird sanctuary and a small gem, with no grass, that features unusual plantings and the homeowner’s sculptures.”
Speh said that “unless there is a severe storm, the tour will go on. We have never had a rain-out, but if we do need to cancel, it will be posted on our website and we will try for Sunday.”
She said that money raised from the garden tours have been used on a variety of different projects. For instance, in 2012 the proceeds went toward improving the cliffside gardens and walkway, and in 2014 the proceeds assisted with completion of the lighthouse view project.
Speh said the goal is to offer “different gardens on the tour each year” to keep things fresh, although a few gardeners have asked to be on the tour again because of new things they’ve added.
– Kate Irish Collins
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