Afternoon tea, served under a big red tent was the highlight of the afternoon. Everyone strolled through the gardens and relaxed on the lawn looking out over the ocean.

Thanks to the Mystic Garden club for sending in the troops to help out. They volunteered as garden hostesses and at the tea. We also recruited friends, family and members of the Westerly, RI Garden Club.

The oldest house on the tour held one of the biggest surprises. A sweeping veranda & carefully planted terrace with several levels. A lap pool seemingly perched on the edge of the sea bordered by ornamental grasses with show-stopping plumes and shaded by perfectly pruned sycamore trees.

Tucked behind the circa 1787 house where James McNeill Whistler lived as a boy, lies a charming winter garden replete with a vermilion, Chinese style gazebo. Created in the style of the eighteenth century, this garden features low, squared boxwood hedges and azaleas set off by narrow gravel paths.

Who would guess that this circular garden of colorful perennials, miniature roses & shrubs was once a pile of ashes & trash. The owner has perfected seaside gardening over the years and turned this spot into an unforgettable garden.

The Garden Marketplace was a gathering place not only for purchasing garden related items but the location of the Master Gardener’s information booth & the trolley stop for the trip to Salt Acres.