It was a warm and sunny day for the Gardens by the Sea tour, hosted by St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church in Marion.

The tour consisted of six properties, including St. Gabriel's courtyard. The other five gardens were private properties, opened specifically for the tour.

St. Gabriel's member and tour volunteer Barbara Sanderson estimated that about 300 people bought tickets to participate in the event.

"That's probably a little less than usual because it's earlier in the season," she said. "When we do it in July we get more of the summer folk."

However, the church routinely changes the date of the tour to highlight different flowers in bloom.

The tour included a home on Point Road with an impressive view of Buzzards Bay, Marion Harbor and Bird Island. Even the driveway up to the garden was lined with maple trees and hydrangeas.

There were also two homes on Allens Point, one which featured vegetable gardens as well as flowers, and the other which featured a view of Marion's inner harbor where the SSV Tabor Boy is anchored.

The showpiece garden was the Stone Estate on Great Hill. The vast garden is lined with 12 foot hedges and features a large dolphin pond in the center.

Tickets for the tour cost $20 each, with all the money going directly to the church's global and local outreach program.