MATTAPOISETT — From vibrant perennial plots to sprawling harbor views, June in Bloom Tour Captain Kristen McCormick described each featured garden as “an expression of the owner’s individuality.”

Held on Saturday, June 28, the Mattapoisett Woman’s Club June in Bloom Tour featured a diverse blend of botanical beauty showcased in seven private gardens owned by Mattapoisett residents.

Volunteer Lee Heald led attendees through Matt Parfitt and Jeffrey Welch’s eclectic and welcoming backyard garden at 10 Pearl Street, the tour’s first stop. 

Salvia, lilacs, forsythia, hellebores, monkshood and peonies lay under the shade of a sycamore maple tree.

“We always called them Pentecostal roses because they bloom the first week of June, which is Pentecost,” said Heald of peonies.

She complimented the spacing of the garden in the yard, stating that “There’s really a very functional yard for a compact space in the village. They’ve done a lot.”

Two young pawpaw trees sit on the property, producing the largest edible fruit indigenous to the United States.

At 48 Ned’s Point Road, Jennifer and Lewis Prouty cultivated an ethereal seaside estate. When the Prouty’s built their home on the property in 1984, they worked towards creating a cohesive and tranquil atmosphere in their green spaces.

“When we built the house, there wasn’t any garden here at all. We cleaned out a lot, the place was just a mess of bittersweet [vines,] weeds and trees and overgrowth,” said Jennifer Prouty.

In the backyard, tour attendees were greeted by a boundless view of Mattapoisett Harbor flanked by looming pine trees planted to the sides of the yard. The harbor was dotted with sailboats and the Ned’s Point Lighthouse stood in the background, visible from the property.

“We never get tired of looking at Mattapoisett Harbor,” said Prouty,

Richard’s Meditation Garden sits at the heart of the property, which was created as a memorial to the family’s late son who passed away in 2021.

A sculpture by artist and UMass Dartmouth Professor Stacy Latt Savage sits at the center of the memorial garden, composed of hundreds of handcrafted steel monarch butterflies settled in a bed of Mexican Pebblestone.

“It’s been really fun today because I have seen people who knew him and hadn’t been in the garden. It's been a very emotional time,” said Prouty. “Quite frankly, I hadn’t anticipated that, but it’s beautiful as well to have made those connections with folks that I might not have.”

She expressed her delight with getting to share her gardens with the attendees.

“It brings me joy and happiness. I love sharing this with people today,” she said.

Natalie and Mark Dorman’s yard has completely transformed since 2021, with years of determination and elbow grease put into reinventing their 1.5 acres of land which was buried beneath 20 years of overgrown brush.

“We just kept going, digging up grass and putting in a lot of plants that I dig up actually from other people sharing when they’re dividing their gardens,” said Natalie Dorman.

In addition to a chicken coop producing a steady supply of eggs, the Dormans grow peas, grapes, squash, herbs, tomatoes and “lots of berries” alongside pear and apple trees.

Ultimately, cultivating their yard is a source of joy for the Dormans. Natalie said the family gardens “create space for our kids” and  they get their “get our outdoor time” in the process.