Cape Cod Hydrangea Fest Garden Tours: July 17, 2025
BARNSTABLE
Robichaud’s Garden - 27 Marble Road, Barnstable
Tour benefits Cape Cod Hydrangea Society
Open for Tours: Wednesday, July 16 and Thursday, July 17
Tiny maples, hydrangeas, and gallon-sized rhododendrons planted over 40 years ago have matured to become the backbone of this glorious garden. Newer rock walls that have been added to retain difficult hills add structure and naturally define garden areas. The bright, rich colors of the sun-loving plantings keep surprising as daylilies, coneflowers, phlox, daisy, hibiscus, and liatris burst with vivid combinations of color and texture. A red maple offers a shady canopy to a wide variety of hosta while astilbes add contrast when their wispy stalks bloom. Stands of heirloom hydrangeas have been augmented through the years with newer varieties to incorporate gorgeous colors, shapes and sizes. Lots of hydrangeas | Dog-friendly | Wheelchair and Walker-friendly.
Mullens’ Garden - 156 Beech Leaf Island Rd., Centerville
Tour benefits Cape Cod Hydrangea Society
Open for Tours: Thursday, July 17 and Friday, July 18
Welcome to Patty Mullens’ peaceful garden retreat. In the middle of the recent pandemic Patty moved her permanent residence from suburban New Jersey to this secluded Centerville property surrounded by woods. Since then, she has turned her yard into a bucolic habitat for songbirds, hummingbirds and even owls. Her gardens, all of which she designed and maintains herself, are filled with hydrangeas as well as roses, astilbe, ferns, coneflowers and other perennials selected because they do well on the Cape. A beautiful backyard stone patio provides a perfect spot to relax and enjoy the fruits of her labor. Garden with lots of hydrangeas.
Rich Marciante's Garden - Journey through a Beautiful and Eclectic Landscaped Garden: Chemical-free with smart use of water:
186 Whitmar Road, Cotuit
Tour benefiting Master Gardener Association of Cape Cod
Upon arrival, you’ll be greeted by a beautiful bed of Incrediball Hydrangeas, followed by many more varieties in the landscape. When you pass through an eclectic flower garden, you can enjoy and observe the pollinators doing their important work. Observe the clever use of garden ornaments, many plucked from the dump metal pile! Observe how retaining walls in the shade garden almost eliminates the slope, and spot the interesting forms of driftwood from Sanibel Beach. Have a seat on the patio and take in the sounds of water trickling, chimes swaying in the wind and birds chirping. Walk a stone pathway under a trellis to a flowing pond with a most interesting group of Koi fish. Continue through the white gates to view the Covid Cupola atop an antique adorned tool shed next to a fruit-producing bird garden. Accessibility: lawn, mostly flat – discretionary judgement advised. Pollinator Garden with lots of hydrangeas, unusual plants and creative ornaments, dog-friendly.
Garden talks at 11:00 a.m. and 2 p.m. The home/garden is 0.6 miles from Rt 28 via Putnam Ave. PLEASE PARK ON THE STREET NOT IN THE CUL-DE-SAC.
From Lawn to Garden - 15 Saddler Lane, West Barnstable
Tour benefits Whelden Memorial Library
Multiple gardens featuring over 650 plants with an eclectic mix of English cottage garden plants, Japanese Maples, ornamental grasses, hydrangeas, and unusual plants. By eliminating my front yard lawn and instead creating multiple gardens, I have met more neighbors, and the garden has become a shared experience in the neighborhood. It has changed the way I garden. The front and back gardens are separated by paths, and they all reflect my passion for plants. Pollinator garden with lots of hydrangeas, unusual plants, creative ornaments, dog friendly. Open for Tours: July 13 and July 17.
Garden Directions: Saddler is off Old Stage Rd near the Service Road, close to Route 6 Exit 65. Garden Parking: On-street parking available.
CHATHAM
Black’s Garden - 441 Old Harbor Road, Chatham
Tour benefits Cape Cod Hydrangea Society
Nestled behind a tall hedge in North Chatham, the 30-year old garden of retired landscape designer Peg Black and her husband Bob reflects their careful planning and devoted maintenance. This “garden for all seasons” features multiple garden rooms, a lovely patio pond, and uncommon trees and shrubs such as Weeping Deodar Cedar, variegated Japanese Snowbell, Chinese Sweet Shrub, and Maple ‘Autumn Moon’. More than 100 hydrangeas planted in the shade of Kousa dogwoods and evergreens create a flowering wonderland. A classic cottage garden planted with roses, perennials, and oriental lilies scents the air. Last open to the public in 2016, this garden is not to be missed. Lots of hydrangeas | Lots of unusual plants | Pollinator Garden
FALMOUTH
Veggies, Natives, and Rainwater - 53 Sidewinder Rd, East Falmouth
Tour benefits Resilient Roots
Open for Tours: July 16 and July 17
This garden aims to maximize both edible and native plants on a half-acre of land. Three years ago, the homeowners hosted a day-long Resilient Roots “permablitz” event of planting fruit trees, berries, and natives, and this will be the start of their fourth year. The design takes advantage of the yard’s topography to capture rainwater from the road and rooftops and “plant” it into flower beds. The owners have some in-progress projects as well as future plans to expand the gardens and water-capture landscaping. It’s a great opportunity to see early- to mid-stage garden development and to learn how to be creative with space. Pollinator garden.
Parking: Park along the short dirt road that leads to the driveway. If the dirt road is full, signs will point to off-site parking, about 600 feet away.
Black Duck Cove Passive House and Permaculture Landscape - 100 Gayle Ave, East Falmouth
Tour benefits Resilient Roots
This property is nestled within the Sea Farms Conservation area at Black Duck Cove, an inlet of Bournes Pond. The home (a certified Passive House) and landscape are designed to minimize impact on the surrounding forest and marsh while incorporating permaculture, hügelkultur, and vertical gardening principles. The ground is mostly sand, so much effort is given to building soil, using town and on-site compost materials. Evolving yard spaces include a microclover side yard; wood chips and native ground cover facing the marsh; and raised beds, fruit trees, berries, wildflowers, and native plantings, including a naturally sloping food forest area. Pollinator garden.
Parking: Gayle Ave (off Davisville Rd) becomes a dirt road at the entrance to Sea Farms Conservation Area. Proceed 800 feet along the dirt road, and entrance to the property is on the right (marked 100 on post). Park along the sides of the dirt drive.
The Falmouth Garden Club Features Five Stunning Gardens at the Historic Museums on the Green - 55 Palmer Ave, Falmouth
Self-guided tours as well as docent-led tours and demonstrations throughout the day. Go to falmouthgardenclub.org for a schedule of events. With numerous national and regional awards, these gardens are a testament to the dedication and expertise of the club members.
Cost: $10 cash for entrance to all five gardens.
~ Colonial Garden: When entering this garden from the street, you will be overwhelmed by an outpouring of white Annabelle Hydrangeas against a picket fence. You will be surrounded by roses, coreopsis, lantana, phlox, cleome, monardia and more! In the center of this rectangular-shaped garden stands an armillary sundial surrounded by a stunning variety of dahlia called, Happy Single Flame. At the far end, an iconic gazebo invites visitors to sit and reflect upon the beauty of the space. The Colonial Garden won the prestigious Historical Garden Award in 2005 from the National Garden Club.
~ Herb Garden: Located outside the kitchen door of the historic Wicks House, this garden was re-created in 1970 and contains both medicinal and culinary herbs. Some of the plants date back to the original garden which was located near the Barn. A pink granite trough, originally from West Falmouth, sits in the garden, surrounded by rosemary, yarrow, lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, tansy, agrimony and more.
~ Memorial Park: Originally created in 1976 by the members of the Falmouth Garden Club alongside community members, this park includes benches for quiet reflection. Stroll along its winding paths and look for the unique geode bird bath. Redesigned in 2013, the park now includes cardinal flowers, irises, hostas, nepeta, canna lilies, roses, hydrangea, perennial geranium and more. This park was awarded the Falmouth Historical Society’s Heritage Award in 2017 and has since earned numerous Landscape and Design Awards from the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts and the National Garden Club of America.
~ Butterfly Garden and Pollinator Garden: Walk through the clematis and rose covered arched trellis to discover this hidden gem! Planted in 2015, this garden was designed to protect the declining population of butterflies, bees and moths with the inclusion of bee balm, catmint, and cardinal flower. A hand-wrought butterfly bench offers a tranquil place to sit and enjoy the beauty of this unique garden.
~ Blue Star By Way Memorial Garden: The Blue Star Byway is a national program honoring all men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. In 1989, a small plot along Katherine Lee Bates Rd was officially designated by the National Garden Club of America as a Blue Star Memorial Byway. The Falmouth Garden Club recently relocated and expanded this memorial garden to a more prominent site along the byway. The redesigned garden features a two-tier wooden frame forming a raised star inscribed with a pentagon, filled with perennials and annuals in red, white, and blue. Perennials in this garden include agastache, blue boa, salvia, blue marvel, red coneflowers and dusty miller. Annuals include ageratum, red salvia and white impatients.
PROVINCETOWN
FLUIDITY - 31 Pilgrim Heights Rd., Provincetown
Tour benefits Cape Cod Hospital Auxiliary – Orleans Branch
Open for tours: Wednesday July 16th and Thursday July 17th
Down at the end of the gravel driveway you will see a wonderful array of colorful Hydrangea bushes. The Tour ‘s signature plant in all its glory! Around the house, you will follow a path, taking you to a quiet open area of a pool and patio. This is where the owners start to display sculptural focal points. The school of fish adds a whimsical touch. Two James Tyler sculptures are displayed in gardens as you continue to walk around the house. When the property was purchased in 2011, it was in a more natural state, wooded with decorative grasses. Conservation Land is behind them. They have had their share of rabbits and deer affect how they planted their gardens. Plantings with their color and texture have transformed their whole property into a must see. With a wide variety of Hydrangeas, including Climbing, Lace Cap, Panicled, Oakleaf and Big Leaf, you have a chance to enjoy these wonderful plants. Pollinator garden with lots of hydrangeas, unusual plants and creative ornaments.
Directions: From Rte. 6, turn left on to Shank Painter Rd., turn right on to Bradford St., continue to Bradford St. Ext., turn right on to Pilgrim Heights Rd., destination will be on the left. Parking: One side of the road is marked.
Cottage Hill - 175 Bradford Street, Provincetown
Tour benefits Cape Cod Hospital Auxiliary – Orleans Branch
Open for tours: Wednesday July 16th and Thursday July 17th
The owner’s 26 years of “creative gardening” gives us this wonderful spot to visit. The tiered landscape from the street to the top of the hill (and house) as well as an area that faces northeast, challenged the owner to find plants that would flourish there. It is more of a wild woodland garden than you see as you head towards the back of the house. There you find lots of sunlight to create a more English country garden. Butterfly bushes, flowering Crape Myrtle, Vitex and Camellia are along the back pathway heading towards the outlook. The owner’s love of roses can be seen throughout. Look to the right over Provincetown Harbor and see the tip of Cape Cod and the lighthouse. Heading back, you will see 2 climbing Hydrangeas and a climbing rose on the back of the house. Back towards the front yard you will see again how this area was transformed over the years from “nothing but wildness” to a lovely array of plants. The owner finds it peaceful and rewarding to create something. He is not an artist, but gardening is his form of art. Pollinator Garden with Waterview, lots of hydrangeas and unusual plants.
Directions: From Rte. 6, turn left on to Conwell St., turn left on to Bradford St., destination will be on the right.
St. Mary of the Harbor Church - 517 Commercial Street, Provincetown
Tour benefits Cape Cod Hospital Auxiliary – Orleans Branch
Open for tours: Wednesday July 16th and Thursday July 17th
This location is a special place. Tracing roots to 1919, a group of Episcopalians purchased an old salt house. Later they bought the Sandbar Club and floated it across the harbor from the West End. The buildings were joined to become the nave and the sanctuary. Enter the grounds from the parking lot and you will see perennials and bushes as you follow the walkway to the left towards the Koi Pond. Walking towards the back you will be greeted with a marvelous view of the Harbor. After taking time to enjoy this beautiful view, please go into the parish hall behind you. The church is very proud of its collection of artworks, and it is displayed in this room as well as the hallway that leads to the nave. You will see there an amazing selection of stained-glass windows, statues and paintings and murals. St. Mary of the Harbor Church’s collection shows a side of Provincetown’s art colony rarely glimpsed. Garden with waterview, wheelchair and walker friendly.
Directions: From Rte. 6, turn left on to Snail Road, turn right on to Bradford St., turn left on to Anthony St., turn right on to Commercial St., destination parking lot will be on the left. Parking: Church parking lot.
SANDWICH
The Bowker’s Garden - 151 Old County Road, East Sandwich
Tour benefiting Master Gardener Association of Cape Cod
Mary and Roger – both Master Gardeners – purchased their historic former dairy farm in 2001 and have spent the last two decades rescuing 15 acres from invasive plants. On four acres they have created garden rooms around a gazebo and pergola dotted with statuary. They have over 50 hydrangeas naturalized throughout the garden as well as in pots and urns, matching the cultivars to the microclimates on the property. The site also contains a formal herb garden, an orchard, espaliered pear, beehives and many peaceful sitting areas among diverse plantings. The Bowker’s especially enjoy their extensive vegetable patch growing 40 types of tomatoes, greens, vegetables, figs and other favorites.
The Bowker’s garden is a designated Pollinator Pathway and part of Doug Tallamy’s Homegrown National Park.
Hear what hydrangeas thrive on the upper Cape and how they contribute to natural plantings that support birds and pollinators at talks scheduled at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Garden with lots of unusual plants and creative Ornaments. Walker/Wheelchair friendly.
Accessibility: lawn, mostly flat, large property – discretionary judgement advised. The Bowker’s home is a short drive from The Chase Road exit off of the Mid-Cape highway (Route 6.) Driveway parking allows for 6 or 7 cars, roadside parking is also available.
Sandwich Arts Alliance Open Studios Tours >
In honor of Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, six accomplished, award-winning artists will open the secret world of their studios. Visit the environment where they work, their supplies, and creations. Each studio is as individual as the artists themselves. From paintings, sculptures, and photographs of nature and flowers to beach stones and shapes. $5 per Studio.
YARMOUTH
Colors in Bloom - 38 Gardiner Lane, South Yarmouth
Tour benefits Cape Abilities
As amateur horticulturists, we are quite proud of our first showing of our "classic" blue hydrangeas surrounding our home. Upon first visit to the property one will notice that we have a mix of young and mature plants that encircle the entire property. Our hydrangeas provide beauty and privacy. They are big and blue. We do hope that you will enjoy your visit. Garden with lots of hydrangeas, walker friendly, well-behaved dogs on a leash allowed. Open for Tours: July 16-18.
Singing Marshes - 70 Alms House Road, Yarmouth Port
Tour benefits Yarmouth Port Library
This interesting garden borders conservation land overlooking Barnstable Harbor and the Sandy Neck Lighthouse. The home is situated down a narrow road among native oaks and pines. The gardener has her own kitchen garden containing raspberries, blueberries, beach plums, and vegetables such as asparagus, rhubarb, squash, beans and cucumbers. Its unique fencing was designed to keep out deer, foxes, rabbits and other wildlife. The property features walking paths through beach plum and juniper shrubs to views of the marsh beyond, along with a nearby osprey nest. Hydrangeas flourish on the home’s north side. An interesting arbor constructed by a friend from small cedar trees stands by the garden shed. Jams and jellies made by the gardener will be available for sale at the entry of the garden. This a rare opportunity to visit this special place. Garden with a view.
Directions: Turn onto Center Street off Route 6A, bear left at its end, and soon after, turn left onto Alms House Road. Bear left at a fork and proceed a bit further past the house to a small parking lot at the end of the road. Please do not park directly across from the house’s entry.
Cape High - 7 Route 6A, Yarmouth Port
Tour benefits Yarmouth Port Library
This lovely property is set back off 6A up on hill. As you approach the front of the property a circular bed is surrounded by knock out roses and boxwoods. The front of the property also features white dawn climbing roses on four large trellises. The property is adorned with numerous containers with lovely annuals. The back of the property features many hydrangeas and more knock out roses. In addition, one side of the property has a perennial garden containing hybrid day lilies, coneflowers, croscomia, phlox and hibiscus. In the center of the garden is a mature limelight hydrangea. The yard also has a beautiful pool. Colorful birdhouses, a lighthouse and even a mermaid all designed and built by the homeowner surround the yard. Garden with unusual plants.
Directions: From Route 6 take exit 72 toward Yarmouth Port (Willow Street). Take a left on Cross Street which becomes Railroad Ave. At the end take a left onto Route 6A travelling west. You will see the entering Barnstable sign. 7 Route 6A is two driveways immediately before sign on the left. Travelling east on 6A the second driveway on the right immediately after the entering Yarmouth sign. White mailbox with red 7 up a long driveway.
Marshview - 24 Old Castle Road, Yarmouth Port
Tour benefits Yarmouth Port Library
Overlooking the historic Taylor-Bray Farm and Black Flats Marsh this property displays three levels of plantings defined by fieldstone walls. The landscape, once dense with oak trees, has been opened up over time to highlight the topography and pastoral views of grazing sheep. A gravel pathway, lined with hydrangeas, daylilies and hostas, leads to a patio bordered by boxwood, lavender, allium and Japanese Maples. Directly across the upper lawn a Weeping Cherry tree anchors a section underplanted with annuals and perennials. A bluestone-paved terrace tucked outside the home’s study, and a container plant-filled deck, enhance the area. Stone steps flanked by stands of Russian Cypress—and a walkway shaded with Leyland Cypress—both lead to the middle tier with Blue Fescue, Bobo hydrangeas, Fothergilla shrub and grasses. The lower level features a large slope planted with carpet roses, spirea, heather and ground covers. Gazing back over the slope, to the upper levels and the house, presents another view to enjoy. An added pleasure—adjacent to the property—is visiting the Town of Yarmouth’s 22-acre,1639 farmstead featuring Samuel Taylor’s 1783 restored farmhouse, barn and resident animals. Stroll the boardwalk out over Chase Garden Creek to see the osprey nest and stunning views to the dunes on Chapin Beach. Garden with unusual plants.
Directions: Head East on Rte 6a, turn left on Bray Farm Road. Turn right on Old Castle Road to #24.
The Peace Garden - 26 Belle of the West Road, Yarmouth Port
Tour benefits Yarmouth Port Library
This parcel, once a tangle of water-logged bramble and ivy, has been transformed into a harmonious retreat featuring woodsy arbors and flowing paths. Painstaking editing of overgrowth retained anchoring oaks, pines and hollies. Strategic placement of walkways and careful selection of water-retaining plants addressed seasonal flooding and uncovered this site’s virtues. Undulating topography boasts myriad site lines featuring serially blooming hydrangeas, leafy hellibores, climbing roses and water features. See if you can spot the false holly and red-spirited Solomon’s seal!! Pick out the evergreens, hinoki cypress, and winterberries which take starring roles when the rest of the garden sleeps in the snow.
Now, in the heat of the summer, fragrant lavender and a jolly fountain invite you to relax in the shady nooks of our Peace Garden. Contemplate the beauty of our native hollies, hear the cries of the gull answer the singing chimes, and revel in the peak season of our Hydrangea Festival! Garden with unusual plants.
Directions: Head East on Rte 6a and turn left on Red Jacket Road. Turn left on Belle of the West Road to 26.
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