Honeybees buzzed amid the nectar-rich gardens, showcases of scent and color surrounding one local school and the homes of five Bedford residents participating in this year’s self-guided Follow the Blooms Garden Tour, an event co-hosted as a fundraiser by volunteers from the Bedford Women’s Club and the Bedford Garden Club on Saturday, July 7.

Here and there throughout Bedford, lush assemblies of tall, pink snapdragons swayed in the breeze. Roses adorned in fancy crimson petals retracted their thorns – or so it seemed – lest visitors sustain a scratch. Spiky-haired salvia bobbed a sassy greeting, and the impatiens appeared impatient to be admired in all their summertime glory.

The garden tour began at the Peter Woodbury School, 180 County Road. The school’s 28 raised beds boasted flowers, fruits and vegetables, nurtured throughout the year by more than 70 students and guided by staffers Mindy Beltramo, Connie Roberge and Anne Southwell. All of the garden’s nutritious bounty is donated to Caregivers Inc., an organization that helps local elderly.

The school’s fairy garden, rain garden, wildlife garden and “The Daly Garden,” named in honor of educator Cindy Daly, drew rave reviews. So, too, did a butterfly garden. It augments second-graders’ studies of the monarch butterfly, a brilliant black-and-orange flyer that lays its eggs on the underside of milkweed leaves – and nowhere else.

Among the gardens on the tour were those of June Scott, of Nancy Lane; Donna and Alan Guibord, of Joppa Hill Road; and Kathleen and Bob Catania, of King Road. June, Donna and Kathleen are members of the BWC. Each homestead featured an amazement of floral offerings and landscaping.

June Scott’s garden, which she cultivates and maintains herself, brought smiles to each visitor. A whimsical metal sculpture of a gangly frog, a smiling amphibian holding a welcome sign, greeted arrivals. Day lilies and perennial beds, bubbling fountains, a stunning weeping cherry tree, and a meditation garden not far from the inground pool provide this gardener with a tranquil space.

Another showpiece was the garden at the Joppa Hill Road home of Donna and Alan Guibord. A winding stone walkway edges flower beds redolent with the perfume of honeysuckle. Snapdragons and poolside plantings of brightly colored annuals are flanked by sun lovers such as miniature variegated Andromeda and Shasta daisies. Donna told guests that the gardens were a labor of love.

Elsewhere, the gardens of Kathleen and Bob Catania, located on King Road, are made unique by a collection of diminutive garden creatures including gnomes and fairies. Roses, annuals and perennials grace the grounds. A hummingbird garden is well-attended by the tiny aviators. Visitors especially enjoyed a cooling mist wafting from waterfalls landscaped alongside the couple’s swimming pool.

Completing the roster of garden exhibitors were Bedford residents Lily and Louis Arcidy, of Campbell Road, and Jeanne and Stan Popielarz, of Camelot Drive. The Arcidy home, centerpieced by a lovely swimming pool surrounded by blue flagstone and a stunning waterfall, also features a koi pond, artist studio, potting house – and a chicken coop with a red door.

The Popielarz home, too, was a hit on the tour. Its brick path lined with masses of iris and pachysandra – and its pair of stately terra-cotta urns at the front step – were only the first of dozens of features making the home special.

Kathleen Catania, the BWC’s co-president along with Bedford’s Kathleen McMillan, said the tour was a great success and that visitors enjoyed seeing gardening projects that were labors of love.

“This event gave about 150 visitors the chance to see local gardens that are a lovely accessory to the community,” Catania said. “All the gardens were simply breathtaking. The tour was a wonderful event and such a nice way to give back to the community.”

Catania added that the Bedford Women’s Club is a social and charitable organization, a nonprofit that now has more than 100 members from Bedford and other towns. The club offers a wealth of activities, and new members are always welcome.

Inquiries about the Follow the Blooms Garden Tour, membership in the BWC or any other topic can be directed to membership co-Chairwomen Terry Chapman, at 472-3642, or Jackie Lucas, at 472-5214.

Loretta Jackson is a freelance writer and member of the Bedford Women’s Club who lives in Merrimack.