From water features to window boxes overflowing with blooms, the Marietta Garden Tour will highlight creativity among the foliage found in seven homes. The tour will be held rain or shine on Sunday, June 22, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The stops on the route are all within walking distance along Front Street and throughout Marietta.

"We have some really great things to see and some unusual things," said Karen Sullivan, tour chairperson. "We have a house that has a historic railroad track going right through the front yard."

That home, on Front Street, features dogwood trees, lots of shade-loving plants and a large magnolia tree.

As Sullivan explained, the railroad tracks date back to the 1800s, when coal was delivered to the front door of a supply station then located where the home is now. When Front Street was paved, a portion of the track was removed, but some of the track was left in the home's front yard.

"This is some of the history you'll see in Marietta," Sullivan said. "We have some very old homes, and there's lots of history."

At the home of Glen and Judith Mazis-Kennedy, tourgoers can observe blooming flower beds of annuals and perennials, a pond surrounded by a low stone wall, native plants and bushes and Serenity Rock, a locally famous outcropping highlighted by roses, purple salvia and forsythia.

"We have a lot of birds that visit the yard," Judith said. "The other day, I counted 30 different birds." She and Glen enjoy hanging out in their backyard sanctuary, which also features mature shade trees, a vegetable garden and an Amish-built gazebo.

Other stops on the tour will showcase herb gardens, fountains, a goldfish pond, ginkgo trees, Japanese maple trees and fairy gardens.

Along with the tour, the event will feature a pork barbecue meal for sale throughout the day at the Marietta Community House, 264 W. Market St. Meals can be enjoyed at the house or taken to go.

Two seminars, at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., will be held at the Community House. Anne Sipe, a former Community House board member and attendee of the Longwood Gardens School, will speak on flower arranging.

Mulberry Thrill, located at 100 W. Market St. in a historic bank, will be open for refreshments during the tour.

New this year, an art exhibit titled "In Bloom" will be open at MH Art Gallery, 42 W. Market St.

Featuring 34 works, the exhibit will showcase art ranging from realistic botanical watercolors and emotive en plein air florals to bold mixed-media interpretations. The collection will feature the talents of gallery artists Marianne Calenda, Melissa Carroll, Susan Davitti Darling, Marita Hines (the gallery owner), Joanne McIlvaine and Linda Mylin Ross, along with guest artist Roseanne Wolfe, a renowned watercolorist from Mechanicsburg. Visitors can enjoy complimentary Nissley wine or mocktails and talk with the artists during the garden tour. The exhibit will continue on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. throughout the summer.

Proceeds from the Marietta Garden Tour support maintenance and upkeep of the Marietta Community House property, which includes two buildings, and help to fund community events at the site.

"The Garden Tour is truly a community event," Sullivan said. "Part of our mission is to support other organizations in Marietta, and we are supporting the Community House, which offers a variety of events that are open to the public."

Discounted tickets are available for the tour through Saturday, June 21, and may be purchased at Mulberry Thrill; Floral Designs of Mount Joy, 1599 W. Main St., Mount Joy; River Road Produce, 1835 River Road, Marietta; and Murphy's Mercantile and Co., 261 Locust St., Columbia. Full-price tickets will be available at the Marietta Community House on the day of the event.