Colorful sundresses, hats, and a plethora of flowers competed for attention recently when members of the Scotch Gardeners club met at the home of Dr. and Mrs. L.D. "Drag" Kimrey as a prelude to the seventh annual tour of gardens to be held May 8-9. The Kimrey garden is one of more than a half-dozen stops that will comprise the upcoming tour.

"We try to find a variety of gardens every year, some in Laurinburg, some in the county, some formal and some informal," past president Teedie Tuttle said. "We are the oldest garden club in Scotland County, having begun in 1946."

Eight stops are planned in this year's tour, with seven in Laurinburg and one at Johns Station. The $7 admission ticket can be spread over two days, according to Tuttle.

"After purchasing a ticket from a member of the Scotch Gardeners club, or from the Scotland County Memorial Library, you are invited to take the tour at your leisure during the times that are listed on the brochure."

Gardens included on the tour are open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 8, and from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. the following day.

One stop on next weekend's tour will be at the home of Dr. and Mrs. L.D. "Drag" Kimrey. The Kimreys' garden, billed as "a ... setting that invites one to peace and tranquility", in the tour brochure, has been a four year labor of love for the Kimreys.

"We bought our house seven years ago, which had been professionally landscaped at one time, but much of it had died," Carolyn Kimrey said. "After working on the area around the house, we purchased the back lot in 2005.

"It is now our meditation garden," Kimrey said. "Although I find myself working in it instead of sitting, it is a place that I can feel closer to God than at any other time."

The Kimrey garden includes a plethora of flowers, including irises, azaleas, verbenias, Sweet Williams, hastas, ferns, and roses. The area attracts a variety of bird species including cardinals, jays, goldfinches, chickadees, and an abundance of woodpeckers.

"Visitors can see our beautiful rose garden and other flowers, our fish pond, and our slate patio when they visit," Kimrey said. "And our pottery shed will be a tea room by the time they arrive."

A newcomer to the Scotch Gardeners club is Lori Wimbish, a Wyoming native who moved from Michigan to Laurinburg with her husband last year.

"I joined the club because I love gardening, and I wanted to know more about how to take care of our big yard at home," Wimbish said. "I wanted to learn from master gardeners."

There is no rain date for the tour. A portion of the proceeds will go toward the ongoing landscaping projects at the Scotland County Memorial Library and at other areas.