Bob and Marilee Dunklee’s garden on Meadow Road in Raymond reflects their roots, with rock geraniums from Bob’s home state of Vermont, and daylilies and daffodils from Marilee’s home state of Georgia. This “country potpourri,” situated on a tree-covered hillside, is nestled in a field of native Maine ferns.

The Dunklees regard this frequently sun-dappled locale as their “green cathedral,” and it will be open to the public, along with eight other local gardens, on June 27, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., as part of the second Raymond Garden Tour.

“We have everything from deep shade garden to full sun,” said Marilee Dunklee. “We have gardens in the ground. We have container gardens. We have perennials. We have annuals. The thing that I suppose to me makes this place special to us is the fact that Mother Nature has dropped in a backdrop of trees and ferns that flank everywhere.”

The Dunklees met on a ski trip in North Carolina in 1970, a year before Bob finished his service with the Marines in the Vietnam War. They subsequently moved to Maine for several years, with Bob teaching at Westbrook College and Marilee teaching at the Jordan-Small Middle School in Raymond. The Dunklees then moved to Georgia for 18 years, and returned to Maine in 1994 to live at Camp Wawenock in Raymond, where Bob worked as site manager. In 2005, they moved into their Meadow Road home, a white Cape house built in 1820. While Bob is fully retired, Marilee works part time at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish in the education department.

When the Dunklees moved to Meadow Road, there was already a large rhododendron and a raised garden in the back yard. Since then, they have added container gardens, a cut flower garden, an oversized flower pot from Berwick, and a hodgepodge of flowers, including irises, canna lilies, astilbes, and hostas.

“This is not a professionally done garden,” Marilee Dunklee said. “Our garden helpers are left arm and right arm, lower back and upper back.”

“Our philosophy is to enhance what Mother Nature’s done, not replace it,” she added.

“She’s the director of the show – we’re just the stage managers.”

The Dunklees did not participate in the first Raymond Garden Tour, which took place in 2013, according to Library Director Sally Holt.

“It’s a great way to highlight Raymond and what Raymond has to offer,” Holt said. “I think that’s one of the things that Raymond really appreciates – nature and the outdoors and the gardens. They take a lot of pride in that.”

According to Holt, garden tourists will be encouraged to attend the Strawberry Festival at the Hawthorne House at 40 Hawthorne Road on June 27, which begins at 3:30 p.m., half an hour after the conclusion of the garden tour.

Marilee Dunklee said tourists who come to their Meadow Road garden should prepare to be charmed.

“They should expect a whole lot of southern hospitality,” she said.

Marilee and Bob Dunklee of Raymond relax in their “green cathedral” on Meadow Road. The Dunklees’ garden is one of nine that will be part of the Raymond Garden Tour this Saturday.Staff photo by Ezra SilkMarilee and Bob Dunklee of Raymond work in their garden on Meadow Road. The Dunklees’ garden is one of nine stops on the Raymond Garden Tour this Saturday.Staff photo by Ezra Silk