HARTFORD – Country roads here were crowded Saturday as the sun lit hidden gardens and historic homes for the first home and garden tour.

The Hartford Heritage Society sponsored the tour and its Irish museum was open all day for visitors to get a glimpse into the early history of Hartford.

Roger Gammon showed off his Gurney Road camp, which he built himself using hewn granite as part of his foundation. A nephew was picking beans from Gammon’s bountiful vegetable garden. The camp is at the end of Gurney Road, which has spectacular mountain views.

The Cowett home is the second oldest home in Hartford, built in 1792. Sandra Cowett displayed a heritage ballerina shrub rose and other heritage plants.

Doreen Maxwell was afraid she didn’t have enough color in her flower gardens overlooking Bear Pond, so she hung her flower quilt collection as a backdrop to her garden. She also had an amazing display of quilts in her garage.

Al Borzelli is amazed how well his rose of sharon and yucca plants are doing this far north in his extensive gardens with two ponds. His bullfrogs were huge in a small pond with fountains. He boasts about how large his rainbow and brown trout grow in his larger pond.

Kay Hawkins is creating a spiritual garden with natural vegetation for a restful and meditative spot.

Betsy Dunn offered free plants to visitors at her butterfly garden. This is hidden away garden on Sam Annis Road.

A 455-acre tree farm on Green Acres Road is being managed by David and Marge Kraske and their son. They have planted 60,000 white pine, spruce and balsam fir seedlings over the years since their purchase of the original property in 1968.

Lunch was served on the grounds of the original Green Acres homestead, which was built in 1807. Leslie and Daryl Boness provided a noon meal to more than 50 visitors on the tour. Leslie is the fourth generation to live in the Cape Cod farmhouse.

There were 20 sites to visit on Saturday and each place had unique offerings whether it was in vegetable or flower gardening, pond use or historic homes.