When Alicia and Tom Stevenson bought a decommissioned funeral home in Belfast’s historic district, they knew the asphalt parking lot occupying the side yard had to go. Now, where mourners’ cars used to sit, an expansive garden can be glimpsed between the gray pillars that mark its entrance. On Saturday, July 5, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., the Stevensons will open their garden at 58 Church Street to visitors as the fourth of the Belfast Garden Club’s Open Gardens Days. Admission is $5.

In 2013, with the help of garden designer Terry Hire, the Stevensons began creating an oasis of lush plantings to compliment the 1875 Italianate home. The pergola, entrance gate, fountain, and latticed trellis punctuate the lush plantings of hosta, astilbes, roses, peonies, hydrangeas, catmint, and ferns. Alicia Stevenson says that having a garden like this one is the realization of a life-long dream, and looks forward to sharing it with visitors. The garden was featured on two previous Open Garden Days tours, most recently in 2020.

The Belfast Garden Club channels the proceeds from the Open Garden Days into their many community and educational projects, including the planting and maintenance of 13 public gardens in Belfast’s downtown.