SACO — Richard and Kathryn Murray’s property is a sea of color.

Giant dahlias, zinnias, snap dragons and peonies, to name just a few ”“ in hues of pink and purple, with some red and orange ”“ color multiple gardens on their Saco property.

Colors are chosen so flowers coordinate and don’t clash, said Kathryn Murray.

Each garden is distinct.

“It’s almost like different rooms in a house, they all have different personalities,” she said.

The Murrays have been gardening for about 25 years, they said, and over the years, their gardens have constantly evolved, sometimes to accommodate the personal tastes of the couple, other times to accommodate the changing landscape, such as an increase of shade from growing trees.

“A garden is always changing,” said Kathryn Murray.

The Murrays were sought out by the Saco Bay Gardening Club as part of its garden tour, which will be held this Saturday, July 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Murrays’ house sits on a third of an acre, and Kathryn Murray said they’ve “just maximized every inch.”

The flowers are important in building a garden, but also important is what’s surrounding the flowers, which help create what story you want to tell, she said. Decorating is a passion of hers, and many of her decorations have a “shabby chic” flair, she said, including a potting bench made from old barn wood.

“Rick is handy with tools. When I imagine something, he somehow makes it happen,” she said.

A small pond in one garden every year is home to a family of frogs, and Kathryn Murray said their children, who are now adults, still ask each year if the frogs have showed up.

In another garden is a bicycle, its basket brimming with flowers.

“Rick gave me this as a gift when we were teenagers ”¦ now it comes out every summer,” said Kathryn Murray.

A fenced-off section to the side of the house, which Kathryn Murray said Saco Garden Club members have dubbed “the secret garden,” is a cutting garden.

“I have a bouquet of flowers waiting in the house every three days that Rick cuts,” she said.

Every detail is considered in the flow of the landscape of the yard, even the shape of the pool. She said when purchasing a pool, they chose one with curved lines to compliment the design of the gardens and the yard.

The couple said they stay on top of weeding and watering, and also fertilizing.

“It gets a lot of attention,” said Rick Murray.

Cathleen Fejedelem, of the Saco Bay Garden Club, said there are a total of 12 sites in Saco and Biddeford on Saturday’s tour, including gardens in Biddeford Pool with ocean views and others in in-town Saco, with a variety of styles.

“This will rival any garden tour this year,” said Fejedelem. “There are some fantastic properties.”

The tour is a fundraiser for the group’s charitable outreach efforts, including horticulture scholarships to Southern Maine Community College and assisting in public gardens.

Tickets are available at Moody’s Nursery in Saco, and on the day of the tour, at the Saco train station and at 1st Maine Real Estate in Biddeford. It’s a self-guided tour and participants, using a map and guide, can tour the gardens in any order.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.