Gardens offer many delights. Beguiling fragrances, colorful flowers, sweeping vistas and majestic trees all contribute to memorable experiences. You can enjoy some of Natchez’s remarkable private gardens during the Symphony of Gardens tour Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. The self-guided tours include a variety of gardens. It is a production of Grow Natchez Gardens, Inc. Profits will be used for the tree beautification downtown.

The tour is named Symphony of Gardens because landscapes can be compared to musical symphonies, with different movements. In Natchez, early spring is an exuberant crescendo of azaleas and camellias. Now in May is the second movement, your opportunity to appreciate late spring gardens. People who love to garden can become inspired by design ideas and fascinating plants and plant combinations. People who love beauty will appreciate the artistry of gardening.

Seven of the finest gardens in Natchez will be open for tour participants and a special gardening workshop will take place Saturday afternoon at the Natchez Convention Center. The workshop is free with garden tour ticket, and will feature horticulturist and author Harvey Cotten, who will explain how to create easy-care gardens for this hot, humid region.

Numerous door prizes at the workshop will add to the day’s excitement. Cotton will autograph copies of his book, “Easy Landscapes for the South,” which will be available for purchase.

Gardens on tour include: acres of strolling gardens at Brandon Hall; a formal garden in the naturalistic setting of The Garden at Anna’s Bottom; a historic garden accented with antique garden art at the Holder garden; a modern version of a traditional Southern garden at the home of Gary Wills, owner of Creative Designs; a colorful Southern interpretation of an English cottage garden at Bluff Top; roses, perennials and much more in the garden of Master Gardener Nancy Williams; and the three-acre estate garden at the Brown home in downtown Natchez. Some are traditional for Mississippi historic landscapes; others are contemporary versions of old favorites. Designs range from formal and classic to contemporary and informal.

Unfortunately, the Jordan garden at Cedar Grove Plantation, scheduled for the tour on Saturday morning, will not be open due to unforeseen emergencies.

Tickets for the Symphony of Gardens Tour are $15 per person for Friday or Saturday and $25 per person for both days. They are available online at www.symphonyofgardenstour.com or www.VisitNatchez.org and at the Natchez Visitors Center. For more information, call 601-446-6345.

Karen Dardick is one of the founders of the Symphony of Gardens Tour, an avid gardener and a freelance garden writer.