COLRAIN — As members of the Colrain Historical Society set their sights on projects to improve building insulation and create a fully accessible restroom for visitors, the need for a fundraiser became clear.

Enter the Historical Society’s first-ever garden tour, planned for Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, July 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nine flower gardens will be featured, including the garden of Colrain’s oldest resident, Marion Stafford, who is the mother of garden tour organizer Deb Wheeler.

Stafford, who has about 70 years of gardening experience, maintains her garden with help from a fellow gardener.

“She is 99 years old and still out gardening,” Wheeler said of her mother. “We walked around today looking at her daylilies, and she was naming off all the daylilies, and my cousin was shocked that she knew all their names. … Sharp as a tack.”

Wheeler’s own garden at 90 Call Road will also be included as a tour stop. Because of the layout of Wheeler’s property, there is not enough room on top of the hill where she lives to accommodate parking, so there will be a shuttle service from the bottom of the hill.

“I like to grow a lot of different plants, and I like to have things in bloom from April through November,” Wheeler said. “So, I have lots and lots of plants, and I have lots of stone walls, a brook that goes through our property.”

There will also be a large plant sale at Wheeler’s home, which will include approximately 30 varieties of daylilies, some of the latest colors in Siberian irises and various perennials. O’Brien Nursery, a specialty nursery based in Connecticut, will also have plants for sale.

“Most of the gardens are well-established, landscaped gardens that have been established for 30 or 40 years, so lots of trees, shrubs, as well as perennials,” Wheeler said of participating tour sites. Through this garden tour and other fundraisers, the Historical Society is seeking to raise enough money to match a $15,000 grant it received for the building insulation and restroom work.

Wheeler mentioned that Jocelyn Demuth, of Checkerspot Farm, will also have her garden on the tour. Demuth’s garden is dedicated to supporting pollinators and she will be selling pollinator-friendly plants as well.

“She’s very knowledgeable, and will give people a tour of her pollinator meadow, which is very active right now,” Wheeler said. “She’ll point out the different insects and bees and butterflies that are using her meadow.”

Tickets to the self-guided garden tour are $20 and include a copy of the map. They are available for purchase at Pine Hill Orchards and Catamount Country Store. Wheeler added that to-go lunches will be available at Catamount Country Store on Saturday and at Pine Hill Orchards on Saturday and Sunday.