When residents take the Wareham Garden Club's "The Scent of Summer" Garden & Kitchen tour later this month, one of their stops will be at 520 Main Street, a well-known town landmark that has had its share of ups and downs over the past 240 years.

"When we first purchased the home it was condemned.  They would have knocked it down, so where it was ten years ago to where it's at now is just amazing," says Bruce Allen. "We have neighbors all the time saying, 'Thank you for not letting the house get knocked down!'"

Allen and Lori Sampson purchased the property ten years ago with the mission of saving it from destruction. Now married (in a ceremony at the house, no less), they are ready to show off their work to all of Wareham.

"The town has been very appreciative, so now it's time to show everyone what we actually did," says Allen.

"When we first looked at the place, in the back there was absolutely nothing except for an azalea and a mountain laurel and a couple hostas," said Sampson. "Now, when you come at this time of year, it's like a jungle out there, so were very proud of it."

"It's pretty fun," she added. "Well, more than pretty fun . . . to have people see it for the first time and just be like 'Oh my gosh!' Everywhere you look there's something to see."

Connie Wiliszowski, who helped organize the event, says that the property is one of the highlights of the entire tour.

"This place is fantastic. It's one of the older homes in Wareham and they've got so much here that people will really want to spend the time going around to see," she said. "The little orchard, the fish pond, the vegetable garden, tons of perennials--things that have been here for a long time and things they just planted."

"[Allen's] vegetable garden is definitely a showstopper," said Sampson, adding that the garden is roughly 35x50 but that it gets a little bigger every year.

"When I see the chainsaw come out in the fall I get a little nervous," she said with a laugh.

Sampson said that Allen is known at local shops for buying massive bulk amounts of plants in end-of-the-season sales.

"He'll come home with 300 mums, for instance, because he got them all for fifty cents," she said. "So we buy a lot in bulk. I think we might have a problem."

"I think any good gardener has a problem," says Wiliszowski with a smile.

In addition to the 1774 home, the tour will stop by seven other properties of varying ages, with one being fairly new according to Wiliszowski. Visitors will be able to view the future site of a Nature Explore garden behind the Wareham Library and see the plans that organizers have for the space. Additionally, five of the houses (including Bruce and Lori's) will have their kitchens on display for visitors to tour.

In the end, Bruce says that the tour for them is about sharing their beautiful garden with others.

"We're just stewards here. We want everybody to enjoy it as much as we have."

The Wareham Garden Tour runs from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. on June 27th and 28th. More information is available on the Garden Club's website at gcfm.org/warehamgardenclub.

Proceeds will fund the Garden Clubs activities throughout the year, which include multiple town beautification projects as well as a garden therapy program for the disabled.