Cynthia Gianfrancesco, proprietor of Gleaner Gardens, in North Scituate, prunes azaleas — one of dozens on the property — in preparation for a public opening this weekend.

The Providence Journal / Bob Thayer

SCITUATE — It’s Memorial Day weekend, and that means the historic Gleaner Gardens and their treasure trove of rhododendrons and azaleas are open to the public again.

There are more than 100 varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas in bloom, according to the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society. The gardens, at 299 Gleaner Chapel Rd., North Scituate, will be open tomorrow through Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is a $2 fee. Visitors are invited to bring cameras and picnic fare.

Cynthia Gianfrancesco and Chuck Horbert, who own the gardens, have been working for years to restore the gardens to their original glory. The gardens date to the 1950s, when the late George E. Howarth, a landscape artist who was credited with developing some of the state’s most popular parks, began collecting varieties of rhododendrons on his world travels, according to Gianfrancesco and Horbert.

The couple began restoring the gardens after they fell into neglect upon Howarth’s death 20 years ago.

Gianfrancesco said that as many as 200 visitors have arrived on past Memorial Day weekends.

Gianfrancesco is a master gardener and a member of the Gentian Garden Club and the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society.

Howarth, who worked 32 years for the state, was superintendent of state parks from 1980 to 1984, when he retired. He was influential in developing Fort Adams State Park in Newport and Fishermen’s Memorial Campground in Narragansett. He also helped design the golf course at Goddard Memorial State Park in Warwick. He was a licensed arborist and served as Scituate’s tree warden.

tmorgan@projo.com