NATCHEZ &8212; The plants, trees and shrubs had 150 plus years to develop. The tour guides had about a year.

But now that the first season of the Melrose garden tours is complete, the National Park Service and the Friends of the Garden are ready to learn and keep growing.

&8220;We were new to this, but we got better as we went along,&8221; volunteer guide Grace Steiner said. &8220;We are going to critique what was given to us and make it better.&8221;

Spring Pilgrimage was the first time the gardens of Melrose were opened for guided tours. Volunteers agreed to lead the tours after about a year&8217;s worth of work to make the grounds ready.

&8220;Last year we had a big event in the spring,&8221; said Kathleen Jenkins, interim superintendent of the park. &8220;Dozens came out and were beating back the jungle.&8221;

Wisteria that had overtaken other plants and trees was slowly removed and poisoned. Shrubs were trimmed. Plants were identified.

Once the garden started looking less like a jungle and more like a garden, the group decided they needed tours, Jenkins said.

This year was the pilot program, now comes recruiting more guides and more tourists, she said.

&8220;Melrose has always been comparable to the other house tours in Natchez,&8221; Jenkins said. &8220;You buy the ticket and you go through the house. The gardens are a little different.&8221;

The tour includes quotes from previous house owners about what was blooming when and the way things used to be. Magnolias and live oak trees still stand, but some plants have been replaced.

A tree orchard that contained rows and rows of fruit trees &8212; including 180 varieties of apples and more than 200 varieties of pears &8212; no longer exists.

Because Pilgrimage stretches over several weeks the guides had to adjust to different blooms each week, focusing on what was in bloom that day. The tour lasts about 45 minutes, and was lined up to fall in between house tours. Guides led the tours three times a day on Thursdays and Fridays.

Jenkins is hoping to offer another tour during National Park Week, April 22-28. And guides can potentially be available for specially requested group tours.

All tours are free.

Jenkins and the Friends of the Garden also encouraged local residents to take advantage of the grounds.

&8220;One of our goals is to create a place where community can come and tour the gardens,&8221; guide Jimmy Guercio said.

Jenkins said she thought locals forgot that the land was public property.

&8220;A lot of people don&8217;t realize they can come on the grounds anytime free of charge,&8221; she said. &8220;We want people to have options for experiencing the gardens. They can wander.&8221;