beauty in our backyard

Nearly 350 out-of-towners descended upon the Mahoning Valley on Friday with cameras in hand and a mission in mind: to check out the landscaping.

For Marge Olson, it was a pleasant surprise and a stark contrast from her hometown of Anchorage, Alaska, nine hours away by plane.

"What I was really delighted to see was a woody, hilly area," said Olson. "I thought it would be flat. In Alaska we're used to mountains."

While Olson traveled the farthest to get here, other group members came from all over Ohio for the Master Gardener Volunteer Program's annual state conference Friday and today. The first set in northeast Ohio, the conference rotates around the state each year while members gather for workshops, speakers and garden tours.

On tap Friday were tours of Fellows Riverside Gardens in Mill Creek Park, a winery in Ashtabula County and a stop at the Kent State Draime Legacy Gardens on Hunters Trail S.E.

The Draime family donated the 10-acre property to Kent State University in 2003 to offer students hands-on learning opportunities. The garden, which spans most of the property, was influenced by the family's travels around the country and in Europe, with English, French and Italian themes. It also includes sculptures and two greenhouses.

Ultimately, said Paul Pfeiffer, property operator, the gardens will be open to the public.

The grounds include a Children's Garden, with several small trees, hydrangeas and white Carolina Silverbells, along with a conifer garden and a solid wall of bamboo.

Many of the gardeners said they attend the conferences to compare and contrast the types of plants that can or can't grow in the different host towns.

Olson said one type of flowers she's known for in Anchorage are hostas, which are small and bell-shaped, and which she spotted more than once on Friday.

"It's nice to see we're keeping up with the lower 48," said Olson.

Alice Wamsley, from the Athens area, and Louise Smith, of Baltimore, Ohio, said they are backyard gardeners. The area looks much the same as it does in Athens, Wamsley said. Gwen Ritchie, from near Cincinnati, said her home has a rain garden, which thrives on rainwater runoff.

She was surprised at how blue some flowers like lavender, Columbines and Joepie Weed were.

"It's nice climate-wise," added Ritchie, who lives just south of the snowbelt.

Most of the crew came into town on Thursday night, with activities Friday beginning about 8 a.m. Today, the crew will attend a slate of seminars and workshops.

dloreno@tribtoday.com