Local gardeners proudly treated guests to a glimpse of their lush yards and flowerbeds. Neighbors chatted amiably over cookies and lemonade in a rose covered gazebo as they admired blue jays feeding in a nearby garden.

It may sound like an idyllic way to spend a Saturday morning in Berea, but the Berea Hospital Auxiliary’s Spring Garden Tour was staged with a serious purpose in mind: helping the elderly, disabled and ill maintain their independence and quality of life.

The Spring Garden Tour benefited the Auxiliary’s Lifeline program, a service that gives enables subscribers to summon medical assistance with just a push of a button. The service is active 24-hours a day, seven days a week, and those who cannot afford to pay for it are sponsored by the Auxiliary to receive the service.

Away from the hospital, Heckman is an avid gardener, whose lush and colorful yard draws many visitors. Heckman said people’s interest in her garden inspired the idea to raise money and awareness for the Lifeline program.

“I love to garden more than anything, and I couldn’t think of a better way to raise money for Lifeline,” Heckman explained. “People come to visit my garden anyway, so I thought for one day we could charge people to help a good cause.”

Visitors were treated to a pleasant assortment of gardening styles. Heckman’s garden is highlighted with a rose covered arbor and gazebo. The garden of Churchill Weavers was distinguished with a peaceful, shady porch that is stylishly decorated with rustic furniture and one of Churchill’s signature throws. The gardens of Pearl Street residents Louis Isaacs and Judith Faulkner boast carefully manicured lawns punctuated with a vibrant burst of flora. But Heckman said the crown jewel of the Spring Garden Tour was the Fairway Drive home of Mary Startzman, whose backyard is a twisting, tranquil expanse that features a colorful maze of gates, arbors, fountains and a peaceful pond.

At first glance it would seem that Startzman’s immaculate garden would take hours to maintain, but Startzman explained maintenance is not where the real work is.

“Believe it or not, I hate to plant,” Startzman laughed. “But what I love is the creativity. You have to do the work to get the end result. The real work is planning everything.”

Ninety percent of the plants in her backyard are perennial, Startzman said, which means she doesn’t spend too much time replanting every season.

“Because it is perennial, it is pretty much maintenance free. I don’t fertilize. I don’t spray. I have to prune, but it takes care of itself somehow. There really isn’t much to do but get out here, admire it, and tell it how well it is doing,” Startzman joked.

Pearl Street resident Judith Faulkner converted what was once a space containing a dead tree stump to a beautiful garden.

The arbor in Louise Isaacs's yard is a colorful landmark on Boone Street.