Kent State University at Salem student Robin Cannon took
a hike up Whistler Mountain while attending the Perennial
Plant Association's annual symposium in Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada.

Robin Cannon, a senior horticulture student at Kent State University at Salem, recently received the Perennial Plant Association scholarship during the organization’s annual symposium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Aside from the $1,000 scholarship, the association provided travel expenses for Cannon to attend the weeklong symposium and participate in its lectures, tours and networking opportunities with professionals from around the world. She was one of six students from the United States to receive the scholarship, and the first ever from Kent State.

During the symposium, Cannon heard speakers from around the country discuss trends in gardening and design, and she toured several private and public gardens. The trip also included a hike up Whistler Mountain.

“This was a trip of a lifetime,” Cannon says. “I saw the most amazing gardens and plants, and we never stopped. I got some really great ideas that I hope to use someday, especially with using different combinations and decorative items.”

Cannon shared that she saw roof-top gardens, a “living” wall, forests, water features, home gardens, container gardens and had an up-close encounter with a glacier. During her trip, she met numerous horticulture professionals, students and professors.

“Everywhere we went, the people were so inviting and willing to share their knowledge,” Cannon says. “Gardeners are sharers. They are out there to make things beautiful and to make us happy and feel good. It felt nice to be around so many nice people who want to do good things for others.”

Cannon lives in Aurora, Ohio, and graduated from West Geauga High School. She will graduate in December with a bachelor’s degree in horticulture.

The Perennial Plant Association is headquartered in Hilliard and is a trade association of growers, retailers, landscape designers, contractors, educators and others who are professionally involved in the perennial plant industry. The annual symposium attracts more than 500 persons from 40 states, Canada and other countries.