Wellfield Horticulture Staff took a moment, as we ramp up for the season, to reflect on what they like about working at Wellfield. In a few weeks, they are looking forward to seeing more of you out in the gardens, as we resume daily operations (10 a.m.-6 p.m.) and begin Spring Splendor starting April 1st. Stop and say hello next time you see them out working!
(from left: Amy Myers, Dustin Taber, Kyle Strain, Cody Hoff, Ariana Guerrero)
I wear many hats in my role as Horticulture and Facilities Manager. One of my favorites is being able to be creative with the seasonal displays at Wellfield. As the tulips fade, the summer annuals get planted. As fall approaches, we add another layer and get to tell another story. I love when a display or garden turns out even better than we planned and I see guests enjoying the space. I enjoy collaborating with other creative minds who contribute to the beauty at Wellfield. Each holds a piece of the puzzle and every person is passionate about their part. – Amy Myers, Horticulture and Facilities Manager
The best part about working at Wellfield as a horticulturist is getting the chance to practice more specialized parts of gardening. Learning the intricacies of stylized gardens can be difficult or impossible to learn solely from reading about them. I have been fortunate enough to get hands-on experience in these themed gardens and get to work with people who specialize in Japanese gardening and botany. These opportunities are the reason I am able to care for the Woodland Garden, Island garden, and the Peace Garden (scheduled to be completed this spring!). – Cody Hoff, Lead Horticulturist
An artist can work in a vast variety of mediums. When working with plants, I see them as a living palette, with which one can create art that is not only beautiful, but ecologically functional. To me, Wellfield is a tapestry of living things that serves multiple roles, beyond beauty. I love that Wellfield is a public resource, accessible to the community, and that it utilizes living art to engage people’s curiosity of the environment, sustainability, and the natural world. It’s an honor to play a part in stewarding the public resource and wealth of ecological artistry that is Wellfield. – Kyle Strain,
Lead Horticulturist
My favorite part about working at Wellfield is collaborating with the other horticulture staff. Here, we work as a team to get tasks done more efficiently. If we have objectives such as cutting back or pruning, we often work together to learn techniques from each other and to share ideas. I think this team effort helps not only get tasks done quicker, but also gets a variety of opinions on tasks in the gardens such as pruning and decisions on the gardens in general. – Ariana Guerrero, Lead Horticulturist