The talented staff keeping our gardens beautiful
- Dianne Clendaniel
- Jun 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 19
Being part of a dedicated effort to cultivate spaces filled with beauty, serenity, and discovery inspires our gardeners. They understand that public gardens provide something deeply meaningful—spaces for sanctuary, joy, and connection with nature. In their careful attention to details, whether training a vine along a wall, removing spent flowers, or raking the pathways, the staff know they are enriching every visitor’s experience.
“I am so proud of our garden teams, who have worked through this cool, wet spring to prepare for your experience with enthusiasm and dedication,” says Cassie Banning, Director of Farm & Gardens. “There are wonderful new staff members who you will see out in the gardens. Be sure to welcome them.”
The Asticou Azalea Garden has welcomed hundreds of visitors each day during May and June. The team tending to this landscape brings decades of experience in gardening and landscaping, much of it right here at the Preserve. This spring, they completed major transplanting efforts within Asticou as well as at nearby Thuya Garden and the newly restored Day Mountain area. They also spent two days working alongside bonsai consultant Terry Smith, delicately pruning the "candles" of Pinus rigida (pitch pine), a time-honored annual practice that shapes the trees to resemble wind-swept sculptures. A behind-the-scenes success this season: the propagation of Japanese Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema sikokianum), which will be transplanted into the garden later this summer.
At Thuya Garden, the staff bring years of hands-on gardening experience from the Preserve, estate gardens, farms, and educational institutions. Their dedication to learning continues, as many are pursuing organic landscape certifications and participating in professional horticulture courses. Their rewards are the carefully crafted borders, thriving native plants, and the buzz of insects and birds in the garden. Visitors’ words of appreciation reinforce the deep satisfaction that comes from nurturing this garden in the woods.
Meanwhile, the team at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden brings the same thoughtful dedication to this inspiring landscape. With backgrounds in biology, farming, and landscape design, these gardeners bring curiosity and care to every task—from planting annuals in the border gardens and tending perennials, to clearing moss beds of fallen debris. The staff bring curiosity and thoughtful engagement to their work, whether reflecting on the juxtaposition of the beauty of the woodlands that surround the refined elegance of the designed garden space, marveling at the growth of seedlings week to week, or thoughtfully addressing the variety of tasks each day brings.
While a shared love for plants and the outdoors fuels their work, the Preserve gardeners also treasure the strong sense of community at the Preserve. They find connection and purpose not only with fellow gardeners, greeters, and volunteers, but also with the thousands of people who visit each year. For many guests, what lingers in memory is not just the beauty of the gardens, but also the warmth and talent of those who care for them.
The Preserve has exciting opportunities to join our fabulous team! We are currently hiring for two positions: a Greenhouse Manager to help support our plant production operation, and a Garden Greeter to welcome visitors into our remarkable gardens. If you or someone you know would enjoy being part of a passionate team, visit our website for more information and to apply.
Photographs by Nikolai Fox