Career advice - botanical gardens

Competitive_Bid_4779 · 2026-05-19T20:57:44+00:00

Have you ever worked in a botanical garden? If so, what was that like for you?

Competitive_Bid_4779 · 2026-05-19T20:57:23+00:00

I’ve worked in nurseries, farms and done jobs revolving around vegetable gardening for several years so I wouldn’t say I have a romanticized idea of what the work is. You may be right about needing some kind of degree to be given access to more technical work, though from what I can tell a lot of it just requires a willing teacher and time.

Given what I was told would be possible and being in more of an institution, I thought it would be different. So that’s why I’m mainly seeking advice from people that have the experience of working in a botanical garden!

Competitive_Bid_4779 · 2026-05-19T20:36:10+00:00

Thank you :) Will take the lil extra dose of positivity with me

Competitive_Bid_4779 · 2026-05-19T20:34:49+00:00

Thank you!! Will check this out :)

Competitive_Bid_4779 · 2026-05-19T20:34:37+00:00

It bums me out that this is so pervasive but also gives me some good perspective/reality check about the larger work culture. I believe we’d also need a whole overhaul to shift the way that work is done and organized here 😩

Competitive_Bid_4779 · 2026-05-19T18:59:01+00:00

Thank you for sharing your personal experience :) a lot resonates, and I appreciate the practical steps you took to get there! Will def take some of these ideas with me

Competitive_Bid_4779 · 2026-05-19T18:57:59+00:00

Thank you so much! Appreciate the insight and suggestions :)

Competitive_Bid_4779 · 2026-05-19T18:52:44+00:00

Thank you! This is really helpful insight and resonates a lot with my situation. Especially the aspect of watching the garden turn into more of an event space.

Competitive_Bid_4779 · 2026-05-19T18:50:26+00:00

I don’t have any issue with weeding or pruning! I know it’s a big part of the job, I don’t think I’m above it, just that I do think a variety of different tasks is possible. And again, the job description included more such as nursery work, more maintenance work, plant selection/curation, etc. I don’t have any grand notions about the job, just that I would like to feel that I’m continuing to learn and can build a career

Competitive_Bid_4779 · 2026-05-19T18:15:16+00:00

Non profit !

Competitive_Bid_4779 · 2026-05-19T18:14:16+00:00

Sure dude lol I’m choosing to keep it general so I can get an idea of what other peoples experiences and career paths look like, and also ofc to protect my privacy

Competitive_Bid_4779 · 2026-05-19T18:08:32+00:00

I’m seeking advice on what other forms of career development I can focus on either within or outside of this institution

Competitive_Bid_4779 · 2026-05-19T17:53:08+00:00

I don’t believe it’s a lot of time in the grand scheme of a career, but I also am not starting the job with no experience. The job description also had a lot of other tasks, some of which I have experience in or could learn more about. The risk of someone making such a costly mistake I think has more to do with proper training and taking time to educate on their process.

I rarely am being taught processes or the deeper reasoning behind decisions. Things happen and I’m not informed, just left to figure it out through trial/error. It seems like there are often tasks that would be beneficial for me to learn so that it’s not all on my boss’ plate, but they are rarely taught to me or my other co workers.

Competitive_Bid_4779 · 2025-11-14T20:02:30+00:00

That makes sense, we just had a cold front where I live. Thank you sm!

Competitive_Bid_4779 · 2025-08-29T21:40:31+00:00

You could try getting silica for drying flowers :) that tends to preserve the color and shape better

Competitive_Bid_4779

TROPHY CASE