A different type of planter box: A chat with Gardener Tom

No one is prouder of the work the Horticulture team does than Tom, who is quick to pull out his phone and snap a photo of his team in action. 

Tom has been a gardener at Wellington City Council for 17 years and is responsible for maintaining 14,000 square metres of flower beds and gardens around the north of the city, including Lambton, Karori, Northland, Wadestown, and Kelburn.

The wider team are responsible for maintaining over 100,000 square metres of gardens across Wellington city, which offers a lot of variety. 

“I like how our job changes throughout the seasons,” says Tom. 

“In summertime there’s a lot of caring for flowerbeds and weeding, whereas in the winter we do a lot more planting and mulching – more odd jobs.”

With their days starting at 7am, gardening in winter is no light work, with the team often starting their day in the dark. 

Last winter, the gardeners planted thousands of native trees in Pōneke as part of the Council's restoration programme, helping to create a thriving corridor for our manu and wildlife in Wellington.

As well as growing native bushes, Tom also helps to grow young gardeners.

“I’m NZQA accredited to train the Council’s garden apprentices as they complete their primary ITO Horticulture qualifications through an apprenticeship the Council offers,” he explains.

“It’s great to get to work with such a diverse group of young people while you’re working together all day, they offer new perspectives on things.”

While Tom loves his work in the gardens and spending time with his team, he says the job is not all roses.

“It’s really frustrating when people vandalise or steal plants from the gardens that we work so hard on in all sorts of weather, as they often can’t be replaced until the next financial year.

“And then people stop me to ask all sorts of question about Council – I’m literally in hi-vis digging on the side of a road, I don’t have the answers to everything!” 

As well as finding some strange items while working, including money, a gimp suit, liquor, and an ankle monitor, Tom has found a real sense of pride in his gardens. 

“I love watching the many gardens that I’ve designed and hand planted flourish over the years, and I’m happy that this work can be enjoyed by the community too.” 

“If I was a private gardener, I'd be working in someone's backyard and only that family would see it was that there, instead I get to create these community environments where lots of people's life events happen, which feels so special.”

Check out some of Tom's snaps below.

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