Landscape and Collections Care
Led by the Manager of Horticulture, the Arboretum landscape is cared for by 12 horticulturists and three arborists. Their work is guided by the Landscape Management Plan; an excerpt is available here. A service garage adjacent to the Hunnewell Building houses a wide array of vehicles and other equipment, including a backhoe loader, a front loader, and an aerial lift truck. During the summer months ten horticultural interns supplement the work of the permanent staff. All permanent grounds staff, except the superintendents, are members of AFL/CIO Local 254, Service Employees International Union.
The duties of the horticulturists include planting and transplanting plants from the nursery to the grounds, mowing, monitoring for insects and diseases, applying pesticides, pruning, removing dead or declining trees, chipping brush, watering, fertilizing, applying soil amendments, removing herbaceous and woody weeds, rejuvenating planting beds, mulching, picking up litter, shoveling and plowing snow, and repairing and maintaining equipment.