Picking wildflowers in the crabapple orchard.
Have you ever been chased down a hill by a mower? I have. My name is Hiba Gawish, a sophomore studying landscape management at the University of Maryland’s Institute of Applied Agriculture. This summer, I was a horticulture intern at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, MA. Throughout the summer, I was assigned tasks that ranged from weeding to removals. My overarching goal was plant healthcare, and everything was done with the well-being of plants and the surrounding ecosystem in mind. Through this, I developed a genuine appreciation for what happens behind the scenes of our public parks, which allows them to continue being a place for the public to educate and enjoy themselves, especially in an urban area.
One of my favorite parts of this internship was the intern project in the crabapple and hawthorn collection. My fellow interns and I were given this project to make the maintenance of the tree collection easier while keeping in mind the visitor experience. This was achieved through the creation of a management plan outlining mowing schedules, future understory plantings, mulch plans, and mowed paths. We were also able to make tangible and immediate changes to the area as we added seating, pruned trees that needed it, and removed trees that were not deemed significant to the collection and were in poor health. All the choices we made were ultimately decided with plant health in mind as we tried to reduce soil compaction and the spreading of fungal diseases by improving air circulation in the collection.
Aside from this project, most of our days working amongst the collection were spent doing the everyday tasks alongside a horticulturalist, learning different things. While most days were spent weeding and weed whacking, I also got the opportunity to learn how to climb trees with the arborists, visit other botanical gardens, and get trained on chainsaws and other equipment. Over the course of three months, I gained knowledge of various aspects of maintaining and recording the activities of an arboretum of this size. This experience, in turn, not only helped me learn more about woody plants and plant health care, but it also helped solidify my future career goals. After further education, I want to focus on public parks. I am interested in pursuing a career that focuses on public and accessible green spaces, in terms of the design and creation of these places, or on a more horticultural side. Places like the Arnold Arboretum are incredibly important for the environment, communities, and our cities, and this summer has solidified my wish to be a part of that.
