At peace in the garden

As part of her Associate Degree in Environmental Horticulture at the University of Melbourne, Ms Atagi undertook a four-weeks placement at the traditional Japanese Garden in Melbourne Zoo and gained invaluable practical experience working as a horticulturist.

Ms Atagi explains that the Japanese Garden at Melbourne Zoo is a carefully designed and perfectly manicured traditional Japanese garden that is full of symbolism.

“The hills in the garden represent mountains and the pond represents the sea, there is even a Japanese summerhouse that acts as a place of contemplation,” Ms Atagi says.

“The garden is designed to make you feel like you are in Japan – it is full of native Japanese plants and the pond is even home to colourful Japanese carp, called Koi.

“Every day I would look forward to going to work, it is the most peaceful workplace you could imagine.”

To add to the ambience of the area, Ms Atagi would be welcomed every morning by Keith, the friendly resident swan, who would spend the day paddling on the pond while Ms Atagi worked.

“It was always lovely to see Keith in the mornings, enjoying himself on the pond. Keith is a real favourite among the workers in the garden,” she says.

But Ms Atagi couldn’t spend too much time admiring Keith as she had to do lots of delicate work in the garden. Brendan Curtis the senior horticulturist at the Zoo, mentored Ms Atagi through the tasks.

“Maintenance is crucial to Japanese gardens, with constant pruning, weeding and mowing required to keep it in order,” Ms Atagi says.

“I had already completed the coursework part of my degree so I was relatively familiar with some of the maintenance techniques. But actually getting out there and doing hands-on work really taught me what is was like to work as horticulturist.

“My day would usually start with routine maintenance work around the site, and then I would move on to specific tasks that needed doing, such as weeding, checking for pests, and garden edging.”

The joy of the experience further cemented the ambition of Ms Atagi to pursue a career in horticulture.

“I consider myself very lucky to have been able to work for such a great organisation like Melbourne Zoo and to have such an experienced and knowledgeable person like Brendan Curtis to mentor me through the process,” she says.

“It would be my dream come true to work as a horticulturist – I just love being outdoors working in the garden, and love the teamwork aspect of it all.”

http://www.landfood.unimelb.edu.au/courses/undergrad/advdiphort.html