Horticulturist (Retail Nurseryman)Typical Day

Fortunately for Willow Grover, the bus stops only a short distance from Emerald City Nursery, where she has been working for the past few years. She walks way too much (according to her ankles, anyway) around the five acres of retail space in the nursery throughout the day to walk more than a few blocks to get there. So the bus it is. Yes, by now, she earns enough to buy an inexpensive hybrid car, but she prefers a “greener” mode of transportation.

Because it has been so warm the past few days and is expected to be warm again today, the early part of the morning is spent dragging hoses and watering the small plants that are not hooked up to drip irrigation. This may seem boring, but it is the most peaceful time of the day. Aside from the hour or so after putting her kids to bed. Before this early morning work is finished, the customers start arriving.

The first few customers know what they want and only need help loading it into their cars. One needs a few bales of soil amendment. Another is in need of lawn fertilizer and gypsum. The third gets a half oak wine barrel, and then wants to know which petunias will cascade from it most impressively. Then the notorious Mrs. Gulch arrives with her typical scowl. She wants a shade tree for her front lawn, but not just any shade tree. It can't drop messy leaves to clutter the lawn, or have aggressive roots to heave the lawn, or get too big. Also, it must be drought tolerant, because Mrs. Gulch is allergic to water. Willow thinks about this for a few minutes… a tree without leaves or roots,that needs no water. Mm-kay.