Vanessa Igoe, Arboretum Gardener

Covered in soil from a noticeably young age, my passion for plants began gardening with my mother, Yvonne Igoe. She showed me the importance of getting your hands dirty and for that, I am forever grateful.

My love for horticulture was then solidified when I was accepted into Norfolk County Agricultural High School where I became an urban forestry major. In my junior year, I was introduced to the Arnold Arboretum by being accepted to the Aggie Horticulture internship program. During the span of 6 weeks, I worked alongside horticulturalists in all zones and learned the very basics of what it means to work within a public garden.

In college, I studied plant, soil, and insect science at UMass Amherst. During this time, I conducted research focusing on best management practices for the landscape & nursery industries under Amanda Bayer. Before I graduated, I was accepted into the Isabella Hunnewell Internship Program at the Arboretum as a horticulture intern for the summer. This experience made me finally solidify my career in the wonderful world of trees & shrubs.

In 2020, I worked in a large production greenhouse before yet again returning to the Arboretum. For 2 seasons, I worked as a horticulture apprentice gardener where I assisted horticulturalist Scott Phillips in maintaining the Bradley Rosaceae Collection, the Maple Collection, and the Beech Collection.

I feel forever indebted to conserving these plants. They provide so much happiness to not only me, but to the thousands of visitors that can escape into the Arboretum daily. I am now working full-time here as a Gardener II. You can find me amongst the crabapples and hawthorns on Peter’s Hill working alongside Brendan Keegan.