When I’m on a night out, chatting to a man, and say, “Yeah, I’m a horticulturalist”, they’re like: “Hardly?” It’s a very male-dominated industry and I’m one of a few young people too. Because I’m young and small in stature, I’m not what many would picture. In previous jobs men have infantilised me, commenting, “Good girl, big and strong”.I’m a 24-year-old plant maintenance technician from Carlow. I work for Universal Floral, a family-run interior landscaping business.
Our company was set up more than 40 years ago and has 600 contracts in Ireland and 25 technicians in Dublin alone. I’m responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of plants in offices and businesses, with daily tasks including watering, pruning, dusting, fertilizing during the summer months, pest control and replacing plants when needed. I manage 30 contracts in Dublin over a two-week period, including buildings occupied by Google, Meta, the National Treasury Management Agency and The Irish Time