Zoe Matteson 

• Nursery Management intern, nursery assistant , 2022–2025
• Major: Landscape Architecture, Class of 2025 

I came into Davis undeclared not really sure what I wanted to do with my life or even with my college experience. I joined the Nursery Management Learning by Leading™ program winter quarter of my freshman year, and although I had always considered myself a plant person, I had never really received any education on horticultural maintenance. As I started enjoying my landscape architecture classes more, I supplemented my classroom education with hands-on experience at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery. Working outside with plants, learning how to prune, pot, and plant, gave me the tangible work that I craved. As I transitioned from intern to employee, Nursery Managers Taylor Lewis and Abbey Hart made sure to give me new and exciting tasks to keep the job interesting for me. Both saw how much I enjoyed working with plants and cultivated that passion. I started working more frequently at the nursery headquarters , learning about vegetative propagation and seed collection. 

During my junior year, Abbey suggested I work with the Friday volunteer group after she learned that I was interested in planting design. Working with the Friday volunteer group has been one of my favorite experiences with the Learning by Leading™ program. I have been working with this volunteer team for over a year now, and I have learned so much from them. Through my involvement, I have gotten hands-on experience with planting design: making choices about where plants should be, considering things like how big they will get or how much sun they need. But what is truly special about working in a space for a longer period of time is watching it change. These beds are always different, as we plant new plants and take others out every week. As a result, when planting, we make design decisions that don’t just consider the present, but the future of the garden and what it might look like next season, in a year, or in five years! It’s amazing watching a garden change, watching plants that I planted establish and succeed. That’s one of the best things about designing with plants, your design is not static, but dynamic. The Friday volunteers have also helped me in my growth. My plant identification and my understanding of horticultural maintenance have improved greatly in the past year, and that's largely thanks to them. They are eager to teach me and help me when needed. Getting the opportunity to work with people deeply knowledgeable and passionate about plants has been such a privilege, and the connections I have built with them are invaluable. 

One of the best things I think the Learning by Leading ™ program does is that it gets students and community members involved on campus and makes them feel like they are making a tangible change to their environment. When you plant a plant, when you come back to it and see that it has grown, you feel a connection to the space. Having the agency to change a space, makes it feel more like your own, it gives you a sense of pride and a sense of home. The Learning by Leading™ program has made UC Davis feel more like my home. I have gotten to watch it change, contribute to its growth, make connections, and gain leadership skills. I can’t wait to take what I’ve learned here into my future career as a landscape architect.