Meet Kelly Young: Every day, she’s getting her hands dirty as horticulturist in the Northeastern Arboretum

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Headshot of Kelly Young standing outside with yellow flowers overlayed.
Northeastern horticulturist Kelly Young takes a break from redesigning a planter on Snell Quad this fall. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

Kelly Young has the requisite green thumb. 

But as a horticulturist in the Northeastern Arboretum who is responsible for the Boston campus’ planters and flower beds, Young also has an eye for design, the researcher’s need to experiment, a botanist’s knowledge of plant species and an environmentalist’s focus on ecosystem sustainability … all while gladly getting her hands — quite literally — dirty. 

Young, who joined the arboretum in February, spoke with Northeastern Global News while changing the planters outside Snell Library — one of 26 areas of the Boston campus that includes seasonal changeouts

She discussed her background as a student at the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, intern at the Arnold Arboretum and the unique opportunity to work with herbaceous as well as woody plants while helping Northeastern in its efforts to build and document its plant collection. 

Young also explained the “thriller, filler, spiller” philosophy for planters (an attention-grabbing, vertical accent, a mounded or rounded plant to make the container look full, and something that spills over the edge of the container), discussed how to design for a purpose rather than just an aesthetic, and received some well-earned compliments for her work for passersby. 

Oh, and in her spare time, she is also taking courses at the university in organizational leadership.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. 

What is your favorite part of your job?

Definitely this (changing out the planters). I love getting to experiment with different plants and with the arboretum and all the events and convocation, Northeastern likes to go all out, so it’s a learning experience — I think that’s a huge perk for me. 

I try to do things that get a reaction, that has some constant color, and that is rabbit resistant — that is huge: the rabbits will try anything, even things that they shouldn’t.

I want to design with a purpose rather than just accomplish what I want aesthetically, so I like to incorporate more pollinator-friendly plants and perennials that I can then put into the landscapes when I switch them out — so being more sustainable as well around designing. 

It’s just trying to do different things, figuring out what works and what doesn’t in preparing for next year, and I’ve been getting some good feedback.

What is the hardest part of your job?

Learning how to do horticulture in the urban extremes. Plants need to be tolerant of salt (for snowmelt), there are the rabbits and the squirrels, and there are lots of people interacting with the plants. Finding out what works in an urban environment has been a challenge and learning experience.

What is something about your job that would surprise people? 

The amount of organization it takes to plan out a garden space. You can wing some of it, but on a campus like this there are lots of moving parts and it takes a lot of organization and patience to do what we do.

How do you relax?

Well, I garden at home, and I love helping others with their gardening problems. But I also run, do yoga, and do pottery — yes, I have made my own clay pots.

If you had to choose a different profession, what would it be?

I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be. I would love to be a director of a botanic garden someday, and I’m working on my master’s in organizational leadership in pursuit of that goal. But I also think it would have been cool to be a pilot. 

What is the best part of your day? 

Planting first thing in the morning. It’s quiet, it’s before the city wakes up, and it’s just me and my plants and the planting area. 

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