It seems only natural that Militca Denee would grow up to study horticulture and make a career out of her love of nature, plants and the world around her.
She graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in horticulture with a minor in environmental studies from the Kent State Salem Campus and wasted no time finding the perfect place to apply what she learned.
Denee is a full-time horticulturist at the historic and renowned Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pa, near Philadelphia. The site consists of more than 1,100 acres of gardens, meadows and woodlands in the Brandywine Creek Valley. It also features indoor and outdoor displays of native and exotic pants and horticulture; a conservatory; and numerous water fountains.
When she was 5 years old, Denee’s family relocated from Canada to Ohio, but her early childhood experiences served as a foundation for her future in the green industry.
Denee recently shared her story about how she pursued her passion and turned it into a satisfying career. What follows are her reflections about her journey.
From Militca Denee:
“One of my favorite parts about the field of horticulture is that those who are part of it come from varying backgrounds. Every person brings their own focus and specialties into horticulture; it’s an ever-changing field. We continually learn more about the environment, specifically, the plants and ideologies on how things should be cared for and designed.
“For me, there was no ‘light bulb’ moment that led me to where I am today, but it happened anyway. And I am pretty happy it did.
“Plants have always been part of my life. My father ran a greenhouse for the first few years of my life and his father, my Opa, owned that greenhouse before him. Even before that, (my great-grandfather) was a pharmacist in Harderwijk, Netherlands, who was interested in using plants for remedies. I did not find out about this until much later. My mom always had houseplants, orchids, Christmas cactus and cyclamen, which stand out in my memory. She also planted containers for the front of our house every year. Inside or outside, plants were a staple at my home.
“Early on, we had a veggie plot beside our house and a greenhouse in the background. I remember growing corn, tomatoes and sunflowers, though I am sure we had more. I remember that we picked off tobacco hornworms and put them in old yogurt containers. Sunflowers remain one of my favorite flowers for a variety of nostalgic reasons.
“On days off from school and work, our family took trips to local gardens, wherever we were. If not gardens, it was trips to garden centers and hikes in the woods. One of the defining gardens for me was the Royal Botanical Garden’s Rock Garden in Ontario, Canada. Though I have not been back to see it in a while, that quarry which was revamped into a garden made a lasting impression on me.
“Once we moved to the United States, my siblings and I spent some of our summers at a family friend’s home, where a good portion of their yard was a vegetable patch and where we spent the majority of our days. My siblings and I learned much about growing our food and nature. I especially remember eating broccoli and peas fresh off the stalk and vine, as well as collecting cicada exoskeletons, holding live ones in my hands and playing the game Fox and Geese.
“All those times gave me direction, much to my ignorance at the time.
“Pulling weeds for a few hours a couple days a week in the summer seemed like an easy gig, so the summer after my first year at Wadsworth High School, I started working with a landscape maintenance crew that cared for 100-plus acres. Each summer after that, my work season increased, as well as my enjoyment for the work at hand. Working with the dirt, soil, the plants, birds and bees gave me a new appreciation for the natural world.
“There is something special about caring for living things, even if they are plants, that I especially recognized later while going to college for horticulture. Simultaneously, there was, and still is, something satisfying about working hard and seeing the results of your work. Imagine spotting a substantially-sized weed growing up and through another plant, ever so similarly-leaved, and managing to pull it out with the whole root. One cannot help but feel accomplished.
“At the same time, I took a drafting class and went through the engineering career tech course my high school offered. I thought about studying architecture, so it made sense. By my senior year, however, I felt something was missing from all the drawing and computer-aided design work that I was doing in class. I liked the creative aspect of it, but I missed getting my hands dirty. Quite literally.
“Riding that train of thought, I figured the best way to combine my interests was to study landscape architecture or design. I applied to a handful of colleges with that intention, but it was something I couldn't afford to do. I was aiming for the least amount of debt or none at all, if possible. I kept searching for something similar or an alternative that could get me where I hoped to go.
“… I happened to find out about the horticulture program at Kent State University while looking for schooling alternatives. I learned that Kent State's Salem Campus has a horticulture program, and it became the most viable option for me, taking into account distance and price. I could live at home and keep working. It is a small school with a small program, but very affordable. With further research into horticulture education, it looked like a good stepping stone. And that was that.
“I graduated high school in 2019. That fall, my family and I took a long-awaited trip through Pennsylvania to Gettysburg and Longwood Gardens. Working on a campus that was about 10 years old versus seeing Longwood’s 200-year-old landscape was eye-opening. My family covered as much of the grounds as we could, walking roughly 10 miles in one day.
“At some point during our exploration, I said that if, some day, I could learn or work from here, that would be unbelievable. That became my post-graduation goal.
“During my time at Kent State Salem, I learned a great deal. One of the first classes I took was soil science, taught by the late Professor Chris Carlson. It was a great way to start the program.
“… I also found myself at the main campus and other Regional Campuses to take courses not offered at Salem. All that I learned from my classes applied to the job I kept through college. I knew practical things from having already worked for a handful of years in the field, but in class I learned the technical sides and the why.
“The horticulture program on the Salem Campus was organized in ways that gave me a decent schedule so I could work and still go to school. At one point when I was in the program, things were uncertain because of COVID, then a professor retired and the program got smaller. I rarely saw new students and there were times when I took a few classes as the only student or by independent study. I could see what the program was like in its prime because of the trees and garden beds around campus and within the walls of the classrooms, but I was wary because I had not been there for it. By the time I graduated, a whole slew of new students had joined, and I was happy that the program was alive again. They have so many things going on now.
“As graduation neared, figuring out my next steps was a little haphazard. I applied to several internships at different gardens, much like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping a piece sticks. It was only slightly stressful. Mid-March of that spring, while pruning elm trees with my dad, I learned that I was accepted into a year-long internship in Outdoor Landscapes at the Longwood Gardens.
“… I graduated in May 2023 with a bachelor of applied horticulture degree and a minor in environmental studies. Among all the radiologists, occupational therapists and teachers at commencement, I was the only horticulturist who walked across the stage with my cap decorated with dried flowers and preserved butterflies and bees.
“Only weeks later, after helping plant a roughly 5,000 annual plant display at my job, I was off to Pennsylvania. My time as an intern was full of unexpected events, but it was an overall good time. As an intern, I rotated through the three larger garden areas of Longwood Gardens. Each area has a team with individually dedicated garden spaces. Each team has its dynamics, as each space has its specialties. Along with the greater variety of plants, the same goes for the people caring for them.
“While learning about the different plants, processes for placement and general tasks, I learned another aspect of working in a public setting: interacting with the guests. I previously worked in a more private garden, so the amount of people walking through and enjoying the gardens was different for me. It was an element I found I had been missing. Mind you: there are endless, sometimes very repetitive questions, but I will take that any day for my hard work to be appreciated.
“I did not complete the internship, because within a short period, a manager asked if I wanted a full-time job at the gardens. Simultaneously, I thought ‘yes!’ and ‘why?’
“When the job was posted, I applied, interviewed and was offered an official job, which I graciously accepted. This all fell together within a month or so. My past self would never have imagined this scenario. It is still hard to wrap my mind around the circumstances.
“January 2024 marked the beginning of working as a full-time horticulturist at Longwood Gardens. I am still learning the ropes as I wait to be assigned to a designated section, but I have already experienced and learned a great amount. I spent a month shearing boxwood in the Main Fountain Garden; I’ve planted trees (witnessing it being done via a crane and once actually driving an articulating loader); counted Christmas light strands; and so much more.
“Looking into the future, I hope to continue learning about plants, the environment and design. I plan to study landscape architecture or complete certification in landscape design. My end goal is to create spaces that bring people to the outdoors, while considering as many factors as I can to support the plants and the animals, now and for the long term. I also want to educate others about all plants and beyond, while sharing the love I have for my career choices and keeping people aware.
“All in all, I love what I do!”
Cutline A: Militca Denee at Longwood Gardens
Cutline B: Militca Denee getting ready to plant.
Cutline C: Militca Denee digging into her work in a flower bed at Longwood Gardens