Employee Spotlight: Ariana Rivellini

Q: Can you share a little about your work background and how you got your start at Star® Roses and Plants?  

A: Before coming to Star® Roses and Plants, I was a park ranger at Green Lane Park in Montgomery County. I never thought about getting into horticulture for a career, but a friend of mine who is a former Star® plant breeder suggested I apply for a position here because it might be more aligned with my interests than being a ranger. I went to school for ecology and wanted to work more closely with plants, and my job here has been exactly that.

Q: What is one thing about your job that you particularly enjoy?

A: I love looking at flowers all the time! A big part of my job is evaluating how plants grow and flower, and it feels like a dream getting to walk the fields daily as part of my job.

Q: Is there anything that surprises you about the horticulture industry?  

A: Being able to look behind the scenes at all the work that goes into selecting a new plant, I am shocked at how many cultivars are created to find the one that makes it to market.

Q: We’re lucky to work with a product that is beautiful and alive: plants! Can you speak to how that affects you and the way you do your work? 

A: Working with a live product adds so much unpredictability to what I do sometimes, but I find the challenge fun. Constantly checking to see how things are growing, working with a new species, or experimenting with new propagation techniques keeps the job interesting.

Q: It’s hard to choose a favorite plant, but what is one that you particularly love right now?  

A: Sweet Starlight™ Hydrangea is one of my favorites right now. The big, fluffy blooms remind me of cotton candy when they start turning pink.

Q: What’s one piece of advice you’ve received or one thing you’ve learned from working in the horticulture industry? 

A: One good piece of advice I received from working in the horticulture industry is to stay flexible, which can be necessary with the unpredictable nature of working with plants.

Q: When you’re not working, what do you like to do for fun? 

A: I love being outdoors as much as possible, which includes mountain biking and rock climbing. When it’s nice out I’ll often go biking right after work, or take friends out for rides on the weekends, and plan my vacations to different climbing spots along the east coast.