Hotel gardener shares what it takes to keep plants looking good

Have you ever walked by the historic St. Paul Hotel and noticed the flower gardens out front, or the ivy climbing the wall?

How about the window boxes along the street? If you’ve been inside, have you noticed all the indoor plants?

Gardener Robyn Wefel is the person who tends to it all.

“I only have to have it looking good roughly 365 days a year,” she said.

Wefel has been the gardener at the iconic downtown St. Paul hotel for 14 years. She’s the third person to hold the position since the garden was built in 1994.

“I tell people I have the best job in the whole hotel,” she said. “I actually get to just play in the garden.”

Wefel includes a lot of native plants in her garden. She says that encourages the “good bugs” to come and eat the “bad bugs.” And it allows her to avoid using chemicals.

“You always are maintaining the garden … and you want to do contrasting leaf textures and colors. And in this garden, because I am in the city and I have such a limited spot, I do plant things a little closer together than a normal person might at their home. It’s because I’m trying to maximize every square inch that I have,” she said.

Another challenge, Wefel says, is the physical toll of all that work.

“By the time you hit that last tray of violas, your hands are kind of achy, and your wrists are sore, and your arms are tired,” she said.

But Wefel says seeing all the people who enjoy her garden brings her joy — and makes it all worth it.

This conversation is a part of our Job Interview series, where we talk to everyday Minnesotans about the rewards and challenges of their work. This following interview has been lightly edited for style and clarity. Click on the audio player to hear the interview.

Official title: Hotel Gardener

What I actually do: Create a nice little oasis in the middle of the city for people to enjoy.

What you love about your work: I get really inspired when people want to take pictures of the garden. Why would you want your wedding photos here, or graduation photos, or anniversary, or birthday? That’s just the biggest compliment.

The hardest part: There are some not-so-glamorous parts. I do have to pick up cigarette butts and other trash that people leave, sometimes it blows in from the neighboring properties — and gum on the sidewalk.

What I’ve learned: I hadn’t seen myself as a professional gardener, so that was new for me. I’m helping some people in my garden club think of things to enter into a flower show, and I’m kind of being a mentor to them and helping them. I find that really rewarding.

Listen to the audio version of this “Job Interview” by clicking the player above.

• Artist and tour guide keeps the old ways of bookmaking alive
• Meet the woman who helped revamp a Minneapolis food shelf
• Meet one of the drivers who clears snow off Twin Cities highways