Volunteer Spotlight: Emily Arbutina

By Greta Engel

Phipps is well-known for our beautiful gardens, seasonal flower shows, pioneering sustainability initiatives, informative educational programs and community outreach. None of our work, however, would be possible without the knowledge and dedication of our volunteers. In this series of profiles, we meet some of the people who give their time to make Phipps possible.

As an avid gardener, Emily Arbutina has always loved being outside and spending time in nature. She became interested in volunteering at Phipps while attending college in Oakland, often passing by Phipps and admiring its beauty. After developing her gardening skills during the Pandemic, Emily decided it was the perfect time to start volunteering! Reflecting on that decision, Emily says, “Phipps provides me the opportunity to be around nature, share my love and passion for gardening and hopefully gain some additional insight into  caring for various plants from the other volunteers and employees.”

In a typical day of volunteering, Emily participates in a wide variety of tasks. Oftentimes she works in Integrated Pest Management, which requires her “to evaluate and remove invasive insects and diseased leaves from the bonsai plants” in addition to scrubbing scale off ivy and other plants. She really enjoys volunteering at events where she can assist young visitors with Pot-A-Plant with the hope of inspiring them to develop an interest in plants!

After nine months of volunteering at Phipps, Emily appreciates the “welcoming, relaxing and uplifting atmosphere” at the Conservatory. She loves that volunteering at Phipps enables her to embrace her love of plants and share it with others. Emily is also fascinated by the transformation the Conservatory goes through between eachseasonal show and admires the staff’s hard work to accomplish it.

Living in the Forest Hills area, Emily spends most of her time surrounded by nature. She finds “working with plants to be a relaxing and rewarding experience.” When she’s not caring for her garden, Emily loves to travel! She has enjoyed experiencing a plethora of beautiful gardens across the United States, Germany and Poland. Emily is proud to call Phipps her happy place!