Meet the Planting Fields, Old Westbury Gardens, Bailey Arboretum caretakers

Lush fields of flowers sprawling throughout Old Westbury Gardens. A historic Gold Coast estate standing tall at Planting Fields Arboretum. Forty-two acres of greenery tucked away in Bailey Arboretum.

For most people, this scenery is part of an annual excursion, taken when the air starts to warm and flowers begin to bloom. 

But for others, this is their backyard.

That’s because they live and work at Long Island’s arboretums and gardens. 

Whether they manage the facilities and maintenance of the grounds, cultivate flowers and plants in the greenhouse or handle a little bit of everything, these employees keep the operations running year-round so that Long Islanders like us can come visit.

But living where you work, even amid such a grand backdrop, has its ups and downs.

Old Westbury Gardens

We don't have the luxuries of money and stuff like that, but you can just kind of imagine who lived on 200 acres.

— Scott Lucas

Scott Lucas lives in an English-style cobblestone cottage at Old Westbury Gardens, just steps from where he works. As the greenhouse supervisor, Lucas works six days a week during the summer, and cares for most of the plants and flowers throughout the property.

"If you stroll through the different gardens, you’ll see all the different annuals and perennials and trees and shrubs," said Lucas, 52. "A lot of those, I would say probably about 80 percent of those, we grow here in the greenhouses."

The greenhouses, closed to the public, are just 10 feet from Lucas’ front door. They are filled with row upon row of leafy potted plants and flowers featuring vibrant hues of pink and yellow.

Lucas grew up on a farm upstate, and studied general horticulture and greenhouse management at SUNY Delhi. He has lived and worked here for 24 years. He lives with a 15-year-old cat named Gertrude he found as a kitten in the greenhouse one day. Lucas named her after the British garden designer Gertrude Jekyll.

For this job, he feels that it’s essential to live on site — Mother Nature can be unpredictable, and the weather can dictate his job responsibilities for the day. If there’s a downpour, Lucas can close the greenhouse, but would have to reopen it if the sun decides to come back out.

Lucas’ house was built in 1906, at the same time as the striking Westbury House on site. His cottage once belonged to the head gardener. About 10 other employees also live at Old Westbury Gardens, including the wall garden curator, lawn maintenance manager and rosarian, Lucas said.

"We pay rent, but it’s minimal," he said. "I pay $875 [a month], but we have responsibilities with security. We each have a week where we’re responsible for staying [on site] while the gardens are closed overnight."

Touches of Lucas’ green thumb are apparent throughout his property. There are two reclining lawn chairs outside his front door, on a patch of finely trimmed grass overlooking the greenhouses. His screened-in porch has a dining table adorned with flowers, with plenty of plants around the perimeter of his space, too.

Lucas admitted that there are pros and cons to living on site.

"Sadly, a disadvantage is that you’re never finished at work," he said. "Walking out, you’ll notice wilted plants, or people wandering around, and you have to escort them out, so even though you may be clocked out, you’re never really finished with work."

But the upsides are abundant: No commute, and being able to see your work blossom.

"We don't have the luxuries of money and stuff like that, but you can just kind of imagine who lived on 200 acres," Lucas added. "It’s kind of amazing to be able to do that."

Planting Fields Arboretum

When the park closes, we have 409 acres to roam.

— John Pacini

"Coming up on the left is one of the oldest trees on the property," said John Pacini, while driving his golf cart through a wooded path at Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay. He gestured to the side while his wife and daughter sat in the backseat. "They say it’s 300 years old."

Although he’s the facilities and maintenance manager, Pacini knows a little bit about a lot of the arboretum’s operations. Over the course of a fairly crowded Sunday afternoon, guests approached him to ask about the history behind the pool in the Italian garden, a ticket-payment issue and directions to the dog show happening that day.

He had answers for every guest.

"I learn something new here every day," said Pacini, 48.

Pacini has been living at the arboretum for almost two years, after moving from Garden City. He is in charge of maintaining the historic preservation, security and information technology throughout the buildings on site, including Coe Hall, the former Gold Coast mansion. The arboretum contains more than 400 acres, which Pacini covers via golf cart.

"I used to work for the [Glen Cove] district," he said. "During COVID it got to be really intense, and I was looking for a change anyway. So I was looking on Indeed and the Planting Fields Foundation popped up, and they were looking for a facilities manager. I was head custodian, so it was an upgrade for me."

At first, Pacini said he was "skeptical" about moving on to the same property where he would work, along with his wife, Jennifer, and their 12-year-old daughter, Mikayla. But after talking it over, they realized the Locust Valley Central School District would be a great fit for their daughter. Jennifer now works for the district, too.

"That’s what tipped the scales for us," Pacini said.

They live in what’s called The Gate House: two bedrooms, one bathroom and a spacious backyard enclosed by a tall iron fence. The family has their own garage and a long, private driveway.

The Pacinis pay $320 a month for their internet, cable and telephone, plus $1,000 a year for heating. The rest is covered by the Planting Fields Foundation. Despite its secluded location, Pacini still gets some unexpected visitors from time to time.

"We’ve had patrons come into the backyard," he said. "A patron walked into my house one day. Since then, we’ve put up signs that say 'Private residency' and 'Do not enter,' and it’s gotten better since then. But I see patrons all the time. Sometimes I let them cut through."

But with some privacy, the arboretum takes on a whole new energy.

"When the park closes, we have 409 acres to roam," he said. "I can walk the park with my family, and the trails are beautiful at night. The wildlife is amazing: We’ve seen deer, foxes, hawks. It’s very peaceful at night."

In his downtime, Pacini reads through the archives to learn more about the history of the property. He even discovered a secret room in Coe Hall once, in between the first and second floors, while riding the elevator.

"You never know what life brings," Pacini said. "This is a great environment and great place to work. Once we got the house, we imagined moving here for the long term, until I retire."

Bailey Arboretum

I think the best thing about this place is that we’re small and we like it like that.

— Michael Maron

Michael Maron, 46, tiptoed around the sensory garden. "Watch where you step," he advised, before he started to clean a small pond in the center.

He lives and works at Bailey Arboretum in Locust Valley, which is less than 3 miles down the road from Planting Fields Arboretum. The vibe here is different, though, because it's smaller.

Maron’s home is attached to a long, historic carriage house, which also contains the visitor center, public restrooms and a wood shop. His personal setup is on the back end, with a porch that overlooks a field surrounded by trees.

He moved to the arboretum from Asheville, North Carolina, in 2009. Previously, he worked in wilderness therapy. He supervised groups of children on trips to the Appalachian Mountains. There, the children would work on certain goals and outcomes with therapists and instructors.

Now, as superintendent and the only full-time employee at Bailey Arboretum, Maron wears many hats. He writes grants, oversees the education and events directors, handles membership and development, and then there’s the physical labor: cleaning water filters, painting, power-washing, clearing brush and weeds and more. His housing costs on site are built into his salary package.

"We are a small staff," he said. "Most people in my role would be mostly office-bound, with some grounds work. I have to juggle a lot of grounds work and a lot of office work."

Although his home is just a few feet from all the action of his job, Maron and his wife, Darlene Bunce, have managed to turn it into their own oasis. They grow herbs in small pots alongside their yard, and there’s a swing hanging from their tree for their daughter, Dahlia Grosso, 13. A gnome greets their family and friends on the porch, holding a sign that reads: "No Place Like Gnome."

"The building itself was built when Frank Bailey bought the property in 1911," Maron said. "It’s a small space, not a huge square footage, three bedrooms and one-and-a-half bathrooms. It’s just like an old caretaker's cottage; nothing fancy."

Willow keeps life exciting, too: She’s their 8-year-old black Labrador retriever. Willow is used to the smells and sounds of the arboretum by now, Maron said, so she prefers to ride in his golf cart over taking walks.

Because Nassau County has ongoing work at two of the ponds on site, admission at the arboretum is free this season, said Maron, but they also accept donations.

Even with a jam-packed schedule of responsibilities, Maron always seems ready to stop and help anyone who needs it. One visitor asked him if there were a cafe where she could buy water for her dog. There isn’t, but Maron zipped away in his golf cart and returned moments later with a small bottle. She said it was her first visit — and it doesn’t seem like it’ll be her last.

"We’re 42 acres," he said. "But I think the best thing about this place is that we’re small and we like it like that. There’s more of a homey feel."

By Rachel Weiss

rachel.weiss@newsday.com@RachMWeiss

Rachel Weiss joined Newsday in 2016. As a real estate/living multimedia reporter, Rachel writes feature stories and contributes to and appears in on-camera video packages. She was the lead reporter on Newsday’s LI Acts of Kindness series.