Yvonne Baker FRIH

RNZIH Profile

Since finishing training at Wisley, the home of the Royal Horticultural Society in 2003 Yvonne has worked for a range of different institutions.

Castle Howard Plant Centre in North Yorkshire was her work base for a few years, as a retail assistant until coming to New Zealand as a King’s Plant Barn Sabbatical for the NZ summer in 2005. This led to finding her kiwi husband so here she stayed. On return to NZ after gaining residency the following year she took up the position of Botanical Records and Conservation Specialist at the Auckland Botanic Gardens which she held for seven years until shortly after the birth of her son.

This change in home life resulted in work closer to home, as Production Supervisor at Container Nurseries 1988 Ltd in Whenuapai for the next couple of years.

From early 2017 to mid 2019 Yvonne went back to the Auckland Botanic Gardens as their Trials Gardener on a part-time basis organising, sourcing and assessing plants in the trials.

Yvonne served as an RNZIH executive member from 2017 to 2021, and worked on the RNZIH New Zealand Plant Collection Register with Murray Dawson.

Yvonne runs her own horticultural consultancy business.

Qualifications

  • Certificate in Plant Centre Management
  • Module A RHS Advanced Certificate (Propagation Module)
  • Wisley Diploma in Practical Horticulture
  • RHS General
  • BTEC National Diploma in Horticulture

Associations & Society Memberships

  • Royal Horticultural Society, UK
  • Alpine Garden Society, UK
  • New Zealand Alpine Garden Society
  • New Zealand Iris Society
  • New Zealand Lily Society
  • Friend of the Auckland Botanic Garden
  • Executive member of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture (2017–2021)

Awards & Recognition

  • Fellow – RNZIH (2020)