A Day in the Life: Mike Hawkins, Head Gardener

Mike Hawkins

Head Gardener

Have you ever wondered how different members of the Lincoln community spend their days at the College? This Day in the Life series will dive into the daily tasks and passion behind the work completed by our staff, students, and Fellows.

First up is our Head Gardener, Mike Hawkins. Mike has been at Lincoln since 2022 and his role goes far beyond keeping the window boxes and lawns looking fresh...

What does a typical day at Lincoln day look like for you?

As gardeners, our work days are very much dictated by the seasons. As I write this in late winter, propagation is key to our routine. We tend to work a season ahead so seed sown in late winter / early spring will be used for our summer planting, likewise the bulbs planted in autumn are just starting to emerge for our spring displays. We use two polytunnels for our propagation work, one heated to germinate and protect seedlings from frost and one unheated to harden them off before planting out.

Lawncare is a large part of our routine most of the year. Mowing frequency slows down from three cuts a week to once a fortnight during winter. We will also apply a phosphorus-based winter feed to the lawns at this time to encourage root development.

During winter we also have a lot of pruning to do. The many roses we have across all of our sites are pruned now, as well as our wisterias. Winter pruning also involves cutting back last years growth to make way for fresh growth on perennial plants.

As head gardener, I am also responsible for the health and safety of the department, which means regularly reviewing our ways of working, that machinery is fit for use, that the gardens teams training is up to date and the safety of trees on site. I arrange and meet with contractors who carry out work for us, such as tree surgery, the regular maintenance of 13a Norham Gardens and work at our commercial properties like end of tenancy clear ups.

I also work on planning larger scale projects in the gardens, in consultation with Garden Fellow, and make sure that this work is done effectively and within the agreed budget.

How did you get into a career in gardening?

Being in the right place at the right time! After leaving a career in retail as a duty manager for Asda in search of something more practical, I started an entry level buildings maintenance job at St Hugh’s. After about 18 months one of the college gardeners retired and I swiftly joined the gardens team as an apprentice which is where my passion for horticulture blossomed.

Do you have an interesting fact about a plant here at Lincoln?

We have so many interesting plants here but here is a fact about one which everyone will recognise, the huge London plane tree in Grove Quad. You may have noticed that the bark has a distinctive, camouflage appearance. This is caused by the species ability to absorb and dispel air pollution by flaking large parts of its bark. This was recognised by the Victorians and so thousands of London planes were planted around London during the pollution heavy times of the industrial revolution and to this day it remains the capital’s most common tree.