Posted on 8 April 2026
Our LearnersPeti Morgan has gone from a houseplant enthusiast to a qualified horticulture professional with help from Open Polytechnic’s NZ Certificate in Horticulture (Level 3).
Photo: Peti at Palmers Garden Centre in Miramar.
Last year Peti confessed to her husband that maybe she had just a couple too many houseplants, fast forward a year, and that passion has blossomed into a thriving new career in horticulture.
“We literally live in an indoor jungle, the result of a healthy obsession with plants, but the plants grew and started taking over the place,” Peti says.
Peti was looking to turn over a new leaf in her career after working in the tech industry, so she started a pet and plant focussed business called Leaf Me Alone, in 2025.
It provides plant and pet care services, making a modest amount of money from her favourite hobbies.
Studying the NZ Certificate in Horticulture (Level 3) with Open Polytechnic was initially to improve Peti’s plant-based product offerings, but once she completed her studies, her interest in a career in horticulture was blooming.
“My clients immediately began commenting on the improved health of their plants and gardens,” Peti says.
“But I learned so much during my studies that I realised I wanted to work with and learn from other horticulturists.”
In March 2026, having just completed her studies, she walked into her dream job as a Horticulture Specialist at Palmers Garden Centre in Miramar.
“I absolutely love my new job, as you can probably tell by the huge smile on my face,” Peti quipped.
“I get to tend plants, arrange plants, talk about plants to people who love plants, observe plants, and my colleagues are plant people too.”
“It’s lovely under the greenhouse rain, or shine, and it’s utterly therapeutic to wander amongst the flowers on any day of the week.”
Before her studies, Peti was learning as much as possible from reading books and watching online content creator videos but was getting frustrated by “dubious advice” so she wanted a qualification, which would give her a proper education in horticulture.
"I’ve not only learned the fundamentals of what plants need to grow and thrive in our climate and conditions in Aotearoa New Zealand, but I’ve gotten my hands dirty, literally, applying my knowledge in the real world. And we got into the science,” Peti says.
“The course was very practical for these reasons.”
Peti enjoyed the practical field study sessions the most, getting out into the environment and looking at what was growing.
“I am a prolific photographer of plants, so I loved getting out with an excuse to wander about in nature and observe, and photograph specimens with purpose,” she says.
“It led me to understand how suited I am to horticulture, indoors and out.”