From farming to landscaping

A horticultural background gave Forever Green’s Lachlan Bensemann a solid foundation when he moved into landscaping four years ago. Now a lead hand, the 27-year-old has already taken responsibility for major projects – and sees Young Landscaper of the Year as another chance to develop

Lachlann Bensemenn | Lead Hand | Forever Green | Christchurch

Lachlan’s interest in working outdoors goes back well beyond his landscaping career. His grandfather ran a garden maintenance business and, although Lachlan went straight from high school into work on a vegetable farm, landscaping was an itch he eventually had to scratch.

He remained on the farm for five-and-a-half years and completed a horticultural apprenticeship before deciding it was time for a change.

Lachlan joined Canterbury-based Forever Green in 2022 and subsequently completed a qualification in landscape construction.

Four years into the profession, he has progressed to lead hand and gained experience across both hard and soft landscaping – and has been trusted to help run a major Forever Green project at a Summerset retirement village development in Prebbleton.

The project involved preparing areas for paving and driveways, installing irrigation and aluminium trellis, and completing planting and mulching.

The breadth of that work has helped give Lachlan a rounded skill set, while his horticultural background provides a useful grounding on the softscaping side.

However, he’s quick to acknowledge there is still plenty he wants to improve.

“I’m only 27. I’ve still got a lot to learn,” he says.

Building on his experience and challenging for Young Landscaper of the Year

That mindset was central to Lachlan’s decision to enter Young Landscaper of the Year.

With only four years in landscaping, he knows some of the other finalists will arrive with considerably more industry experience. Rather than seeing that as a disadvantage, Lachlan views the event as an opportunity to see where his abilities stood and pick up knowledge from his peers.

“I said to my dad, I’m not expecting to win. I’m more expecting to learn – it’s a learning thing,” he says. “I’ll just go and give it my best shot.”

He identified paving as one area likely to stretch him. While Forever Green undertakes its own paving, Lachlan hasn’t spent as much time as part of a dedicated paving crew.

Plant knowledge is another area he continued brushing up on ahead of the event, despite arriving in landscaping with his horticultural qualification.

Competition itself isn’t completely unfamiliar territory. Lachlan competed nationally in clay target shooting while at high school, an experience that taught him to concentrate on his own performance rather than worry too much about how others were doing.

It’s an approach that fits with his broader career outlook.

His next goal is to progress from lead hand into a foreman role, building on the responsibility he has already taken on at Forever Green.

For now, however, his focus remains on adding to the experience gained during a relatively short time in professional landscaping – and continuing the progression from his horticultural roots into a leadership role.