Ms Manson was born and bred in the district and has spent the last 14 years working for the council, after a long career growing and nurturing plants and managing the former Nook Rd Nursery.
That nursery was founded more than 50 years ago by Maryed Urquhart and was a local gardening institution before it closed in 2012, citing competition from big retailers and changing consumer hobbies.
Ms Manson’s time with parks and recreational was warmly and tearfully appreciated at a special council morning tea hosted for Ms Manson and husband John Taylor on Wednesday morning.
Staff said they would be lost for someone to go to for gardening tips.
QLDC parks service delivery manager Clare Tomkins said Ms Manson was "very present in the community" and "the exemplar of the ability to bring people together to achieve many wonderful projects for the community".
She had attended many working bees, planting days, meetings, meet and greets, workshops and presentations and had become a dear friend and trusted colleague.
"I will miss her calm and steady influence. Thanks to John for being a great man behind the scenes and for his support to Diana to do her mahi. I know we will see plenty of her in her roles as a volunteer on the other side [and] holding us all to the high standards of engagement she has set," Ms Tomkins said.
"I will miss all of it, but it is the right time," Ms Manson said in a separate interview with the Wanaka Sun.
"It is a good time to be handing over. I will keep my involvement in some of the community groups as a volunteer. This summer will be all about whanau, gardening and the Hawea Food Forest, which is putting in a big green house there. That may be an autumn story."
In her role as Wanaka parks and recreation officer, Ms Manson worked with many groups, including the Upper Clutha Trails Trust, the Hawea Foreshore Working Group (aka Thursday Group), Te Kakano Nursery and the Te Ara Maumahara memory path on the Lake Wanaka shore.
Her gardening tips for this summer were to be water-wise and select plants that could cope with the local climate.
To get the best results from watering, it should be done early in the morning or in the evening — and not overwatered, she advised.
Naming her favourite plant was a bit like choosing her favourite child, she said.
"Everything has something special," she said.
