Does modern garden design excite you? Are you looking for a new gardening opportunity? Willing to bring enthusiasm, energy, and the kind of attention to detail that takes the good and makes it great?
We are offering a unique opportunity to join a growing estate team working with a world renown garden designer installing some ground-breaking designs within a sixty-acre garden. We are looking for a Senior Gardner with varied experience in water and wet-land gardens as well as planting of new garden designs, maintaining existing installations. Most of all we are looking for enthusiasm and energy, a drive to get work done to a high standard.
We are seeking a highly experienced and responsible Senior Gardener wishing to work in an exclusive, private garden estate. This is a new position for a horticulturist able to manage circa 52 acres of land, designed by Dutch landscape legacy Piet Oudolf, including a few acres curtilage of perennials at the very highest standard. The Senior Gardner would be responsible for leading a team of 3-4 members to manage and the estate's grounds, including lawns, borders, blooms, ponds and woodlands to the highest standard.
It is a full-time occupation and he or she is expected to evaluate available resources, review the overall workload and establish a detailed work agenda and budget for the future. The role involves focusing on enabling the smooth performance of management and maintenance on the ground. This includes coordination with external contractors (maintenance and service) for all technical elements.
Applicants are expected to be experienced and have relevant licences for the use of large garden machinery (tractors, lawnmowers, strimmer’s, chain saws, hedge cutters, etc.). All equipment is to be kept in a clean and safe operating condition.
The Senior Gardener needs to be able to look and plan at least 12 months ahead to prepare for all eventualities in the garden. This will include all routine work as well as project work, new-build and revision operations. In addition, they will be planning for new planting, bulb planting and displays, propagation of plants for re-stocking, ordering of materials such as mulch at the appropriate time for use in the garden.
The Senior Gardner will also be assessing the abilities of all contractors/members at their disposal and allocating work in the appropriate manner. Work lists should be prepared on a daily/weekly basis, with each member given a work schedule of the tasks they are expected to complete within a time frame.
Summary of points
The Senior Gardener needs to be versatile.
Regular meetings with owners, minutes/notes taken, confirmed and distributed.
Plan ahead to ensure continuity of supplies and purchase supplies as required
Set a garden budget with parameters of expenditure.
Senior Gardener to appoint staff with whom they work and to develop a good team ethic.
Staff to be given clear, descriptive contract of employment
Senior Gardener to give clear daily instructions to staff.
This role entails having individuals with extensive horticultural and management experience to oversee the weekly and monthly work plans and to suggest seasonal and long-term planting and maintenance strategies. Horticultural qualifications would be an advantage.
Prospective candidates are required to be excellent cultivators, have experience in all aspects of the horticultural year and be able to communicate well. They will need to be able to co-ordinate and develop all other areas of the property as required. We require a team player who also has the genuine passion to lead a team to create a well maintained, beautiful estate. More importantly, however, he/she must have a strong desire and know what it takes to be a head gardener with previous experience in this area. Having a \"can do\" attitude is imperative.
It is essential that candidates are qualified to grow and care for a wide variety of high-quality plants, maintain electrical/garden lighting and irrigation systems, manage the weekly garden maintenance team, deal with external contractors and visitors to the property and maintain the swimming pools. Outstanding interpersonal skills are required.
Applicants should be highly organised, technologically savvy, communicative, efficient, have a meticulous eye for detail and have proven supervisory experience. Your budget planning skills should be honed.