Head Gardener (Live in) - EC4867

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a knowledgeable and experienced Head Gardener to take ownership of a diverse and beautiful private garden in Ruscombe, Berkshire.  Applications are invited from Head or Senior Gardeners with demonstrable experience on private estates, of supervising under gardeners on a full-time basis.  Excellent plant knowledge is an essential requirement for this role.

The stunning 12-acre garden contains 2000 plant species, a lake, mini arboretum, kitchen garden with fruit cages, propagation equipment (including a mist unit), topiary, two glasshouses and polytunnel, natural ornamental ponds, a walled garden, rose garden and surrounding woodland.  The garden is supplied with a wide range of top quality garden equipment and machinery, such as a tractor with digger attachment, trailers, Etesia ride-on mower, two chainsaws, hedge cutters, brush cutters etc.  The garden also contains natural ornamental ponds (managed by contractors), a bore hole water system and numerous sculptures.  The garden is not open as part of the NGS scheme but is sometimes opened by the owner for charity events.

The maintenance of large hedges around the perimeter of the property is contracted out to a local company, leaving only the formal hedges for the employed garden staff to maintain, in addition to the finer aspects of horticulture and garden management.  Specialist contractors manage the lake and ponds as well as the irrigation system, however the Head Gardener will need to be aware of the general processes involved.  There will be time for the successful applicant to learn these basic processes once on site.  The new Head Gardener will be responsible for one full-time gardener, and in the near future, an additional junior gardener.

This position is offered with a generous salary as well as an attractive 2-bedroom cottage on site.  The provided accommodation includes 2 bathrooms, a fitted kitchen and a sizeable living room with wood-burning stove.  Rent and Council tax are paid by the employer, with the Head Gardener being responsible for gas and electricity bills.

This position would suit an experienced Head Gardener with excellent plant identification skills / horticultural knowledge, the ability to manage large gardens efficiently, and to be passionate about disseminating horticultural knowledge to under gardeners via ongoing training.

If this Head Gardener vacancy is of interest please apply or contact Mark Read on 01233 733510 or info@englishcountrygardeners.co.uk

Thank you for the interest you have shown in this Head Gardener vacancy. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications that we receive, it is not possible to respond to everyone. Therefore, unless you hear from us within the next 14 days, your application for this Head Gardener vacancy will have been unsuccessful.