Gardener - Formal Gardens
- Employer
- Oppenheimer Generations (UK) Limited
- Location
- South East England
- Salary
- £21-23,000 plus benefits including pension contribution
- Closing date
- 12 Oct 2019
View more
- Contract Type
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full Time
- Function
- Gardening Jobs
- Sector
- Horticultural Specialist
Privately owned Estate near Reading, Berkshire requires a Full-time Gardener – Formal Gardens
This 30-acre, historic estate originally designed by Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll requires a Gardener to work primarily in the formal areas of the garden. These areas consist of a series of beautiful garden rooms and courtyards including a Sunken Pool Garden, Spring Garden, Flower Parterre and Raised White Garden.
This is an exciting opportunity for a gardener to integrate into the team. We are looking for a skilled and enthusiastic person who can turn their hand to all horticultural tasks and help to achieve our goals of presenting an immaculate garden using best horticultural practices alongside an organic-based philosophy. The successful candidate will be employed in the Formal Garden areas and report to the Assistant Head Gardener and Senior Gardener. They must be keen, energetic and flexible in their approach and continue to develop their skills. While the focus of this position is to work in the Formal areas, it is expected that the successful candidate will spend time working in the different areas of the garden which include a one-acre Walled Garden, Orchards, Wild Flower meadow and Lawns. Although we are a privately-owned, family estate, we present the garden each year to 20 charitable garden tours from May until September so high standards have to be met throughout the year.
The successful candidate will need the following:
- Current full UK Driving License
- Level two qualification in Horticulture or equivalent.
- Minimum of two years full-time experience, training or equivalent.
- Knowledge of Health and Safety practices and Risk assessments.
- To be physically fit and able to produce and maintain a high standard of work
- Competent in the use, maintenance and H&S issues of a wide range of horticultural machinery and tools including strimmers, rotavators, hedge-cutters, ride-on and pedestrian mowers and tractors.
- Competent on ladders
- An ability to work autonomously and to take responsibility for their own schedules as the work becomes routine.
- A critical eye of their own work and willingness to learn more in order to improve.
- Good plant knowledge and ability to recognize and diagnose plant health issues
- Broad range of horticultural knowledge and skills such as pruning, propagation, box clipping, deadheading, mulching, cultivation and planting.
- Be able to assist with occasional extra duties around the estate such as clearing water courses, fencing and moving furniture for events.
Desirable qualities include
- Level 3 qualification in Horticulture or equivalent
- Knowledge and use of garden design plans
- Specialist plant knowledge and horticultural interests
- Advanced horticultural skills such as pruning Wall Climbers and Roses, Pot design, Fruit pruning, P&D knowledge and propagation techniques
- Spraying certificate
Salary is between £21-23,000 depending on experience with a flexible benefits system, 26 days annual leave and pension contribution. Remuneration is reviewed annually at the end of the year.
Please send a covering letter and CV to Tim.Stretton@opp-gen.com
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