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Gardener

Employer
Parham Park Limited
Location
West Sussex
Salary
Up to £20,000, dependent upon experience
Closing date
30 Oct 2019

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Contract Type
Permanent
Hours
Full Time
Function
Gardening Jobs
Sector
Horticultural Specialist

Parham House and Gardens, a Grade-I listed Elizabethan estate owned by a charitable trust in West Sussex, seeks a full-time gardener to join its friendly and competent team. It is an exciting time at Parham following the recent appointment of an ambitious new head gardening team with plans to significantly redevelop the garden over the coming years. Parham already has a reputation as a notable British garden and it has been on a recent upward trajectory, receiving national press attention for its innovative planting style and horticultural practices. It is the desire of the new head gardener and the estate owners to continue this forward momentum while retaining the spirit of the garden as part of a much-loved family home. The new gardener will play a key role in realising their vision to make Parham a destination for discerning garden visitors.  

About Parham Garden

The garden sits within a 800-acre deer park that includes an 18th century pleasure ground, veteran trees, and rare species of wildlife. The South Downs provide a magnificent backdrop to a four-acre walled garden that encloses creatively designed herbaceous borders, high-production vegetable and cut flower beds, nuttery, orchard, wall-trained fruit and climbers, and a large historic glasshouse full of tender exotics. There is also a specialist nursery on site managed by the garden team, giving the right candidate an opportunity to exercise a wide range of horticultural skills.

Gardener Candidate Specifications

Parham seeks an energetic, self-motivated, and efficient gardener who is comfortable working to a high horticultural standard both independently and within a team. Candidates should ideally hold at least a RHS Level II horticultural qualification (or equivalent), have good plant knowledge, and experience in a professional garden. A demonstrable passion for gardening and a positive attitude and willingness to learn are the most-sought characteristics. Candidates with an interest in and experience using and maintaining machinery and power tools such as tractors, lawn mowers, hedge cutters, and strimmers are especially encouraged to apply. Applicants with chainsaw certifications are highly desirable.  

The garden team comprises six gardeners and is supported by a group of friendly and enthusiastic volunteers as well as numerous staff on the wider estate. Parham is open to the public four days a week from Easter to October, and the gardeners act as ambassadors for the estate through their interaction with visitors and help with gardening workshops, events, and tours.

Hours are 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. with weekend cover on a rota system, occasional bank holidays, and special events. Candidates should be aware of the physical nature of the position, and of the requirement to work in all weather conditions. Paid holidays are 28 per year, inclusive of bank holidays.

For more information about the garden at Parham, please visit: www.parhaminsussex.co.uk.

Applications are welcome via the HortJobs portal below or by sending a C.V. and cover letter to Erika Packard, Head Gardener, at headgardener@parhaminsussex.co.uk.

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