Gardener

Overview

Organisation: The National Trust for Scotland

Key Purpose

Threave is one of the National Trust for Scotland’s top ten most visited attractions. The garden is made up of many landscaped features and themed areas including a Secret Garden, Rock Garden, Ericaceous beds, a variety of different water features, Azalea walk and heather beds, a one-acre traditional working walled kitchen garden, orchard, large nursery with new glasshouse facilities, extensive woodland garden and broad variety of themed beds and borders planted with a large and diverse collection of plants. Threave provides a perfect location for the Trust’s School of Heritage Gardening, offering a wide variety of horticultural experience in both traditional and modern gardening techniques.

Key Responsibilities

1. Undertaking practical maintenance of the garden and all associated garden machinery – e.g. grass cutting, strimming, edging, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, etc.; weeding of beds, planting, pruning, care of shrubs, trees, herbaceous and bulbs, turf care, pest/disease/weed control, staking, plant nutrition, composting, mulching and soil improvement, to the required standards expected by the Trust and for the maximum safety of, and enjoyment by visitors including other professionals in the horticultural industry.
2. Fostering positive relationships with team, property staff, local communities and organisations and promote the work of the Trust.
3. On occasion, supervising and working with volunteers and/or trainees to ensure they deliver required outputs at the appropriate standard, and gain benefit/satisfaction from their activities.
4. Demonstrating self-motivation, organising, planning, prioritising and good time management.
5. Undertaking such other reasonable duties as may from time to time be required to ensure the smooth running of the property as required by the Head Gardener.
6. Ensuring compliance with the Trust’s health, safety, and environment policies and procedures.
7. Assisting all other areas when required (nursery / walled garden).

The current duties of this job do not require a criminal records (Disclosure Scotland) check to be carried out.

Scope of Job

• People Management: Not a line manager but will, on occasion, supervise volunteers and trainees under instructions from Head Gardener / First Gardener; will work closely with other property colleagues, and will have some interaction with other technical/specialist advisory colleagues based in other locations and departments (e.g. other NTS gardens in southwest region); will have regular (daily) interaction with members of the public and guests of all ages and abilities; recording and reporting of information, promotion of garden at events.
• Finance Management: Not a budget-holder.
• Tools/equipment: Will be a user of driven vehicles such as ride-on mowers, 4×4 all-terrain vehicles and tractors; frequent user of powered tools such as mowers, strimmers, woodchippers and hedge-cutters; frequent user of hand-tools such as spades, forks, trowels, rakes, hoes, shears, and secateurs.

Required Skills, Experience & Knowledge

The above outlines the key skills the post-holder will need to possess and exercise. In addition, either knowledge of or experience in the following is required:

Essential

• A relevant qualification in Horticulture or demonstrable equivalent practical experience.
• Demonstrable skills in garden machinery e.g. ride on mowers, strimmers, lawnmowers, hedge trimmer etc.
• Sound demonstrable plant knowledge and identification skills.
• Sound knowledge of basic tools.
• Some practical knowledge of Health and Safety processes and procedures and the ability to work effectively within these processes.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; confident in interacting and dealing with a wide range of people; and able to represent the Trust.
• Good organisational and time-management skills – including the ability to prioritise work where necessary and also the ability to work using own initiative, in the absence of direct line management.
• Eye for detail and finish, quality standard and best practice.
• Good ability to record and report information.
• Current driving licence valid for driving in the UK.

Desirable

• Competent IT skills sufficient for maintaining plant records, use of the internet/intranet, assisting volunteers, online learning etc.
• Previous experience working in a public garden or similar.
• Experience of working in a mixed-team that includes trainees/seasonal staff and/or volunteers.
• Skills in arboricultural techniques, basic chain-saw certificates – CS30 & CS31, or willingness to be trained in the basic use of chainsaws and to exercise that training.