Sole Gardener / Horticultural Garden Manager in Reading

We are looking for an experienced, practical and self‑motivated Sole Gardener / Horticultural Garden Manager to help maintain, improve and develop a private family property near Reading / South Oxfordshire. The grounds extend to approximately 4.7 acres and include around 2–2.5 acres of paddock to be developed and managed as meadow and orchard, approximately 1 acre of robot‑mown lawn, a pond with fish, mature trees, borders, a swimming pool area, tennis court, sunken garden, children’s play area and several ongoing improvement projects. This is a long‑term role for someone who enjoys both hands‑on gardening and thoughtful seasonal planning.

The successful candidate will be responsible for managing the annual gardening calendar, advising on what should be done and when, and helping the owners gradually bring an overgrown property into excellent shape. The paddock/meadow areas will require seasonal management rather than regular mowing. Lawn mowing is handled by a robot mower, and hedge cutting, major tree surgery, pool engineering, tennis court specialist works and heavy landscaping will be handled by external contractors. The role is therefore focused on horticultural management, day‑to‑day presentation, practical estate care and coordinating outside specialists where required.

• Plan and manage the annual gardening calendar across the property.
• Advise the owners on monthly and seasonal priorities.
• Maintain and improve borders, beds, shrubs, climbers and planted areas.
• Plan and carry out bulb planting, deadheading, staking, cutting back, dividing, mulching, feeding and soil improvement.
• Undertake appropriate seasonal pruning of shrubs, roses, climbers, young trees and fruit trees.
• Help establish and maintain a meadow and orchard, including planting, staking, guards, mulching, formative pruning and annual care.
• Keep lawn areas clear of pine cones, branches, toys and debris so the robot mower can operate effectively.
• Maintain lawn edges, awkward areas and areas beyond the robot mower’s reach.
• Carry out strimming, edging, leaf clearance, composting and general grounds tidiness.
• Monitor and care for pond‑edge planting and help keep the pond area tidy and safe.
• Keep poolside, tennis court and children’s play areas tidy, presentable and safe.
• Notice and flag obvious tree issues, storm damage, diseased limbs or other risks, and coordinate qualified arborists where needed.
• Source plants, bulbs, compost, mulch and materials as agreed.
• Liaise with and supervise contractors for hedges, tree surgery, landscaping, pond work, meadow cutting, pool/tennis specialists and other works.
• Maintain tools, garden machinery and storage areas in good order.
• Work independently and proactively, while keeping the owners informed of priorities, costs and progress.

The property is a family home, not a commercial estate, but the grounds are varied and need thoughtful long‑term management. The owners would like to develop the paddocks into meadow/orchard, improve overgrown areas, restore and enhance the gardens, and create a beautiful, natural, family‑friendly setting over time.

• Experienced gardener with strong horticultural knowledge.
• Comfortable managing a large private garden or country property.
• Able to plan seasonal work without needing constant direction.
• Good plant knowledge and understanding of what to plant, prune, cut back, deadhead, feed and mulch, and when.
• Experience with meadow management, orchard care, fruit trees or naturalistic planting would be highly desirable.
• Tree awareness useful, including the ability to spot obvious disease, dieback, storm damage or unsafe limbs.
• Practical, tidy, organised and reliable.
• Confident using garden tools and machinery such as strimmers, hedge trimmers, blowers and general garden equipment.
• Able to work around a family home with children, pets and regular family use of the garden.
• Good communicator who can explain priorities clearly and coordinate contractors.
• RHS Level 2 or equivalent preferred.
• RHS Level 3, estate garden experience, orchard experience, PA1/PA6, first aid, chainsaw or machinery tickets would be advantageous but are not essential.
• A full UK driving licence would be preferred.

The gardener will not be expected to undertake dangerous tree work, climbing, large felling, technical pool maintenance, tennis court resurfacing, major hard landscaping or specialist pond engineering. These works will be handled by qualified external contractors.

Hours: Full‑time preferred, although 4 days per week may be considered for an exceptional candidate.

Salary: £37,500–£45,000 depending on experience, with flexibility for an exceptional candidate.

Start date: By arrangement.

Location: Private family property near Reading / South Oxfordshire. Exact location to be shared with shortlisted candidates.

How to apply: Please send a CV and short covering note outlining relevant private garden, estate, orchard, meadow, tree or horticultural management experience. References will be requested from shortlisted candidates.

This private advert is being managed directly by the employer. English Country Gardeners are not involved in the hiring process and are therefore unable to share any additional information on this role. If you have any questions regarding this position, the best course of action is to apply for the job which will open a line of communication with the employer.