Gardener

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Mowing, using all types of mowers, including ride-on mowers.
• Edging, trimming and maintaining lawns.
• Scarifying and spiking of lawns.
• Maintenance of fine turf areas including sports areas (including croquet and putting).
• Application of lawn fertilisers, use of hosepipes and sprinklers, watering of pots and urns.
• Planting and maintaining seasonal bedding, planting and maintaining shrubs and trees, pruning of fruit trees and shrubs, propagation of hard wood cuttings and potting up.
• Rose pruning and application of rose fertilisers, removing epicormic shoots from trees.
• Leaf clearing, using leaf blowers or rakes/brooms, make and apply compost.
• Application of rock salt or other specified materials and clearing snow and ice from pathways and roadways.
• The mixing and application of chemical sprays.
• Hedge trimming using both manual and power assisted equipment, single/double digging of areas both manually and using a rotavator.
• Carrying out soft landscaping.
• Carrying out basic brick edging, laying of slabs and timber and metal edging.
• Labelling and sign writing.
• Cleaning and maintaining horticultural machinery and hand tools, tidying up Grounds Department sheds, storage and compost areas, loading and unloading of skips, containers or other delivery vehicles.
• Skills, Qualifications and Experience
• Essential
• C&G Stage 2 Amenity Horticulture
• or
• RHS Certificate Horticulture Level 2 Practical and Theory
• NVQ Level 3 Amenity Horticulture
• A minimum of 3 years practical experience in horticulture
• Desirable
• Chain saw certificate
• Mixing and use of chemicals certificate
• Spraying certificate
• H&S certificate
• Horticulture
• Grounds maintenance
• Use of Machinery
• Soft landscaping
• Garden Planning
• Forward Planning skills