Gardener jobs in Fair Oak

Job Summary

Founded in 2007 by Alan Sargent, the former Head Gardener of the Broadlands Estate, we are a family-run, growing and dynamic company specializing in garden creation, maintenance, and landscaping. Our close-knit team thrives on collaboration and enjoys working together on both day-to-day garden maintenance and exciting one-off projects. We believe that everyone brings unique strengths to the table, and we love learning from each other and drawing on the diverse experiences within our team.

Our relationships with skilled garden designers also enhance the work we do, allowing us to deliver exceptional results for our clients. Working in small teams, you will take pride in the weekly care and continuous improvement of our clients' beautiful private family gardens and estates. In addition to maintaining these stunning spaces, you'll be responsible for managing and mentoring our team of under gardeners, fostering a culture of learning and development.

At our core, we are passionate about horticulture, and we are looking for experienced, enthusiastic, and reliable gardeners to join our team. We offer excellent pay, a company pension, 33 days of holiday (including bank holidays), team events, ongoing training, and fantastic opportunities for career progression.

Job Responsibilities:

Seasonal Garden Maintenance

• Perform seasonal border maintenance, including weeding, mulching, plant division, and pruning.
• Specialist pruning tasks, including wisteria, roses, and orchards.
• Ensure proper planting and implementation of garden designs.

Horticultural Expertise

• Utilize advanced horticultural skills in topiary pruning, vegetable cultivation, and working in Alitex greenhouses and walled gardens.
• Create and maintain cut flower gardens.
• Manage top and soft fruit crops, ensuring proper care and yield.
• Identify and manage pest and disease issues across plantings and turf.
• Prune and stake herbaceous borders to maintain healthy growth.

High Standards of Work

• Consistently work to a high standard in all horticultural tasks, reflecting the qualifications and experience in the field.
• Ensure gardens are presented beautifully, following best horticultural practices.

Plant Identification & Management

• Display expert plant identification skills, managing a variety of plants in line with the garden’s design and maintenance needs.
• Ensure appropriate care methods are employed to maintain plant health and aesthetics.

Border Management

• Maintain beautiful, well-kept, and weed-free garden borders, ensuring they remain at peak quality throughout the seasons.

Workload Planning & Prioritization

• Plan and prioritize tasks based on seasonal conditions, weather patterns, garden status, and client requests.
• Adjust plans as necessary to meet changing demands and conditions.

Team Supervision & Mentorship

• Supervise a small team, motivating and sharing horticultural knowledge with less-experienced staff.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to develop the team’s skills.

Record Keeping & Budget Management

• Keep accurate records of all work carried out and manage a small budget when required.
• Ensure financial considerations are met while maintaining garden standards.

Identify Areas for Improvement

• Identify potential improvements or enhancements within the gardens and communicate suggestions to the company owner.
• Act on client feedback and commercial opportunities to make garden improvements.

Client Focus & Commercial Awareness

• Exhibit passion and dedication to client gardens, always striving to exceed expectations.
• Respond quickly to client needs and provide solutions for any issues that arise.

Project Planning & Collaboration

• Plan the workload for yourself and the team, ensuring efficient time and resource management.
• Work closely with the Operations Manager and Business Owner on future garden projects

Person Specification

• Great communication skills are essential.
• You will have a creative and artistic eye and brilliant inter-personal skills to lead our team of gardeners.
• You must be commercially aware and be able to pick up on cues from clients with regards to investing in their gardens and poses the ability to make suggestions for improvements to the gardens we manage.
• You will possess an approachable, smart, enthusiastic and warm demeanour.
• You will be professional, have a calm disposition and can also be discreet.
• You will have strong organisational, communication and administration skills which will ensure you have the ability to lead, motivate and promote smooth working relationships and encourage cooperation amongst the team.
• A willingness to learn.
• Ensure the highest horticultural standards are maintained
• Be reliable and trustworthy to represent our company ethos
• Have a keen eye of detail and pride in your work
• Displays personality traits of enthusiasm, honesty, discretion, initiative and flexibility

Education and training

• RHS level 3 Horticulture/ Higher National Diploma in Horticulture
• Pa1 & Pa6 spraying certificates
• Driving license and car as locations are rural
• IT skills - able to use email and scheduling / reporting apps
• Proven experience of managing a large private garden.
• Proven leadership skills - managing / training other staff members you are working alongside (1 year experience)
• An understanding of herbicides, pesticides, fertilisers (further training provided)
• Practical knowledge of Health and Safety at Work Act (further online training provided)
• Competent in the safe handling and operation of various types of machinery and gardening equipment including hedge cutters, leaf blowers, brush cutters, strimmers and lawn mowers.

Benefits

• Annual salary progression and reviews
• Ability to move up and be promoted within the company
• Birthday as an additional day off
• Company pension with 5% contribution from AS Gardens
• Training days with designers and career development are encouraged.
• Uniform, wet weather gear and PPE are supplied.
• Company social events
• Employee mentoring programme
• Free or subsidised travel
• Life insurance
• On-site parking
• Paid volunteer time
• Referral programme (for new employees and new clients)
• Shuttle service provided

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £28,200.00-£34,000.00 per year

Additional pay:

• Loyalty bonus
• Yearly bonus

Benefits:

• Company events
• Company pension
• Employee mentoring programme
• Flexitime
• Free or subsidised travel
• Life insurance
• On-site parking
• Paid volunteer time
• Referral programme
• Shuttle service provided

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Monday to Friday
• No weekends

Experience:

• Professional Horticulture: 4 years (required)
• Leadership: 1 year (required)

Licence/Certification:

• Driving Licence and car (required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Waterlooville PO7 4TB

Application deadline: 20/03/2025
Reference ID: SG-GARD02
Expected start date: 01/03/2025