Intern - Gardener

Who We Are

Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational, historic, and cultural institution that owns and operates one of the largest and best-known museum complexes in the world. Our mission is "that the future may learn from the past" through preserving and restoring 18th-century Williamsburg, Virginia's colonial capital. We engage, inform, and inspire people to learn about this historic capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse people who helped shape a new nation. Today, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. The Historic Area is the 301-acre restored colonial capital with 88 original buildings and 525 buildings reconstructed to how they appeared in the 18th century through extensive archaeological, architectural, and documentary research. The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life. The Foundation also owns and operates two world-class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, and a renowned research library, the John D Rockefeller Jr Library. Additionally, Colonial Williamsburg is home to five world-class accommodations at the Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection, the Griffin Hotel, the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotels and Suites, and the unique Colonial Houses in the Historical Area. Visitors may also indulge in food and drink at our many on-site restaurants and taverns that blend a historically inspired dining experience with today's evolved tastes. Each year over 5 million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.

Performs landscape tasks at entry level while receiving training in garden maintenance, equipment, and conventional hand tools. Provides basic skills and knowledge to restore, maintain, and create the gardens in the Historic. Receives training in the art of fine gardening; plant identification; landscape construction; small equipment operation and service; and heirloom plant varieties. Assists and learns from senior horticulturists.

WORK TO BE PERFORMED:

• Prepares, plants, and maintains seasonal beds of flowers, vegetables, and herbs; cultivates soil, weeds, and edges beds; prunes/harvests as necessary.

• Prunes trees, shrubs, hedges, and espaliered fruit trees; shears topiary.

• Performs nursery/greenhouse activities (e.g., planting, transplanting, propagation, watering, fertilizing, area clean-up and organizing, etc.)

• Does garden detail work such as edging, weeding, dead-heading, and raking.

• Operates and performs basic service on power and hand-held landscape and gardening equipment (e.g., string trimmers, edgers, leaf blowers, similar landscape maintenance equipment, and conventional hand tools.)

• Will have the opportunity to:

• Work with the IPM Technician to monitor insect and disease problems

• Work with the Irrigation Technician in on automatic irrigation systems

• Work with the Arborists to learn arboricultural practices.

7.Performs emergency landscaping work due to bad weather (storms, etc.)

8.Performs other related duties as required.

DIRECTION RECEIVED: Direct supervision from Lead Horticulturist and Horticulturist.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Completed a minimum of one year of college in a major related to horticulture, floriculture, landscaping, arboriculture, or similar field of study.

• Knowledge of landscape gardening and maintenance, ability to read instructions and fill out reports, ability to learn topiary and espalier pruning techniques.

• Ability to 1) bend, stoop, and keel to perform work, 2) lift weights to 50-100lbs 3) work outside in all weather conditions, 4) work a flexible schedule including weekends, evenings, and holidays, and 5) be available for work on an emergency basis seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Additional experience as a gardener's helper or groundskeeper; desire for a professional career in the horticulture field

• Ability to operate professionally and safely, experience with push mowers, and power hedge shears.

• Holds a Pesticide Registered Technician Applicator license.