Job Listing: Lead Gardener

Washington Heritage Museums -  Fredericksburg, Virginia

Closes - Open until filled

Position Title – Lead Gardener

Salary -  $18.00/hour based on experience. Benefits include 10 paid holidays, 5 days of paid time off, a Museum Store discount, and membership in Washington Heritage Museums. 

Job Type - part-time; non-exempt

Apply: Please submit an application via email to employment@washingtonheritagemuseums.org 

Summary: The gardener works closely under the direction of the executive director to maintain historically accurate and professionally tended landscaping. The gardener acts as liaison to local garden clubs and regional horticultural organizations. The gardener will focus their time at the Mary Washington House and Mary Washington Monument and Caretaker’s Lodge (65%), and will have occasional work at the Hugh Mercer Apothecary, Rising Sun Tavern, and St. James’ House. 

The gardener will work 30 hours per week. The schedule is flexible, with core hours 8 am - 4 pm, Monday - Friday. Work may occasionally be required on evenings, weekends, or holidays. Outside of growing season, the gardener will work 20-30 hours per week performing routine maintenance tasks such as English ivy removal, window washing, small repairs, building cleaning and touch-up painting, removing snow, applying ice melt, and keeping the grounds of each museum tidy.

Job Responsibilities: 

•  Apply standard landscape and gardening practices to preserve historic features
• Routinely assess landscape conditions
• Develop and apply landscape maintenance plans, create periodic reports and budgets
• Train and supervise 8-10 garden volunteers to accomplish maintenance and landscaping goals
• Prepare gardens for occasional special events and site rentals
• Aid in the annual selection process for lawn mowing for the Monument site as well as coordinate with all landscape contractors 
• Pruning, propagating, and rejuvenating of hedges, shrubs, groundcovers, herbaceous plants
• Planting and transplanting trees, shrubs, vines, groundcovers, annuals and perennials
• Determining quantities of plants or seeds needed for specific landscape area
• Identifying need for and applying fertilizers, soil amendments, and disease and pest treatments
• Monitoring/controlling irrigation and watering systems, coordinating with irrigation contractor
• Removing trash and organic debris.

Qualifications: A minimum of 2 years related experience. The preferred candidate will have an Associates or Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture or related fields. 

• Knowledge of plant care and weed and pest control
• Knowledge of safe operation of power equipment such as blowers, clippers and trimmers
• Knowledge of basic computer skills for communication and record keeping
• Ability to work independently, communicate effectively, and solve problems creatively
• Ability to recruit, coordinate, train, and direct garden volunteers
• Ability to provide historical garden interpretation and recruit and train volunteers to lead garden tours
• Ability to adhere to the guidelines of Garden Club of Virginia’s Garden Maintenance Manual
• Ability to lift a minimum of 30 pounds, navigate uneven terrain, and work outdoors in varying weather conditions
• This position requires climbing, stooping, kneeling, reaching, standing or walking for extended periods, pushing/pulling, lifting, grasping, visual acuity, keen spatial awareness, the ability to move within constricted spaces and the ability to safely traverse uneven surfaces 

About the Washington Heritage Museums:

The Mary Washington House and the Mary Washington Monument are Garden Club of Virginia restoration sites.  All WHM properties help to interpret the story of the Washington family and their contemporaries as well as depict life in 18^th century Fredericksburg.  Each garden is unique, and all are located within minutes of each other in the heart of Fredericksburg.

Washington Heritage Museums does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.