Gardener

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty; Falmouth; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Free entry to National Trust places

Season ticket loan

EV car lease scheme

Discounts on gym and shopping

Holiday entitlement up to 32 days

Job summary

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty's Glendurgan Garden in Falmouth is seeking a hands-on Gardener to join the garden team and care for day-to-day garden work, plant care, and landscape development.

In this permanent full-time role (37.5 hours per week) you will use machinery to maintain grass, meadows, hedges and paths, propagate, plant and prune, and help deliver engaging visitor experiences.

Qualifications

• Enthusiastic horticulturist and hands-on gardener with a keen eye for detail.
• Knowledgeable about plants and comfortable with varied planting styles.
• Experience operating machinery including tractors and cutting equipment.
• Driver with a full licence; able to manage a demanding outdoor role.
• Good communication, teamwork and ability to meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Care for grass, meadows, hedges and paths using machinery.
• Propagate, plant and prune plants and contribute to garden development.
• Deliver garden visitor experience events and support site teams.
• Supervise volunteers, lead small projects and perform safety checks.
• Maintain safety for people, plants and places at all times.

Skills

Hands-on gardener

Plant knowledge

Machinery experience

Full driving licence

Time management

People skills

Tools

Tractors

Chainsaws

Rotary mowers

Cylinder mowers

Job description

As a Gardener for the National Trust, you’ll be a hands‑on member of the garden team involved in every aspect of the day‑to‑day care and development ofGlendurgan. Sustainability and creating meaningful visitor experiences will be at the heart of your approach to gardening here.

Salary: £27,612 per annum

Contract: Permanent

Hours/ working pattern: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week

Interview date: Monday 19 th October

You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached. You don't need to have all the knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile; this is just to provide a full picture of what’s possible in this role.

What it's like to work here

Created by Alfred and Sarah Fox in the early 1800s, Glendurgan is a unique valley garden where soft, naturalistic meadows and sweeping views sit alongside unexpected playful pockets of exotic planting. The many different microclimates allow an exciting collection of plants to grow here, from traditional Cornish woodland garden shrubs and trees to orchard fruits, palms, and Southern Hemisphere influenced planting.

You’ll be part of a team delivering work that conserves and develops the garden in a way that respects its history and inspires people, while strengthening its long‑term sustainability and resilience to climate change.

What you'll be doing

You’ll be involved in all aspects of gardening. Using machinery to care for our grass, varied meadows, hedges and paths; propagating, planting and pruning plants; and contributing to the development of areas of the garden. You’ll deliver garden visitor experience events and work with the wider site team to support the broader visitor experience.

Other duties might include supervising our garden volunteers, leading on small projects, and undertaking health and safety checks and monitoring. You’ll work with the safety of our people, plants and place in mind always.

Who we're looking for

We'd love to hear from you if you’re:

• an enthusiastic horticulturist and hands‑on gardener, who’s worked with hard landscaping before
• knowledgeable about plants, with a great eye for detail.
• experienced with machinery, including tractors, chainsaws, rotary and cylinder mowers, and with some knowledge of maintenance
• a driver with a full licence
• able to manage a demanding outdoor role
• good at talking to, and getting on with, all kinds of people
• equally confident working within a team, with volunteers or on your own
• able to keep to time, plan and meet deadlines

The package

The National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary

Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)

Season ticket loan

EV car lease scheme (for roles that meet the salary criteria)

Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts

Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.

National Trust place

Glendurgan Garden, Mawnan Smith, Falmouth, TR11 5JZ

Documents

Gardener - Career Level B.pdf

Requirements

Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK

Additional information

Closing Date: 11 October 2026

Interview date: Monday 19 th October

Equal Opportunities Statement

The National Trust celebrates diversity and is committed to creating a fair and equal society, free from discrimination. You can read more about our commitment to inclusion and diversity here .

Safeguarding Statement

The National Trust is committed to a safe recruitment processes to help the organisation attract and appoint the right staff/volunteer for the role and responsibilities as set out in the vacancy advert. We will not accept applicants who are not suitable to work with children, young people or adults at risk. If you have any questions around your suitability for this vacancy, please contact the people service centre.