Gardener

National Trust; Kingswear; On-site; GBP 11,000 - 28,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Free entry

Deposit loan

Season ticket loan

EV car lease

Discounts

Holiday allowance

Flexible working

Employee assistance

Free parking

Job summary

National Trust in Kingswear, UK is seeking a part-time Gardener to care for the Coleton Fishacre coastal garden, participate in horticultural tasks, and help shape the garden’s future development. You’ll work with a friendly team and volunteers, ensuring high standards while supporting biodiversity and sustainable practices.

This 15-hour-per-week role involves daily safety checks, plant care, machinery operation, and contributing to garden restoration projects.

Qualifications

• Enthusiastic horticulturist and hands-on gardener with a great eye for detail.
• Experience with hard landscaping and machinery (tractors, chainsaws, mowers).
• Holder of a full driving licence and able to manage an outdoor role.

Responsibilities

• Care for and develop a coastal garden to thrive for people and nature.
• Perform daily safety checks and essential horticultural tasks (weeding, pruning, mulching).
• Operate garden machinery such as hedge cutters, leaf blowers, mowers and tractors.

Skills

Horticulture

Hands-on gardener

Hard landscaping

Plant knowledge

Machinery operation

Driving licence

Tools

Tractors

Chainsaws

Mowers

Job description

Internal Applicants only??

Our colleagues work for the National Trust in many locations and sometimes?don't?have easy access to internal vacancy listings. Using the internet ensures we can reach as many of our colleagues as possible. We appreciate that this can be frustrating for external talent. Do note that some roles are released externally after?an initial?period As a Gardener with the National Trust at Coleton Fishacre, you'll play a key role in caring for one of the country's most spectacular coastal gardens. Working as part of a dedicated team, you'll be involved in every aspect of horticulture, from maintaining exceptional planting displays and managing the garden's unique landscape to helping shape its future development. This is a varied, hands‑on role where no two days are the same. Alongside delivering the highest standards of garden care, you'll help create memorable experiences for visitors, sharing in the stewardship of a place that inspires thousands of people each year.

At Coleton Fishacre, you'll be part of a welcoming and supportive team that values collaboration, learning and mutual respect. We are committed to creating an inclusive working environment where everyone feels valued, able to contribute and supported to develop their skills and experience. You'll work alongside a passionate team of gardeners and around 30 dedicated volunteers, whose knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment play a vital role in caring for the garden. Building positive relationships and working collaboratively with volunteers is an important part of the role. As part of the South Devon Property Group, there may also be opportunities to work alongside colleagues at Greenway, Overbecks and Compton Castle. This cross-property approach allows us to share skills, knowledge and resources, giving you the chance to broaden your experience and contribute to a variety of nationally significant gardens and landscapes. Together, we care for these special places for everyone, forever, balancing high standards of horticulture with our ambitions to restore nature, increase biodiversity and create inspiring experiences for visitors.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll help care for and develop one of the National Trust’s most distinctive coastal gardens, ensuring it thrives for both people and nature. From carrying out daily safety checks and essential horticultural tasks such as weeding, pruning and mulching, to operating machinery including hedge cutters, leaf blowers, mowers and tractors, you’ll play a crucial role in the garden’s day-to-day success.

Beyond maintaining high horticultural standards, you’ll contribute to projects that support nature recovery, increase biodiversity and build resilience to a changing climate. The role offers excellent variety and opportunities to broaden your skills. You could find yourself propagating plants, cutting flowers for the house, preparing stock for sale, undertaking tree safety work, or contributing to exciting garden restoration and development projects. Working closely with the wider garden team, you’ll also support sustainable waste management, recycling initiatives and environmentally responsible gardening practices, helping to create a thriving landscape where wildlife and people can flourish together.

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.

Salary: £11,044.80 pro rata (FTE £27,612 per annum) Contract: Permanent Hours/ working pattern: Part-time, 15 hours per week. This 2 day role that is split across Tuesday and Thursday during the working week.

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)
• Rental deposit loan scheme
• 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.
• Flexible working whenever possible
• Employee assistance programme
• Free parking at most Trust places