Sole Gardener

ECG Limited; Stratford-upon-Avon, Hampton Lucy CP; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Sole Gardener to manage a beautiful 12-acre estate. This full-time role involves maintaining extensive gardens, caring for livestock, and performing general upkeep of the property. The successful candidate will have a strong horticultural background, experience with garden machinery, and the ability to work independently. With a focus on sustainability and organic practices, this position offers the chance to contribute to a picturesque landscape while enjoying a supportive work environment. If you are passionate about gardening and animal care, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

20 Days Paid Holiday

Potential Accommodation

Flexible Working Hours

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in gardening and grounds care.
• Ability to work independently and plan work schedules.
• Good handyman skills for routine maintenance tasks.

Responsibilities

• Maintain extensive gardens and grounds, including pruning and planting.
• Manage animal husbandry tasks for sheep and horses.
• Perform general maintenance and upkeep of the estate.

Skills

Horticultural Knowledge

Chainsaw Operation

Animal Husbandry

DIY Skills

Self-Motivation

Education

Horticultural Qualifications

Tools

Garden Machinery

Chainsaws

Strimmers

Hedge Cutters

Ride-on Mowers

Job description

Sole Gardener Required

Sole Gardener (live out/ live in) salary: circa £35,000 DOE

Immediate vacancy for a full-time experienced gardener/ stockman and general all-rounder at a beautiful 12 acre grade 2* country house and small holding situated between Warwick and Stratford upon Avon.

The property has extensive grounds comprised of gravel driveways, large lawned areas, mature trees, an apple orchard, established formal gardens with herbaceous borders, small veg garden/ herb garden, extensive wild meadow areas and riverbank area (the river Avon runs through the property).

This role requires a solid all-rounder who is a capable and experienced gardener with sound plant knowledge and relevant horticultural qualifications including experience (and qualifications where appropriate) in the use of chainsaws/ strimmers/ hedge cutters/ environmentally friend/ organic weed control/ ride on mowers and the use of standard petrol mowers and any other relevant garden machinery. Expertise in tree surgery/ pruning is also advantageous as the property has established yew hedges requiring annual pruning, hedgerows and a number of other mature trees and bushes.

In addition to the gardening element of the role, experience in handling sheep and horses and carrying out basic animal husbandry tasks is required. Eight of the twelve acres of estate grounds are used as pasture for the owner’s small flock of rare breed sheep, two horses and chickens and the successful candidate will be responsible for all aspects of their day to day care and management together with maintaining the pasture and quality of the grazing, repairing/ maintaining all field fencing/ electric fencing as may be required, regular cleaning of the chicken house and the barn.

This role requires the ability to be able to work unsupervised, be self-motivated and be able to plan/ organise all aspects of the work needed to run the estate throughout the course of the calendar year. In addition, although the gardens are well established, the successful applicant is expected to use their own initiative and to be forward-thinking in terms of planning new areas for the garden/ deciding on new planting schemes or making general improvements to the management of the garden.

The job also entails general maintenance and upkeep of the main house and the two rental properties that are within the grounds of the estate and therefore the successful candidate should have good handyman/ DIY skills and prepared to carry out a number of routine household maintenance tasks such as gutter clearing, log chopping, carrying out minor repairs etc as well as leasing and supervising outside contractors such as plumbers/ builders/ electricians where required.

The role is full-time, Monday – Friday with typical hours of work 8am to 4pm. 20 days of paid holiday in addition to bank holidays is provided.

Requirements of the role:

• Extensive experience in all aspects of gardening/ horticulture and grounds care
• Ability to work independently/ plan own work schedule and be self-motivated
• Experience of all aspects of garden plant and machinery together with an ability to carry out basic/ routine maintenance and servicing of machinery and equipment
• Good handyman/ DIY skills
• Be confident and experienced around sheep/ horses/ dogs/ chickens
• Be physically fit, have good energy levels and be enthusiastic
• Above all, be trustworthy, reliable, a good timekeeper and not afraid of hard work!

The vacancy is currently a live out role however a spacious unfurnished two bedroom flat within the grounds of the estate could be made available subject to negotiation regarding salary and a willingness on the part of the candidate to provide additional dog-sitting services when required.

This private advert for a Sole Gardener is being managed directly by the employer. English Country Gardeners are not involved in the hiring process and are therefore unable to share any additional information on this role. If you have any questions regarding this position, the best course of action is to apply for the job which will open a line of communication with the employer.

If you would like to view more information on the Professional Gardeners Guild, please clickhereand the Royal Horticultural Society, please clickhere

For more gardener roles please clickhere

Tagged as: full time, head gardener, Live Out, Sole Gardener