Senior Gardener

Grant Horticulture Ltd is seeking a Senior Gardener in Harrogate, UK. The role involves managing large private gardens, planning work schedules, supervising a gardening team, and ensuring high horticultural standards. Candidates should have strong horticultural skills and experience. The company values trust, excellence, and creativity, offering opportunities for career progression. The position requires on-site work in Yorkshire with a typical schedule of Monday to Friday.
Our Company

Accredited by BALI, Grant Horticulture Ltd is a dynamic horticulture led garden design, build and management company, based in Harrogate. With over 25 years of experience, we are a growing, friendly company. Our reputation is founded in our dedication and attention to detail, as well as our skilled, personable workforce.

Our Values

We’re a diverse team, and we all share the same core values. If you’re a talented landscape professional who believes trust, excellence, and creativity matter, we’d love to hear from you. Dean Bolton-Grant, founder of Grant Horticulture Ltd, has worked in horticulture for over 25 years; Dean’s focus has always been to deliver an excellent horticultural service to all our clients.

Our products and services include garden design, landscaping, garden care and management and the supply of plants and associated materials. We endeavour to work in harmony with the natural environment. Wherever feasible, we aim to work with the priority of helping nature thrive. We don’t do Astro-turf!

Our objective is to deliver exceptional service to our clients. We work with our sister companies, Urban Grow and The Northern School of Gardening, so that all commercial and service opportunities can be maximised.

Key areas of responsibility and deliverables expected

You will be responsible for the care, upkeep and continued improvements of our client’s prestigious, large-scale private family gardens and estates and the management of a team of gardeners and subcontracted gardeners. You will be responsible for assisting the Operations Manager in planning work schedules and future projects and assisting with the daily running of the company. The role includes:

Planning
• Plan and priorities your workloads according to the seasons, weather, garden conditions and client requests
• Collaborate with our Operations Manager in planning quarterly work schedules
• Report daily on works progress or issues

Team management
• Supervise and motivate others and be prepared to share your knowledge with those less skilled than yourself
• Manage your team on a day to day basis to achieve agreed targets

Horticultural finesse
• Topiary pruning
• Identify pest and disease issues within planting and turf and manage accordingly
• Pruning and staking of herbaceous borders
• Work to a high standard as demonstrated by the level of horticultural qualification you have attained
• Plant identification skills and a clear understanding of how best to manage the plants within the gardens to ensure the gardens are always displayed to the highest of horticultural standards using the appropriate methods of work

Kitchen garden management
• Growing crops utilising client greenhouses and walled gardens
• Manage top and soft fruit

Scope for progression and promotion:

We are a dynamic and growing company and are always looking to recruit and promote staff internally to progress their careers and develop their skills and experience.

Location and travel

We are based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Our client’s properties are located throughout Yorkshire. Work further afield maybe required at the company’s discretion and will be compensated for accordingly.

Hours and Benefits
• Working hours are normally Monday to Friday 07:30 to 16:30, however as senior gardener, flexibility is needed.

Annual leave
• Holiday entitlement is up to 31 days per annum. This is made up of:
• 20 days leave
• 8 days for public bank holidays.
• 2 days between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, as the company will be closed
• 1 day for your birthday should this fall on a typical working day

Benefits

· Company pension with a 3% contribution from Grant Horticulture Ltd

· Ability to purchase stock from Urban Grow at wholesale price + VAT (after 1 year of employment).

· The subsidised cost of cultural/ sporting event per quarter up to the value of £50 (e.g. Museum/Gallery/Sports match etc.).

Person specification

Education and training

Essential

· Minimum NVQ/RHS level 3 Horticulture/ Higher National Diploma in Horticulture. Or level 2 qualification and at least 5 years experience in paid horticulture.

· Pa1 & Pa6 spraying certificates.

· MS office suite literate.

· GCSE Maths and English C or above

Desirable

· Chainsaw operative license.

· Experience of risk assessments and safe systems of work.

· Use of Macs

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

· Competent in the safe handling and operation of various types of machinery and gardening equipment, including cylinder, rotary and ride-on mowers, hedge cutters, leaf blowers, and strimmers.

· Proven, demonstable horticultural and management skills, along with evidence of managing and inspiring a small team of gardeners

· Full, clean UK driving license

· A proven track record of working to budgets, managing finances and small projects.

Desirable

· An up-to-date understanding of current herbicides, pesticides, and fertilisers available for commercial use

· Knowledge and practical application of the Health and Safety at Work Act

· Sound knowledge of plant propagation

Soft skills and personality traits

· You must be self-motivated energetic and be able to work alone and as part of a team

· You will have a creative and artistic eye and brilliant interpersonal skills to lead our team of gardeners

· You will possess an approachable, enthusiastic and friendly demeanour

· You will be professional at all times, have a calm and patient disposition, and be mindful of how to minimise the disruption of the work we carry out affects our clients and members of the public.

· You will have strong organisational, communication and administration skills which will ensure you can lead, motivate and promote smooth working relationships and encourage cooperation amongst the team

· You will be passionate about our clients’ gardens and will act quickly on commercial opportunities and customer feedback. Identifying potential improvements within the gardens and highlighting these to the ops manager and company owner.

If you are a skilled gardener who enjoys their craft, we urge you to apply for this position.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: £29,500.00-£31,100.00 per year

Additional pay:
• Bonus scheme

Benefits:
• Additional leave
• Company events
• Company pension
• Employee discount
• Employee mentoring programme
• Free parking
• On-site parking

Schedule:
• Monday to Friday
• Weekend availability

Application question(s):
• Do you have experience of managing a team of gardeners?

Work Location: In person

Reference ID: SG01
Expected start date: 03/03/2025