Description

The Horticulture, Forestry and Environmental Education Division is currently seeking a dynamic, highly skilled Horticulturist for Brookside Gardens, a fifty-acre horticultural display garden in Wheaton, MD.   

Under the supervision of the Assistant Director for Horticulture at Brookside Gardens and McCrillis Gardens, the Horticulturist is responsible for the design, installation, and maintenance of several prominent formal and informal garden areas.  This includes caring for and developing beautiful and diverse landscapes, collections, and plant displays.  The employee will apply technical knowledge of horticulture to plan and coordinate tasks while instructing, directing, evaluating, and working alongside seasonal staff, interns, and volunteers.  The successful candidate must enjoy interacting with visitors and sharing their horticultural knowledge. This position serves as a vital member of the Brookside Gardens staff, and performs other related duties, as assigned.

For more information about Brookside Gardens, visit us at www.brooksidegardens.org

Please Note: The salary range listed above represents the earning potential for this position. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Examples of Important Duties

 

  • Maintains horticultural collections and landscape displays in designated garden areas by performing skilled and technical horticultural work and routine grounds maintenance.
  • Designs and installs permanent and seasonal garden displays including researching plant selections, preparing plans, submitting crop requests, and drafting purchase orders for spring, summer, fall, and winter.
  • Uses Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to ensure plant health, identifying and diagnosing pests, diseases, and other plant problems and determining the effective treatment.
  • Recommends purchases of equipment, supplies, and materials, obtaining price quotes.
  • Provides horticultural information to visitors, requests and installs labels, maintains records, develops interpretive signage, and answers visitor questions.
  • Teaches at least two educational programs for visitors per year.
  • Participates in garden-wide special events such as plant sales and Children’s Day.
  • Oversees seasonal staff, interns, and volunteers at Brookside Gardens; planning, leading, instructing, and training staff on various aspects of work.
  • Some evening and weekend work required. Responds to weather emergencies as required, including snow removal.

Important Skills and Characteristics 

  1. Knowledge of horticultural sciences, plant nomenclature, and landscape design.
  2. Skill in safely operating landscape equipment and tools.
  3. Ability to apply technical horticulture principles to solve practical problems.
  4. Skill in utilizing technology to effectively communicate, maintain records, conduct research, and create educational teaching aids.
  5. Demonstrate exceptional communication and interpersonal skills that contribute to a high performing team.
  6. Ability to provide courteous service.

Preferred Qualifications 

  1. Willingness to share horticultural knowledge with visitors, volunteers and staff in informal settings, formally scheduled programs, and interpretive signage.
  2. Experience working in a public garden or similar cultural institution.
  3. Supervisory experience, including paid staff, students, interns, and volunteers.
  4. Ability to communicate in one of Montgomery County’s most common languages (Spanish, Chinese, African Languages, Persian, French) is a plus.

 

Minimum Qualifications

  1. Bachelor’s Degree in Horticulture or any related field.
  2. One (1) year of professional experience in horticulture or closely related field.
  3. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted, which together total five (5) years.
  4. Valid driver’s license in accordance with both State and Commission rules and regulations. Driver’s licenses must be unencumbered by restrictions, revocations, suspensions, or points that could limit the employee’s ability to drive Commission vehicles or perform driving duties required of the position.
  5. Maryland State Pesticide Applicator License may be required within twelve (12) months of employment, depending on area of assignment.
May be subject to medical, drug and alcohol testing.

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is a six-time National Recreational and Parks Association Gold Medal Award Winner.  Behind the vast and diverse Montgomery County Department of Parks system is a career staff complement of nearly 800 employees, 420 parks and over 37,000 acres of park land that serves a diverse population of more than one million residents in the Washington DC area. Go to our website to learn more:  https://www.montgomeryparks.org/

Very competitive and flexible benefits programs available!

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate a workplace culture of diversity, equity and inclusion without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, gender identity, or any other non-merit factor.

Applicants with Disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

If you require accommodations or special arrangements due to a qualifying disability, please notify the Recruitment & Selections Services Unit at the time of applications at or 301-454-1411 (Maryland Relay 7-1-1)

M-NCPPC will make all efforts to reasonably accommodate you.