General Horticulture & Nature’s Sanctuary Horticulture Internships

Hiring Organization: The Arboretum at Laurel Hill
Employment type: Internship
Job Location: Bala Cynwyd, PA
Application Due Date: April 16, 2023

The Arboretum at Laurel Hill is offering two exciting internships this summer from Monday, June 5th to Friday, September 1st, 2023. The two positions are General Horticulture Intern and the Nature’s Sanctuary Horticulture Intern. Each intern and I will collaborate on creating individual educational objectives, complete unique summer projects to further their education and experience hands-on, real-world learning. Additionally, there will be many opportunities to learn through group work days at both the East and West locations. I look forward to sharing my thirty plus years of horticulture experience with an emphasis on plant identification, culture, selection, maintenance and design!

For more information about these two outstanding Horticulture Internships, follow the link below to our website... https://lnkd.in/eSWD62Gw

The Horticulture Internships provide an interactive educational opportunity for those aspiring towards a career in public gardens, arboreta, horticulture, arboriculture, landscape design and/or horticultural maintenance to work and learn in a dynamic, unique, and professional workplace and acquire experience in both horticulture best practices and Living Collections management. From the start of the season, interns will work with Laurel Hill’s Senior Horticulturist to create individual learning objectives for the season that will result in an effective and meaningful overall experience.

Requirements include:

A valid driver’s license
A strong work ethic
The ability to work independently and as part of a team outdoors in various weather conditions
Dependable transportation
Ability to lift 50 pounds
And a willingness to learn all aspects of horticulture, living collection management, and landscape stewardship

A Bachelor’s degree in Arboriculture, Horticulture, Plant Science, Environmental Studies, or a related field, and/or equivalent work experience is preferred but not required. The Horticulture Internships are seasonal, full-time positions paid at $15 an hour and requiring a commitment of 40 hours per week from June 5th to September 1st. Laurel Hill is an equal opportunity employer.

To apply, submit your resume and cover letter, including which internship position is preferred, to Arboretum Manager, Aaron Greenberg at agreenberg@laurelhillphl.com.

GENERAL HORTICULTURE INTERNSHIP

The General Horticulture Intern will work closely with the Senior Horticulturist on various aspects of horticulture and landscape stewardship at both Laurel Hill East & West to include:

Tree and shrub installation, maintenance, and a basic introduction to curation. Tasks include:

Weeding, invasive vine removal, grooming, pruning, planting, mulching, watering, herbivory protection, occasional transplanting and/or removal, assistance in observing tree/shrub care needs, and use of Treekeeper curation software for work orders.

Garden area care, maintenance, and a basic introduction to effective design and stewardship best practices. Tasks include:

Layout, planting, watering, mulching, herbivory protection, grooming, editing of plantings, transplanting, weeding, and assistance in observing garden care needs.

The General Horticulture Intern will also assist the Arboretum Manager on an independent project related to the inventory and curation of the shrub layer of the Arboretum’s Living Collection.
Additional tasks and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Serving as an ambassador for the Arboretum and Cemetery in general, attending staff meetings, sharing garden care observations with the Senior Horticulturist and Team, proper care and upkeep of tools, effective communication with the Arboretum Manager, Senior Horticulturist and other staff, attending intern field trips to learn about other horticulture organizations, maintaining a daily garden observation and task notebook.

NATURE’S SANCTUARY HORTICULTURE INTERNSHIP

Nature’s Sanctuary is a unique green burial area at Laurel Hill West that is stewarded as a successional landscape featuring native herbaceous forbs, grasses, vines, shrubs, and trees and utilization of sustainable methods with respect to natural resources. This landscape has received the prestigious SITES Gold level certification as well as the 2022 Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve’s Land Ethics Award for best Large-Scale Project.

The Nature’s Sanctuary Horticulture Intern will work closely with the Senior Horticulturist on various aspects of horticulture and landscape stewardship within Nature’s Sanctuary to include:

Nature’s Sanctuary landscape care, maintenance, and a basic introduction to a stewarded succession landscape, its effective design, and related best practices.

Tasks include input on plant selection, layout, planting, bioinoculant application, watering, mulching, herbivory protection, hand weeding, grooming, editing, thinning and/or replanting of plant material, pruning of shrubs and trees, application of horticultural vinegar and assistance in observing garden care needs.

Support of the plantings after the Green Burial process.

Tasks include soil grading and leaf mulching within the active areas, any necessary clean-up to provide cues of care and planting, mulching, and watering within prior active areas.

Maintenance of pathways and fenced peripheral areas.

Tasks include weeding and horticultural vinegar application, raking and blowing the stone pathways, mowing the grass pathways, keeping plant material pruned to keep pathways clear, keeping edges along the peripheral fences clear of invasive vines, maintain the mulched areas beneath the fences, training and regular care of the native vines featured on the fence.

Maintaining a daily log of site conditions, tasks accomplished and garden observations, as well as weekly data entry into online observation repositories such as iNaturalist.
Serving as an ambassador for Nature’s Sanctuary and Laurel Hill in general. Tasks include possible interaction with and educating the visitors about Nature’s Sanctuary stewardship and the Intern’s role there.
The Nature’s Sanctuary Horticulture Intern will occasionally assist the Arboretum Manager, Senior Horticulturist and Arboretum team with various other aspects of horticulture, arboriculture, and landscape maintenance within the Arboretum including tree and shrub pruning, planting and removal, mulching, weeding, and maintaining other garden areas at East.
The Nature’s Sanctuary Horticulture Intern will complete an independent project guided by the Senior Horticulturist related to the stewardship of the Nature’s Sanctuary green burial area.
Additional tasks and responsibilities include but are not limited to sharing garden care observations with the Senior Horticulturist and Team, proper care and upkeep of tools, effective communication with the Arboretum Manager, Senior Horticulturist and Team, attending staff meetings, and attending intern field trips to learn about other horticulture organizations.