College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Horticulture

Internships - Horticulture Chicago

Hiring Organization: Chicago Botanic Garden
Employment type: Internship
Job Location: Glencoe, IL
Application Due Date: March 15, 2023

 Three-month Horticulture Internship opportunities

Exemption Status: Non-exempt

Department: Horticulture Operations Administration

Reports to: Senior Horticulturists, Manager

Seasonal Full-time (three months) anticipated to start in May 2023

 

Position Overview for English Walled Garden, Japanese Garden, Rose and Heritage Gardens, and Regenstein Learning Campus and Welcome Projects interns:

Learn how to properly maintain a public display garden by working with a senior horticulturist and team of staff and volunteers. 

Attend regular staff meetings, field trips, and weekly intern meetings with guest speakers to learn about general Garden operations.

Assigned gardens may include the following: 

English Walled Garden, Circle Garden, Sensory Garden, Waterfall Garden, Dwarf Conifer Garden, and the Lakeside Gardens; Japanese Garden, Evening Island, Green Roof and the Evaluation Gardens; Rose and Heritage Gardens, Esplanade, Aquatic Garden, Farwell Landscape Garden, Crescent Garden, Fruit & Vegetable Garden, Bulb Garden, Model Railroad Garden, and Spider Island; Regenstein Learning Campus and Welcome Projects, Entrance Gardens, Parking Lots, and Welcome Plaza; Entrance Gardens, Parking Lots, and Regenstein Learning Campus. 

Responsibilities:

In this role you will be responsible for the following:  

• Assist horticulturists with routine garden maintenance including weeding, watering, pruning, mowing, planting, deadheading, grooming perennials, mulching, labeling, fertilizing, and removing debris.

 

• Prepare and lead a 15- to 20-minute tour of your assigned garden areas highlighting your experiences throughout the season for other horticulture staff. 

 

 

Position Overview for Plant Production and Greenhouse Nursery interns:

Learn about plant production by rotating through and working with the growers in the five divisions of the Plant Production Department. These divisions include the nursery, indoor floriculture, outdoor floriculture, orchids, and plant propagation. Attend staff meetings, field trips, and weekly intern meetings with guest speakers during the summer to learn about general botanic garden operations. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

In this role you will be responsible for the following:  

• Work with the nursery supervisor to produce a broad range of plants including trees, shrubs, perennials, native plants, and aquatics through potting, transplanting, fertilizing, weeding, spacing pots, setting up irrigation, watering, and pruning. 
• Work with the indoor floriculturist to produce crops for interior displays, education programs, and special events through potting, pruning, fertilizing, watering, grooming, and training.
• Work with the outdoor floriculturist to produce crops for spring, summer, and fall annual displays through potting, watering, pinching, fertilizing, and spacing.
• Work with the orchid floriculturist in the care and maintenance of the orchid collection and other tropical collection plants. 
• Work with the plant propagator to propagate plants through sowing seeds, taking cuttings, making divisions, stratifying and scarifying seeds, grafting, and budding.
• Assist with delivery of plants. 
• Prepare and lead a 15- to 20-minute tour around your assigned areas highlighting your experiences throughout the season for other horticulture staff.  

 

Apply