Salary Description: $17.74 hourly

Classification: Non-Exempt

Organization Description

Naples Botanical Garden is a 170-acre world-class paradise, featuring the flora and cultures of the tropics and sub-tropics including Brazil, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Florida. The Garden’s mission is to connect people and plants through display, education, conservation, and applied science. The Garden has beautifully restored native habitats, cultivated gardens, walking trails, and public programming that offer education and enjoyment for people of all ages. Naples Botanical Garden is a 501(c)3 organization.

Position Summary: Serves as gardener for Naples Botanical Garden. This position is responsible for the maintenance and care of ornamental beds, trees, and shrubs, as well as all areas under the responsibility of the Horticulture Department. Experience is great, but we will provide specific training as well.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Maintain ornamental beds by mulching, weeding, and clearing areas free of litter and leaves. Also, properly groom, deadhead, stake, and prune plants.
• Assist in maintaining water lilies, lotus, and marginal aquatic plants by deadheading and removing spent leaves.
• Skim floating weeds and debris from pools.
• Recognize and report potential physiological or nutritional problems such as wilting, leaf scorch, or deficiencies of nitrogen, iron, and magnesium.
• Follow proper techniques of soil preparation, plant installation, and pesticide/herbicide/fertilizer application.
• Other duties as required and assigned.

Requirements/Qualifications:

• A demonstrated interest in public gardening and/or landscape grounds maintenance.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license and good driver's record and be capable of operating pickup trucks and other essential equipment safely.
• Knowledge of plant material, proper maintenance techniques, and correct horticultural practices, with good aesthetic sensibility.
• Ability to work well within a diverse and multicultural workforce, including volunteers.
• Ability to work as part of a team or individually with little or no supervision.
• Ability to operate all types of lawn/gardening equipment, blowers, trimmers, etc. safely.
• Good interpersonal communication and literacy skills.
• Normal work hours are 6:00am-2:30pm; must have flexible schedule as work priorities or seasonal needs change. Schedule may include evenings or weekends.
• Must be able to work the required overtime, often with little advance notice (e.g., storm damage).
• Must be able to work outside in inclement weather, extreme heat, high winds, and rain.
• Must be able to perform physical work including bending, stooping, and reaching.
• Pre-Employment background check required.

Benefits:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life Insurance
• Retirement Plan with matching
• Long -Short Term Disability
• PTO
• Paid Holidays
• Garden Perks

Naples Botanical Garden is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Garden has a long-standing policy of employment and advancement based solely upon qualifications to perform the essential elements of a position without regard to age, creed, gender, national origin or ancestry, race, color, religion, veteran status, pregnancy, marital status, HIV status, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, handicap or mental or physical disability.