Gardener

Overview

We're looking for a highly talented Gardener to join us as an integral and effective part of the garden team at Highgrove, ensuring that the garden is maintained to the highest possible standards at all times.

Location: Highgrove Gardens, Doughton, Gloucestershire, GL8 8TQ

Department: Gardening
Reports to: Senior Gardener
Contract: Permanent, full-time

As a member of the Garden team at Highgrove, you will play an integral role in maintaining the highest horticultural and presentation standards across the estate. You will contribute to the care, development, and enhancement of the gardens, working in line with organic and sustainable principles.

• Carry out practical horticultural tasks such as mowing, hedge cutting, weeding, mulching, planting, and leaf clearing to high horticultural and presentation standards.
• To undertake and assist with the seasonal maintenance such as shrub and specimen tree planting and maintenance, willow coppicing, grass cutting, compost management, etc.
• Maintenance of extensive herbaceous plantings to include deadheading, staking, tying-in, division, feeding, and watering.
• Topiary trimming, maintenance, and development.
• High-access work to maintain high-level features.
• Ensure organic and sustainability standards are met.
• Ensure that all tools and machinery are correctly used, maintained and stored
• Assist the Senior Gardeners with the planning of maintenance routines and day-to-day tasks and report on progress.
• Supervise volunteers, work experience staff and trainees, and at times other gardeners.
• Comply with all Health and Safety rules and regulations, including taking responsibility for your own health and safety and reasonable care for others’ health and safety, to include the safe and compliant use of all garden machinery.
• Partake in CPD opportunities to enhance your role.
• Previous practical experience in a high-quality garden open to the public (3+ years)
• NVQ Level 2 or higher or equivalent level of vocational experience/training in amenity horticulture
• Full, manual driving licence
• Excellent plant identification and maintenance knowledge
• Experience working in a range of horticultural settings such as ornamental borders, meadow, arboretum and vegetable garden
• Understand current health and safety legislation
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Good organisational skills and the proven ability to prioritise own work
• Ability to maintain confidentiality at all times and exercise discretion
• Competent in the use and care for a wide range of machinery and equipment
• Range of machinery certificates
• Experience of working to organic principles

40 hours per week plus extra weekend watering and operational duties that are required on a rota/seasonal basis.

• You must have the legal right to work in the UK
• This job involves strenuous physical activity, including soil cultivation, plant establishment, maintenance and the use of a range of powered machinery
• Lunch provided daily
• Certified training and development provided

Monday, 29th September 2025

Highgrove Gardens is a highly renowned garden, described as one of the most inspiring and innovative gardens in the UK. Since 1980, the gardens have been managed organically and include a variety of garden features and areas, including a walled kitchen garden, a thyme walk, topiary and hedging, a terrace garden, a cottage garden, wildflower meadows, island beds, an arboretum, a woodland garden, and various water features.

The King’s Foundation is a charity founded by King Charles III and was first formed in 1990. Inspired by the vision and values of His Majesty, the Foundation focuses on creating better communities where people, places and the planet can coexist in harmony.

The charity offers education courses for over 15,000 students annually, health and wellbeing programmes for nearly 2,000 people every year, and spearheads placemaking and regeneration projects in the UK and overseas to revitalise communities and historic buildings. The Foundation is headquartered at its flagship regeneration project, Dumfries House in Ayrshire,…