Senior Gardener

You’ll be managing a small team of staff and volunteers and will be responsible for the day‑to‑day maintenance of the garden, high standards of horticulture as well as enhancing the experience for our visitors to the garden. You’ll be continuing to improve, change and experiment with the planting scheme in the garden by being mindful of the gardeners that were here before.

You’ll be striving to achieve high presentation standards and engage with visitors about the story of the garden, its seasonal interest and answer any questions they may have. As the Senior Gardener you’ll report directly to the Property Operations Manager for Lytes Cary Manor & Tintinhull Garden, and you’ll develop a close working relationship with the Head Gardener at Lytes Cary.

Tintinhull Garden is part of the South Somerset Property Group and as such you will occasionally be working with the other garden teams from Montacute House and Barrington Court. You’ll be working on site all year round which could mean some days of lone working during the winter months. Duty Manager responsibilities are across two sites:
Tintinhull Garden and Lytes Cary Manor. Please also read the full role profile attached to this advert. Who we’re looking for Applications from redeployees are assessed against the minimum criteria for the role. In your application, please provide details of how you meet the minimum criteria below:

• Practical horticulture and plant care
• Team supervision and volunteer support
• Machinery use and safety compliance
• Project and programme delivery
• Resource and budget awareness
• Visitor and stakeholder engagement and someone who combines practical experience in horticulture with appropriate qualifications
• Used to supervising others in a similar role
• Highly knowledgeable about plants
• Confident in using and maintaining garden machinery, including chainsaws, tractors, hedge‑trimmers and mowers (both walking and ride‑on)
• Aware of relevant health and safety legislation and practices

Tintinhull Garden is a small property and as such has a really friendly atmosphere, making it a great place to work.

The garden was first created by Phyllis Reiss in the 1930s, and was later cared for and developed by Penelope Hobhouse, who lived here in the 1980s as a tenant. Today we work to conserve and improve the garden, considering both the original design and the changes made over time. In the garden you will find colourful borders, manicured lawns, hedges, a kitchen garden and flowering pots.

The garden is open to the public from April to September and attracts around 22,000 visitors per season. Visits to the garden are described as tranquil, relaxed and refreshing for the soul. To compliment a visit to the Grade I listed garden the site offers a small catering outlet and a second‑hand book barn.

Tintinhull Garden is managed by the same team that looks after Lytes Cary Manor which means most staff work across both sites eg Visitor Experience, Facilities, Welcome and Food & Beverage.

The National Trust is committed to promoting and preserving those places of natural beauty and historic interest for which it has the privilege to be responsible for the benefit of the nation, for everyone for ever. The Trust is proud of what has been achieved over the last 126 years and is determined to maintain those high standards of conservation, stewardship and curatorial care for which it has been recognised throughout the world.

Its achievements have enabled the general public and the Trust’s members and visitors to enjoy and appreciate the countryside, coastline, gardens, historic buildings and collections, all of which encapsulate so much of the history of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. There is a duty to tell that history in a complete, balanced and accurate way, and without judgement. The National Trust continues as a guardian of the past, and for the future, to uphold its duty to maintain and enhance what has been entrusted to its care.

In line with our redeployment policy, we’ll prioritise applications from employees who are under formal notice of redundancy. Are you an experienced gardener, now ready to discover a new garden and take on a…