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Position filled
JOB Ref: EC24614

Sole Gardener

  • Full Time Live In
  • Circa £27,500
  • Suffolk

A very attractive opportunity has arisen for a skilled Sole Gardener to take responsibility for a beautiful private garden in Suffolk on a live-in or live-out basis, with a salary adjustment made to reflect the successful candidate’s preferred option.  The property owner is in the process of looking for a plot of land on which to build a new house and will move into the new property open completion of the build.  Once our client has built and moved into the new property, the current property will be sold to new owners whom may or may not intend to keep the gardener on.  This role is however expected to exist for a duration of between one and two years at the least, depending on the actual date of the new house build project completion.

The position would suit a physically fit and knowledgeable gardener with demonstrable experience at Sole/Head/Senior level.

The 25-acre private home comprises a well-established formal garden of approximately 5-acres, surrounded by 20-acres of fields and paddocks that are managed by local farmers on short-term lets.  The 5-acre formal garden includes spring and summer herbaceous beds/borders, an espalier tree-lined frontage, a rose garden, kitchen garden, expansive lawns, hedges, a 1.5acre orchard and a polytunnel.  The large perimeter hedges are cut by a local farmer, though the internal hedges are extensive and managed by the Sole Gardener and property owner over the course of a full week, twice annually.  In addition to the above, the successful candidate must be happy to look after the owner’s dog at times.  The well-trained Sprocker (half Springer half Cocker) will require feeding and letting out into the garden in the mornings and let her back into the main house in the evening, when the owners are away. The collection of people from the local train station may also be necessary on occasion.

Applicants should hold a recognised academic horticultural qualification at Level 3 or above and/or extensive experience at Senior/Head/Sole Gardener level on horticulturally diverse private estates.  Possession of spray certificates (PA1/PA6) would be beneficial, with a full UK driving licence being essential.  The Sole Gardener should be competent with the operation and basic maintenance of garden machinery and will instinctively adhere to excellent health and safety standards at all times.

Suitable candidates must be able to confidently manage all aspects of the above whilst maintaining excellent standards of cleanliness, attention to detail and efficiency.  The property owner is a keen gardener and enjoys pruning the roses as well as working on other aspects of the garden when time allows.  For this reason, it is particularly important that applicants are friendly in character, positive in outlook, presentable and sociable, genuinely passionate about their trade and sensitive to the considerations associated with working (and living, if applicable) on a private property/home.

While the owner is realistic about the workload, applicants must be proactive and able to work unsupervised and to identify areas where efficiency can be improved and to make positive suggestions as to work schedules and maintenance.

The Sole Gardener should be flexible insofar as estate gardening is concerned, i.e. be able to manage/assist with common minor estate duties such as taking care of the owner’s two Spaniels when they are away, and other such duties as they arise.

This position is offered with a two-bedroom cottage, suitable for a couple or small family.  Pets are welcome within reason.  The cottage benefits from its own private garden at the front and rear, including access to the 1.5acre orchard.  The cottage is provided free of charge in addition to the generous salary.  The Sole Gardener will also have use of their own area of kitchen garden, if desired.

SALARY:Circa £27,500 + Accommodation

LOCATION: Suffolk

JOB No:EC24614

If this Sole Gardener vacancy is of interest, please apply or contact Mark Read on 01233 733510 or info@englishcountrygardeners.co.uk.

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Thank you for the interest you have shown in this Sole Gardener vacancy.  Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications that we receive, it is not possible to respond to every one.  Therefore, unless you hear from us within the next 14 days, your application for this Sole Gardener vacancy will have been unsuccessful.

www.englishcountrygardeners.co.uk

Tagged as: Live In, Live Out, Sole Gardener

Recruitment Specialist Mark Read