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Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Senior Gardener

Borde Hill Garden Ltd
Haywards Heath, West Sussex

Posted: 18 Dec 2025

Deadline: 23 Jan 2026

Compensation: £28,500 per annum

Living Wage employer

Paid Full-time Permanent

Job description

Borde Hill Garden (BHG) is a registered charity and a Grade II* listed English Heritage Garden set within 383 acres of Parkland and Woodland in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Created in the early 1900’s with plants gathered by the great plant hunters from their travels to the Himalayas, China, Burma, Tasmania, the Andes and North America, the Garden contains 99 champion trees and over 8,000 trees and shrubs listed by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Borde Hill features one of the best private collections of champion trees in Britain and one of the most comprehensive collections of trees and shrubs in the world.

The Stephenson Clarke family have been custodians of Borde Hill for five generations, and are at a time of generational change which will see new energy, opportunities and ideas aimed at broadening our visitor demographic and ensuring Borde Hill is sustainable for future generations. This includes new business initiatives including a field to fork restaurant, a biodynamic growers project and a rejuvenated family parkland offering with improved infrastructure, better horticultural interpretation and plant management.

As Borde Hill continues to evolve, there is opportunity for creativity and dynamic gardening, whilst ensuring the aesthetics are compatible with the historic nature of the Garden. We are therefore looking for a knowledgeable and skilled horticulturist who can lead from the front, has a great eye for detail and is able to deliver creative, excellent horticulture to the highest standards.

As a key member of the team, you will be responsible for the effective leadership and day to day horticultural operation of the Garden, reporting to the Head Gardener. This will include work planning, ensuring all work is adhered to health and safety legislation, managing a team of garden staff and volunteers.

We would like you to have RHS level 3 or equivalent supported by significant practical experience in horticulture within a supervisory or leadership role. You should have a keen interest in plants and a strong willingness to learn more about our historic collection to support its development for the future.

Knowledge, skills and experience needed:

• A passion for working in a historic Garden open as a visitor attraction, bringing the story of Borde Hill to life for our visitors.
• Be passionate to care for the historical collection of plants and have the vision, with desire to look ahead at climate change, including plant selection
• Experience of managing teams and able to lead by example with demonstratable people management skills.
• Excellent knowledge of herbaceous and woody plants, propagation, cultivation and familiar with plant collection management.
• Excellent communication skills to work collaboratively with the Head Gardener, Family, and all members of the Borde Hill team; with the ability to explain horticultural procedures to students and volunteers.
• Able to be strategic in work planning, and have the ability to proactively react when work changes at a moments notice
• Proactive, organised, energetic, inclusive and enthusiastic.
• Significant practical experience, supported by appropriate qualifications to RHS level 3 (or equivalent) or qualifications such as Botanic Garden Diploma, ND, HND, B.Sc. in Horticulture.
• Understanding and experience of health and safety aspects of gardens as visitor attractions including COSHH and risk assessment procedures.
• Proven experience in the use of a wide range of specialist equipment and machinery.
• Computer literate with experience of MS Office software, and able to use databases accurately.
• A horticultural or botanical specialism would be an advantage.
• Experience of delivering horticultural or botanical courses and tours for adults, children and widening diversity and inclusion.
• Chainsaw and NPTC spraying qualifications PA1, PA6 desirable
• A full, clean driving license.

Application information

Please send your CV and covering letter to manager@bordehill.co.uk

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