Head Gardener

Montalto Estate is a privately owned 400-acre estate in Ballynahinch, County Down. The historic estate has been fully open to the public since 2018 and has become a major 5-star tourist attraction in the area welcoming over 100,000 visitors per annum. The owners of Montalto Estate are looking for an ambitious Head Gardener to lead the full-time gardening team of five in the continued maintenance and development of the well-established gardens, extending to around 25 acres, and also the surrounding woodland areas.

Garden Information

The extensive gardens are meticulously maintained and are laid out in lawns, specimen trees and shrubs around an ornamental lake. They incorporate a Pinetum, originally planted in the late 1800s, Winter Garden, Formal Garden, Alpine Garden, an ornamental walled garden, a two-acre orchard underplanted with Irish Native wildflowers, a flower cutting garden and a fruit garden. A project is also already underway to develop our ‘Lost Garden’, a Victorian garden rediscovered only recently, which has considerable historic interest for the estate.

The woodland contains an outstanding children’s natural play area and around 7 km of maintained trails and walks which is also overseen by the gardening team. The gardens at Montalto Estate have recently been shortlisted in the UK Garden of the Year competition.

Criteria

• Applicants will ideally hold a qualification in horticulture equivalent to HND in Horticulture/RHS Level 3 or 4. They will also have previous professional experience as a Head/Senior Gardener at a similar propertySuccessful applicants will have excellent horticultural knowledge in plant identification, pest and disease control, pruning techniques and plant care etc.
• Excellent managerial skills are required to cover workload planning and prioritising staff rotas, budget control, plant/tree ordering (which would include ordering plants for our retail outlet and overseeing plant sales), and machinery maintenance scheduling.
• Experienced in maintaining records and ensuring compliance to all garden Health & Safety issuesThe successful applicant should have exceptional attention to detail, enthusiasm, self-motivation and a strong work ethicGood communication skills are essential as the applicant will be required to confidently lead garden tours on a regular basis for both knowledgeable and inexperienced garden groups.
• The applicant should have the ability to operate a wide range of garden machinery and hold PA1/PA6 spray certificates and chainsaw certification.

This is a unique opportunity for a suitable candidate to head up a gardening team at this historic estate which has become one of the premier visitor attractions in Northern Ireland.

Salary will be dependent on experience.

To apply

Email your CV detailing relevant experience and cover letter to info@ montaltoestate.com. Please include the name of the job role that you are applying for.