Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Job role: Senior Horticultural Supervisor (External Areas)

Salary: £21,000 to £24,000 dependent on experience

Conditions: Permanent Full Time (39.5 hours per week)

Location: Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK

Role

Birmingham Botanical Gardens are seeking to appoint a talented Senior Horticultural Supervisor to take responsibility for the maintenance and development of external garden areas at The Gardens. Reporting to our Senior Horticulturist, you will be a creative, highly skilled and experienced horticulturist, a gifted plants-person capable of the highest standards of horticultural maintenance and a skilled supervisor of staff, understanding of all aspects of the management of a garden open to the public.

Location

Birmingham Botanical Gardens opened in 1832 and are administered by the Birmingham Botanical and Horticultural Society Limited, an independent educational charity. Four stunning glasshouses take you from lush tropical rainforest to the extreme aridity of the desert. Beyond, fifteen acres of beautiful landscaped gardens display 6,000 different plants in a wonderful Grade 2* historic landscaped setting: the most diverse collection of plants in the Midlands. Fascinating events and a very successful education programme provide interest for visitors throughout the year. Designed by botanist and designer John Claudius Loudon, education lies at the heart of the Gardens’ mission to create memorable visitor experiences which reveal the benefits of plants and teach us how to secure the future of our living environment. We pride ourselves on offering a pristine, green ‘Oasis of Delight’ in the heart of Birmingham for all who visit.

Duties

You will be a key member of the Gardens’ Management and Horticultural Team, reporting to the Senior Horticulturist. You will be expected to work both as a hands-on gardener and as a horticultural supervisor, assisting in the maintenance of the Gardens to the highest standards for visitors to enjoy.

Duties will include the efficient supervision of four staff, additional apprentices, students and volunteers, deputising for our Senior Horticulturist and responsibility for compliance with all relevant legislation.

You’ll engage and build relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders including visitors, the Gardens staff team and external horticultural and education partners in our work. You’ll assist with interpretation and event programming to help visitors understand the history of our gardens and plant collections. You’ll develop and deliver new horticultural projects to enrich our visitors’ experience here.

You’ll also be responsible for specialist care for our Alpine Plant Collection and our National Collection of Cyclamen.

You’ll be an active member of our management team and, using your knowledge and team insights, you’ll help us make informed decisions. You’ll work to constantly improve our visitor offer. You’ll share your passion for the Gardens and instil a team culture of exceptional customer service.

You’ll be part of our Duty Manager rota at the Gardens providing support across all departments. Regular weekend and bank holiday working is a requirement of this role. We anticipate this being one weekend in six.

Qualifications

For you to gain a position within our team, we are looking for the following:

• A passionate, hardworking horticulturalist with experience of gardening at a professional level.
• Higher education qualification in horticulture, minimum ND, preferably HND or Degree and a minimum of 5 years horticultural experience.
• A team player who can supervise staff to high horticultural standards.
• Flexible to ensure that horticultural operations cover is provided at all times.
• Good communication and customer care skills to interface effectively with staff, volunteers, visitors, internal and external suppliers and contacts.
• Good written and verbal skills for public presentations, influencing and negotiating
• Act as an ambassador for the Gardens in all horticultural matters, attending professional conferences and working with the media.
• IT skills including the production of signage, visitor interpretation and the use of a Plant Records Data Management System (BG Base)
• Knowledge of Health & Safety and Compliance requirements relevant to horticulture
• Ability to manage budgets and small projects
• Experience with operating garden machinery, in particular mowers, strimmers, hedge cutters and compact tractors.
• A clean driving license valid in the UK.
• PA1 and PA6 spraying certificates.
• Confidence in carrying out a wide and varied number of gardening tasks.
• Able to work on own initiative and make decisions.
• Attention to detail
• Excellent and varied plant knowledge.
• A passion for or specific knowledge of Alpine plants is essential.
• A passion for or specific knowledge of the cultivation of Cyclamen is essential (Holder of National Collection of Cyclamen species)
• A passion for or specific knowledge of Bonsai is desirable.

Remuneration and Benefits

• £21,000 to £24,000 per annum (dependent on experience)
• A maximum of 28 days holiday as a reward for service
• Work based pension scheme.
• Support for training including paid day release
• Income protection due to illness
• 20% off in our retail outlet
• 10% off in our catering outlet
• Free annual Garden membership which will allow you free entrance into Birmingham Botanical Gardens and free or discounted entry to the following gardens:
• RBG Kew, Westonbirt Arboretum, The Living Rainforest, Wakehurst Place, Bedgebury National Pinetum, Ness Botanic Garden, Garden Organic, University of Oxford Botanic Garden, Bodenham Arboretum, National Botanic Garden of Wales and Sir Harold Hillier Gardens.

 

To apply: Closing Date 27/08/18  Interviews at B.B.G 03/09/18 to 05/09/18

To apply for the position please send a copy of your CV and a covering letter stating why you would be suitable for this post to:

 

James Wheeler, Chief Executive
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Westbourne Road
Edgbaston

Birmingham B15 3TR

james@birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk

It is home to colourful tropical butterflies from the Philippines, Central America and tropical parts of Africa.

Each week 100 new pupae are placed in the emerging case- we attach them to bamboo canes with glue! Some of the pupae may hatch on the same day, whilst others take a week or so- if you are lucky you may see one hatch! On sunny days, the butterflies will fly around you and may even land on you to say hello. On cloudy days they prefer to rest in the foliage and are camouflaged as ‘dead leaves’.

How many will you spot today? Watch these butterflies drinking from exotic, scented, nectar rich plants such as Lantana, Bougainvillea and Heliotrope. See them feeding on sugar-water feeders and saucers of fermenting fruit such as banana, apple and oranges.

The Butterfly House is located at the far left corner of the gardens, just past the Grass Garden and is open every day from late May to early September.

From late September to early May, we change this glasshouse to an overwintering glasshouse. This is where, during the winter, we keep our cacti which are planted outside on the Terrace for the summer.

This month, in the glorious sunshine, the outdoor team have been making hay from cuttings of the long grass, where all the daffodils were frolicking earlier in the year. Enough time has now passed for the daffodil foliage to die down and absorb as much energy as possible for next year’s flowers, meaning we could cut down the grass with strimmers.

 

The team have also been busy making sure that all of the newly planted, tender perennials and bedding plants have been kept well-watered in the hot, dry spells that we have been experiencing. On the other hand, it has been perfect growing weather for our sub-tropical plants.

 

Moreover, as mentioned in the last blog, the Trails Garden has now been transformed with cannas and salvias, which will continue to bloom until the first frosts. Dahlias have also been planted along the length of the Loudon terrace and will keep on flowering until we have to remove them to plant the winter bedding plants. The Gardens are really coming alive with new plants and colours!

 

Over the next few weeks the gardeners will start the endless task of hedge cutting, and there are a lot of hedges around the gardens to trim! This task normally takes a huge amount time and will continue into late autumn and early winter.

 

In addition, you’ll be pleased to know that all the pruning and feeding has paid off in the Rose Garden, which has looked fabulous this year. Regular deadheading from now on will hopefully encourage them to produce a second flush of flowers over the next few months. The team have also tried planting a couple of different salvias cultivars within the Rose Garden as a trial to see if it will reduce pests and diseases in the area, as well as extending their season. We will let you know how we get on.

 

The indoor team will be busy this month keeping the glasshouses tidy and the Butterfly House in tip-top condition in time for the summer holidays. In fact, the Butterfly House really hits its peak in July, now that the butterfly bush (buddleja) is in flower. Their honey scented flowers are full of nectar, and butterflies just absolutely love it!

 

Lastly, the propagation of indoor plants from seeds and cuttings will continue in the nursery throughout the summer, helping to stock the glasshouses with new plants for next year.

 

As I write this blog, the team are busy planting out all of the summer bedding plants around the grounds. We have also enlisted the help of BMET college students, who have been clearing and preparing the bedding around the bandstand, as well as the length of the terrace in front of the glasshouses, all of which is due to be planted full of bedding plants over the next couple of weeks. The Dahlias are once again going to be making an appearance on the Loudon terrace too, back by popular demand.

We also have some exciting news about the trials garden; it will be undergoing a big transformation! We will be planting an array of sub-tropical plants, as well as a number of different Salvias, which will go on looking good until the first frosts are forecast. To keep these superb plants growing strong, we will apply generous amounts of fish blood and bone to the soil. For good measure, we will also be adding and incorporating fertiliser to the bottom of each planting hole.

As you can tell, there is a lot for us to be getting on with but, luckily, we have already planted out the cacti and succulents for the summer, much to the team’s relief. Not only are they very spiky, some of the bigger specimens are also incredibly heavy.

The newly planted herbaceous border is now in full swing and will be well worth a visit. The new plants will continue to grow and change, providing you with something new to see from week-to-week. Lastly, we will also be providing supports for some of our taller specimen, while continual weeding, all of which will be keeping the team busy over the next few months.

During June, the indoor team will also be busy looking after our Tropical butterflies in the Butterfly House. Every week, 100 pupae will be placed in the house to keep it full of butterflies – many species only live for a few weeks. The Butterfly House is now open daily until Sunday 2^nd September.

Also, during June, the indoor team will be propagating new plants in our plant nursery for use in the display glasshouses. Seeds will be sown and cuttings will be taken from many rare and unusual plants, many kindly given to us from various botanical gardens via index seminum, or ‘seed lists’. This helps us to replace or reinvigorate old plants and to consistently better our plant collection with new plants, which is already the most diverse in the Midlands.

Bob Flowerdew is an incredible man with an incredible past and we are thrilled to have him as guest speaker at The Botanic Secret Garden Ball, in association with Bloodwise. Having previously been a chicken giblet washer (soon advanced to frozen chicken packer), installation engineer, demolition engineer, council care-home cleaner, dog impersonator and glass fibre laminator, Bob has done a heck of a lot and, along with his enthusiasm for horticulture, this is what makes him a thrilling and inspiring speaker, not to be missed.

Bob cites gardening, scented plants and good food has his passions. Born a farmer’s son, he has always loved the natural world and would rather be outside – if not in a library – than anywhere else. He first started lecturing on organic and other gardening subjects to various groups and, although he professed, and practised, organic methods, he did not wish to be uninformed so he studied conventional methodology, passing theoretical and practical examinations in pesticide use at Otley Agricultural College. He now grows every fruit, vegetable and scented plant possible, for his family’s consumption, to the highest Organic Standards.

 

In addition, Bob is a prolific writer and has made regular appearances on national television and radio throughout his career, including previously presenting for BBC 2’s Gardeners’ World as their organic fruit and vegetable expert under Geoff Hamilton.

 

Twenty years ago, Bob joined BBC Radio 4’s prestigious ‘Gardeners’ Question Time‘ panel, where he still concentrates on fruits, vegetables, organic methods and scented plants. He also writes for journals at home and abroad, particularly Amateur Gardening, Kitchen Garden Magazine and BBC Gardeners World Magazine.

 

You may not know this, but as well as BBC recordings, horticultural talks, prize givings and after dinner engagements, Bob regularly performs his own one man theatre show of hard core horticultural anecdote, comedy and home spun verse – which makes us even more excited to see what he has in store for us on 11th May.

 

When asked about speaking at the first Botanic Secret Garden Ball, Bob said, ‘I’m pleased and honoured to be the first speaker at such a prestigious and worthy event at one of the countries best botanical gardens’. His talk will,‘light heartedly pour scorn on gardeners’ and horticultures ‘accepted advice’, suggesting much of it is not actually wrong, but has become inappropriate. Experts should be listened to but seldom followed’. On top of this, Bob will also help you with your own gardening woes, answering any questions and offering advice, helping ensure your produce is the best it can be.

 

We only have a few tables remaining, so do get in touch if you would like to book tickets. You can contact either admin@birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk or 0121 454 1860. Alternatively, you can pay on the event page – The Botanic Secret Garden Ball.

 

‘Pricking out’ your seedlings is a term that means transplanting them. The reason you have to do this is to help your plant move on from ‘seed’ stage to ‘growing on’ stage, where it will require a bigger pot or cell. If you were to leave your seeds, they would eventually die as the roots have nowhere to go and they’d become too big for the cell.

 

Wayne Williams, head of internal areas at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, guides you through the best way to do this process in our videos below, and also gives some valuable background information as to why this process is so important this National Gardening Week.

 

 

 

Prick Out Your Seedlings Tips

• Make sure you have got some cells or pots full of multi purpose compost and control release fertiliser (3g per litre of compost), ready for your seedlings to go straight into

 

• Next, use a sharpened piece of green cane as a dibber to transplant the seedlings, this allows you to be a bit more careful and gentle with the plants

 

• The first pair of leaves are known as the seed leaves. Once they start to grow their second pair of leaves (true leaves) they are ready to be ‘pricked out’. If they are too big, this should have been done earlier

 

• When pricking out, never handle the seeds by the steam, you could break it. Make sure you hold them by the leaf instead. If a leaf is damaged it can grow a new one, but a seedling can’t grow a new stem

 

• Never pull a seedling with your hand. Use the dibber right next to the steam, towards the base, and let it do all the levering

 

• Now, make a hole in the centre of the cell and bury a good part of the stem. The buried stem will produce new roots along it. Bury the plant too shallow and it will fall over and you will get a swan neck effect

 

• Very gently water the seeds, being careful not to be too vigorous as this will wash them away

 

• Lastly, label up your plant with a pencil, as this will never rub off or fade, then place them in your greenhouse to happily grow away

Previous Episodes

• How to Care for Your Lawn
• How to Plant Plug Plants
• How to Sow Small Seeds