Job Description

Teamster priority period runs from 3/5/2025 to 3/12/2025

Assistant Gardener (Core Gardens and Collections Team)
9 months: February to October 

Overview:

This assistant gardener position is responsible for assisting gardeners, senior gardeners, and horticulturists in the holistic care of the Arboretumâ™s Core Gardens and Collections areas including, but not limited to, the Perennial Garden, Japanese Garden, Chinese Garden, Home Demonstration garden, herb gardens, rose gardens, tree and shrub collections, and other key areas. Assistant gardeners perform landscape maintenance and horticultural care tasks such as planting, pruning, weeding, watering, mulching, and mowing operations; invasive plant and weed management including mechanical, chemical, and other control methods; plant health care including pest and disease scouting, monitoring, and treatments; garden space renovation including assisting with bed preparation, planting, and establishment of new plant material, and garden layout; and the safe operation and maintenance of equipment. This position is also part of the Arboretumâ™s snow management operations, requiring work outside of regularly scheduled hours including occasional early morning, evening, and weekend operations. Assistant gardeners may instruct, direct, and oversee work of student workers, interns, and volunteers in assigned tasks and the safe usage of tools and equipment. This position may also provide support to other teams outside of the Core Gardens and Collections areas depending on departmental priorities, including but not limited to greenhouse work, seasonal displays, landscape and arboricultural operations, natural lands management, and special group projects. In addition, this position may assist with education and outreach activities, special events (e.g. Plant Sale, Spring Flower Show, etc.) and other institutional programs. This position is considered an essential employee responsible for maintaining essential operations, responding to weather events, and other landscape operations during weather related emergencies and other University closures.

Schedule:

This is a full-time, 9-month position beginning February 1st and ending October 31st. Hours are 7am-3:30pm, either Sunday to Thursday, Monday to Friday, or Tuesday-Saturday.

Essential Functions:

Horticultural Care 75%
● Weed, mulch, and chip brush in assigned areas
● Mow, string trim, and clean up leaves in assigned areas
● Maintain and properly and safely use equipment 

Planting and Plant Health: 15%
● Plant, prune, and provide care for trees, shrubs, and perennial and annual plant collections
● Safely apply pesticides and soil amendments and assist with associated records

Additional Operational Support: 10%
● Oversee work of volunteers and student workers
● Perform snow removal operations, including hand shoveling and equipment operation
● Serve as an essential employee for weather-related response and other University closures

Required Qualifications:

● High school diploma or equivalent and one year of related training or experience in horticultural care of formal display gardens and curated woody plant collections, including trees and shrubs.
● Must have and maintain a valid MN driverâ™s license.
● May be required to possess and maintain a Minnesota Noncommercial Pesticide Applicatorâ™s license.
● Required to work in all weather conditions in all seasons and may require evening and weekend work as need
● Must be able to perform manual labor including frequent lifting/carrying/transporting loads up to 50 lbs.

Preferred Qualifications:

● Associate or bachelor's degree in horticulture or related field.
● Experience working in a public garden
● Ability to operate equipment related to grounds management functions, including front-end loaders, tractors, and pickup truck mounted snow plows, leaf blowers, riding and push mowers, string trimmers, salt/sand spreaders, snow blowers, and dump trucks.

About University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

Connections working at University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Job Tags

Full time, Seasonal work, Weekend work, Sunday, Saturday, Afternoon shift, Early shift, Monday to Friday,

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