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Gardener
Employer
Horatios Garden
Location
Stoke Mandeville, Aylesbury
Salary
£31,500 (rising to £33,600 on completion of successful probation)
Hours
Full Time
Place Of Work
Onsite
Closing date
16 July 2026
View more categories
Contract Type
Permanent
Function
Gardening Jobs, Horticulture
Sector
Charity & Voluntary
Seniority
Graduate & Entry-level
Job Description
Gardener - Horatio’s Garden, Stoke Mandeville
Salary:
£31,500 (increasing to £33,600 on completion of successful probation)
Location:
The National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury
Contract type/ hours:
Permanent, full time
Closing date:
16 July 2026
Purpose
We’re looking for a talented, enthusiastic Gardener for a prestigious role in our garden at Stoke Mandeville at the National Spinal Injuries Centre.
Horatio’s Garden is a nationwide charity improving the lives of people with spinal injuries by creating and expertly staffing beautiful gardens.
The Gardener will be responsible for nurturing and developing one of the region’s most exciting and ambitious hospital gardens. This isn’t just a maintenance role — it’s your chance to play a major part in a garden that changes lives by providing a sanctuary for patients, visitors, and staff alike.
The fully accessible garden has been beautifully designed by Joe Swift and includes a water feature and large garden room to give patients a warm sheltered place to enjoy the garden in all weather. There is an area of raised beds and a greenhouse where you will lead garden therapy sessions for patients, and a dedicated office space.
You will be joining a friendly and talented team of expert gardeners across our other gardens around the country. In the Stoke Mandeville garden you will work with a full time Patient Experience Manager, a part-time Garden Coordinator and a team of volunteers to nurture the beautiful space for people with spinal injuries and their visitors.
You will need to be adaptable and friendly, and confident working with a wide range of people including people with spinal injuries and their families, NHS staff, volunteers and many different teams within the charity.
This role is a fantastic opportunity for a confident, experienced gardener with an interest in gardens and wellbeing, and a passion for people as well as plants. If you think you would thrive with us, we want to hear from you.
Team Structure
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Horticulture
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Maintain high horticultural standards at all times to keep the garden looking its best all year round
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Work to the garden maintenance plan, agreed with the designer, to develop and implement seasonal growing plans to ensure year round colour
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Organise and implement a regular programme of propagation to ensure successional planting and provide a regular supply of plants available for sale
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Monitor and manage pests and disease, and ensure any treatment required is implemented in a timely fashion
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Ensure all gardening is undertaken in accordance with our sustainability guidelines and ecological best practice
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Maintain high standards within the greenhouse to keep it clean and tidy at all times, full of interest and an inviting space for patients to engage in garden therapy sessions
People with spinal injuries
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Develop relationships with patients and families to ensure the best experience for them in the garden at every stage of their stay
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Run a varied programme of therapeutic gardening sessions for people with spinal injuries
Volunteers
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Manage the team of garden volunteers to ensure the smooth running of the garden
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Recruit and train new volunteers
Maintenance
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Ensure the timely maintenance of all buildings, fixtures and fittings in the garden, including regular servicing and repairs
Administrative
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Ensure all administrative tasks associated with the role are completed and maintained, with assistance from the Garden Coordinator
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Assist with ensuring the garden room is kept clean and tidy at all times
Health & Safety
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Maintain all tools and equipment in safe working order
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Ensure all work in the garden is completed in a safe manner
Safeguarding
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Comply with all safeguarding policies and report any concerns to the Safeguarding Lead immediately
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This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check
It should be noted that the list above is intended to give an overall view of the position and should be taken as guidance only.
Person Specification
Key Criteria
Essential
Desirable
Knowledge And Skills
Solid practical experience as a gardener
Experience of garden management
RHS Level 2 or equivalent Diploma in Principles and Practices of Horticulture
RHS Level 3 or equivalent
Excellent plant knowledge
Excellent knowledge and experience of plant propagation
Knowledge and understanding of pest and disease and systems of management control
Experience of delivering Social and Therapeutic Horticulture sessions
Interest in, and understanding of, sustainable and ecological best practice in gardens
Experience of working with and managing volunteers
Experience of recruiting and training volunteers
Confident working with and supervising contractors
Experience of building maintenance
Very good IT skills, specifically proficient with Microsoft Office 365: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint
Experience of using SharePoint
Knowledge of using social media to promote activities and events
Interest in the wellbeing benefits of gardens
Experience of working with the NHS or in a health care setting
Voluntary sector experience
Qualities
Professional and approachable
Excellent communication skills with the ability to foster positive working relationships
Confidence and ability to lead garden tours and talks
Proactive, can-do attitude
Empathetic and kind
Calm under pressure
Flexible and able to prioritise and adapt to the changing needs of each working day
Self-motivated and capable of working with the minimum of direction but understanding the limits of your knowledge and able to seek advice when required
Able to meet the physical demands of the role
As a charity we are committed to creating and promoting a culture that protects and preserves the welfare of the vulnerable people in our care. Our safer recruitment practices support this by ensuring that there is a consistent and thorough process of obtaining and evaluating information from and about candidates including criminal record checks, to ensure that all persons appointed are suitable to work for our charity.
Application
Please write a one page covering letter, explaining why you would be suited to this role and send this along with your CV to kath.moss@horatiosgarden.org.uk
We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all sectors of society.
NOTE: DBS, medical and reference checks will be conducted as part of the recruitment process.
Additional support document Gardener
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Stoke Mandeville Gardener.pdf