Senior Horticulturist; Formal Gardens

Job Description

The Atlanta History Center is currently seeking a collaborative Senior Horticulturist; Formal Gardens with a strong work ethic and enthusiasm to join the highly dedicated and motivated Goizueta Gardens team.

The Horticulturist in this position is responsible for cultivating and maintaining two prestigious formal gardens of the Atlanta History Center: Swan House Gardens and Olguita’s Garden. This position supervises the Associate Horticulturist II, Formal Gardens.

The primary responsibility of this position is the maintenance of Olguita’s Garden, which is predominantly designed in the English style and is dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Olga C. de Goizueta. This garden is to be maintained in pristine condition year-round by replacing seasonal plants that are either grown or sourced particularly for this garden. This will ensure that flowers and fragrances complement the garden’s themes throughout the year.

The second formal garden is the Italianate 1928 Swan House Gardens, an estate from the Country Place Era created by the well-known classicist Philip Trammel Shutze. Encircling Swan House, this prominent garden is widely used for special events and private rentals all year long.

This position is scheduled to work Thursday through Monday, with flexibility during the off-season due to the popularity of events and tourists in these gardens on the weekends.

About Us

The Atlanta Historical Society was founded in 1926 to preserve and study Atlanta history.

In 1990, after decades of collecting, researching, and publishing information about Atlanta and the surrounding area, the organization officially became Atlanta History Center.

What began as a small, archival-focused historical society grew over the decades to encompass 33 acres of curated Goizueta Gardens, four historic houses, varied programming, and a range of signature and temporary exhibitions housed in the Atlanta History Museum .

Atlanta History Center is a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, which is the only global network of historic sites, museums and memory initiatives that connects past struggles to today’s movements for human rights.

Duties & Responsibilities

Horticultural

• Supervise Associate Horticulturist II, Formal Gardens, provide mentoring, training, and worklists to cultivate and maintain Olguita’s Garden and Swan House Gardens
• Work as part of the Horticulture team on significant installation projects across campus
• Learn all plants in assigned area, their names and specific cultural needs
• Familiarize yourself with the Country Place Era, Italian, English and French garden styles, and be prepared to speak about it to guests
• Assist with team efforts in our Integrated Pest Management program. This includes scouting for pests and diseases, identification, understanding life cycles, recommending and applying the most ecologically sensitive control option
• Practice proper tool usage and use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensure that volunteers and interns also use proper safety techniques
• Provide ideal soil and environmental conditions utilizing sustainable practices such as brewing and applying compost tea, organic amendments, mulching with appropriate materials, removal of leaf build-up, and soil testing
• Provide all necessary horticultural care of established and new plantings, including watering, weeding, mulching, dividing, cutting back, soil improvement practices, pruning, regular leaf blowing and other gardening tasks; specific jobs to each area include:

Olguita’s Garden

• Maintain and curate permanent collections of trees, shrubs and perennials; accentuate and balance these with seasonal plantings for year-round flowering.
• Present recommendations for seasonal planting plans with images and quantities
• Manage plant orders and deliveries
• Lead seasonal change-outs
• Propagate and care for annuals, biennials, and tropical in the greenhouse
• Prune formal hedges and train espalier pears

Swan House

• Preserve historic landscape plantings with protective measures as needed
• Monitor boxwood health, follow methods of best practice regarding boxwood blight
• Assist with lawn protection and repairs from event use
• Make recommendations towards renovations for potential removal of historic but invasive species with native or exotic non-invasive species that follow the design aesthetic and historic period
• Collaborate with Senior Horticulturist for Swan Woods to maintain adjoining areas

Events

• Lead the monthly Gardens & Events meeting, set agenda, and communicate closely to ensure daily guests and private client needs are balanced with gardens work.
• Manage bi-weekly communication of Gardens maintenance with outside contractor, keeping in mind weather, events schedule, school groups, and other potential conflicts.
• Detail gardens, paths and fountains before events and ensure restoration afterwards; alert Events Team to damages and follow up on in-house or contracted repairs

General Responsibilities

• Assist with repairs and troubleshooting to operational systems—wells, fountains, irrigation—and aid with equipment or other repairs as needed.
• Take a weekly rotation managing the Campus Checklist
• Collaborate on inventories and ensure all plants have access and display labels
• Keep records of any approved changes to plant material (plantings, removals, relocations, pruning, dead plants, etc.) and deliver to the Plant Records Manager
• Study the history and significance of the signature gardens and living collections within Goizueta Gardens; lead tours and participate in public programs.
• Become familiar with all other AHC offerings beyond Goizueta Gardens, including historic houses, Kenan Research Center, Museum exhibits, public programs, and Midtown.
• Assist in care of animals at Smith Farm
• Work and communicate in a manner that promotes and fosters a culture of teamwork, cooperation, flexibility, and tact within our division and throughout the AHC, with co-workers, management, rental clients, donors, volunteers, visitors, and employees.
• Assist with other duties as assigned

Education and Experience

Education & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture or related field from an accredited college or university or demonstrable equivalent in training and experience

Experience

• Minimum 5 years hands-on professional experience; Public Garden experience preferred

Skills & Competencies

• Demonstrated effective communication skills, including speaking and writing
• Must demonstrate a history of working independently and in a group setting

Technological Proficiency

• Working knowledge of Iris-BG a plus, or willingness to learn
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel; Google Docs, Slides and Sheets

Physical

• Must be able to sustain moderate physical exertion with full range of body motion for lifting up to fifty pounds

Other

• Valid driver’s license
• Fluency in English

Schedule

• Work a schedule of Thursday through Monday schedule, with flexibility during events off season.

Additional Information

Background Check

• Satisfactory criminal background check required.
• Satisfactory MVR background check required to drive company truck.

At the Atlanta History Center, we value your hard work and commitment. Here’s what we offer to ensure you feel appreciated and supported.

Work-Life Balance: Full annual paid time off benefits awarded following 60 days of employment in addition to eleven paid administrative holidays; bereavement leave; parental leave; time off to vote; and court leave.

Health & Wellbeing: Medical + Medical Expense Reimbursement Plan, Dental, Vision, Employer-Paid Life Insurance (1x salary), Employer-Paid Long-Term Disability, Voluntary Life Insurance, and Supplemental AFLAC policies.

Financial Security: Traditional 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan (pre-tax contributions), Roth 403(b) Retirement   Savings Plan (after-tax contributions), Employer Non-Elective Contribution   following two consecutive years of service requirements (100% vested)

Community: Free family membership, AHC event/program discounts, including summer camps, and a 10% Museum Shop discount.

Application Instructions

Apply online at https://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/about-us/careers-at-atlanta-history-center/