Head Gardener

Historic South Georgia Plantation | Thomasville / Albany Area

A distinguished historic plantation property in South Georgia is seeking an exceptional, hands-on Head Gardener to lead the care, maintenance, and ongoing enhancement of its traditional gardens and ornamental grounds. This is a rare opportunity to steward a beautiful estate setting while living on-property.

Role Overview

• Day-to-day management of the estate’s traditional gardens, beds, borders, ornamental plantings, shrubs, lawns, hedges, and pathways.
• Maintain flowers and plants to a high standard through planting, pruning, deadheading, mulching, staking, dividing, and seasonal replanting.
• Monitor plant health and oversee fertilization, soil management, irrigation checks, and treatment of pests or disease.

Experience & Qualifications

• Formal horticultural training: Certification or strong equivalent professional experience.
• Proven knowledge: Horticulture, plant identification, fertilization, pruning, and traditional garden maintenance.
• Experience: On a private estate, historic property, large garden, or similarly high-standard landscape preferred.
• Professional attributes: Discreet, organized, physically capable, and able to maintain excellent presentation standards.

Ideal Candidate

• Dependability: A dependable gardening professional with pride in maintaining a traditional estate garden to the highest standards.
• Practical knowledge: Strong practical knowledge of flowers, shrubs, specimen plantings, lawns, and ornamental borders.
• Confidence: Confident with fertilizers, soil amendments, plant nutrition, and safe use of garden tools and equipment.
• Independence: Able to work independently while coordinating effectively with ownership or estate management on priorities and improvements.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: Competitive, commensurate with experience and qualifications.
• Housing: Included: 2+ bedroom cottage on the estate.
• Couples: Considered; however, one individual must clearly serve as the Head Gardener and possess the required horticultural qualifications and experience.
• Opportunity: Outstanding long-term opportunity.

Qualified candidates should submit a resume and brief cover letter outlining relevant horticultural training and estate or garden experience.