Become a Placement Garden

If you are interested in becoming a placement garden, please read the documents for prospective placement gardens here. If you meet the relevant criteria, please download the Expression of Interest form and return it to [email protected]

It isn’t just our trainees who benefit from the HBGTP. Placement gardens benefit too, by taking on enthusiastic people who are committed to a future in horticulture. Representatives from placement gardens participate in the interview process to select the trainees they feel are best matched to their needs. In this way, the HBGTP aims to play its part in securing the future of significant British gardens, by strengthening their teams and sharing knowledge.

To participate in the programme, placement gardens must demonstrate a genuine interest in mentoring a trainee gardener and promoting the transfer of skills and best practice. The garden team must consist of no less than three full time equivalent members of staff.

The HBGTP may contribute a bursary payment to eligible placement gardens to support the cost of a trainee salary.

You can see a list of our current and past placement gardens on our placements page.

What our trainee supervisors say

“Having a trainee always helps us to consider our horticultural practices against current good practice to ensure we are adopting them appropriately. The process also helps the team to understand the standards they are working to and supports them in articulating them. This helps to develop our professionalism.”

Mick Brown, Horticultural Technician, Chatsworth

“It actually benefits a team having someone to lead and teach around. It brings them alive. Keep everyone fresh, and allows them to challenge their own ideas, thoughts and skills.”

Philip Kay, Head Gardener, Ness Botanic Gardens

“[The presence of a trainee] provides a good opportunity for team members to think more about their own skills, practices and knowledge, and how these might be shared. It gives all team members a degree of management experience and accountability… It is not just a case of having an additional pair of hands on site…Our trainee was a real asset to the team, worth more than simply extra hours of work. All of the team benefit from the shared responsibility of nurturing new talent and demonstrating good practice.”

Brian Addison, Project Garden Supervisor, Walmer Castle

“[Our trainee] was a great help in terms of helping with horticultural work, but I think the greatest benefit was in terms of improved motivation amongst the team. It was also really good for the garden to be part of a well-known, nationally recognised training scheme.”

Beccy Middleton, Systematic and Display Supervisor, St Andrews Botanic Garden

Become a placement garden

Contact us to find out more about applying to become a placement garden.

Contact us