Public Horticulture Intern

Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence and nondiscrimination in its educational program and employment practices and encourages candidates who will further advance the goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive community. As one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning, Swarthmore College is global in outlook and draws students from around the nation and world. The 425‐acre campus is a designated arboretum, complete with gardens, rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails in the Crum Woods.

Who We Are:

The Scott Arboretum and Gardens is a unique garden of ideas and suggestions, encouraging horticulture in its broadest sense through displays on the 400-plus acre campus of Swarthmore College. The Arboretum is a living memorial to Arthur Hoyt Scott, Swarthmore, Class of 1895, and was established in 1929. We strive to offer some of the region’s most intimate, authentic, and accessible horticultural experiences.

The Scott Arboretum and Gardens’ mission is to delight, educate, and inspire visitors to enjoy the many benefits of horticulture, regardless of their resources or expertise. Our “garden of ideas” features plant varieties that thrive in this region, encouraging wise stewardship as well as the cultivation of plants to sustain the body, enchant the eye, and soothe the spirit.

The Arboretum has been accredited as a Level III Arboretum by ArbNet. The collection houses over 4,000 types of ornamental plants across 14 plant collections, over 20 formal garden spaces, and a 200-acre maintained woodland. Three of the collections, Ilex (hollies), Quercus (oaks), and Magnolia are nationally accredited, and the Arboretum is recognized as an American Conifer Society Reference Garden.

Garden spaces are maintained by a staff of 18 full-time horticultural professionals with the assistance of volunteers. For more information, visit scottarboretum.org.

The opportunity:

The Scott Arboretum & Gardens Public Horticulture Internship offers a unique opportunity for individuals pursuing a career in public horticulture with a variety of aspects of public horticulture built into the position. The intern will have opportunities to meet and work with a variety of professionals in the Philadelphia region, an area rich in public gardens. Work activities to include working with gardening staff and volunteers (three mornings/week); special project development and area garden work; participates in summer intern field trips and educational programming at the Scott Arboretum & Gardens. Travel and professional development support of $6,000 for conferences, travel, and programs based on proposal approvals.

The Public Horticulture Internship is a one-year, limited-term appointment typically starting in May.

Essential Responsibilities

• Assists in maintaining the plant collections by performing timely planting, weeding, mulching, pruning, fertilizing, irrigating, leaf raking, and other plant cultural practices in order to maintain campus aesthetics and provide proper horticultural care. Assists in design modifications as needed to the Arboretum’s landscape and gardens. Assists in plant records and plant curation as needed.
• Assists in maintaining specialty garden areas consisting of Glade Garden, Harry Wood Garden, Nason Garden, Pinetum, Pollinators Garden, Singer Hall landscape, Winter Garden, magnolia and holly collections, green roofs, various courtyard gardens and major horticultural collections as the most intensively-maintained gardens on campus.
• Assists in maintaining a broad range of trees, shrubs, vines, herbaceous perennials, annuals, and turf grass;
• Cares for plants in the nursery and glasshouses.
• Assists with greenhouse and nursery operations by propagating, irrigating, fertilizing, and spraying plants as needed.
• Assists with special function set-up and tear-down in order to prepare the facilities in a timely manner for College- and Arboretum-hosted events.
• Writes Plant the week articles for the Scott Arboretum & Garden's blog, Garden Seeds.
• Develop and lead a video segment of Gardener's Almanac for Scott Arboretum & Garden's YouTube channel.
• Prepares weekly flower arrangements cue cards.
• Support educational programming for adult and youth audiences, including excursions, workshops, tours, and field trips.
• Assist with set up, take down, and activities during special events, such as the Rose Celebration and the Woody Plant Conference.
• Assist with the development and updating of interpretive materials.
• Safely and proficiently uses all hand gardening tools consisting of: pruners, shovels, rakes, loppers, hedge shears, and other gardening tools.
• With proper training becomes proficient at performing the daily maintenance of all grounds hand and power tools and equipment.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• With guidance, co-supervises student garden assistants.

Who you are:

• Builds successful working relationships with coworkers and supervisors. Projects a positive image of the grounds department and of Swarthmore College. Communicates readily and works effectively as a member of a team.
• Works successfully with coworkers, interns, students, and Arboretum volunteers in order to efficiently and effectively accomplish the workload of the department.
• Adapts to new work situations, people, ideas, procedures, and organizational structures, in order to be successful in a constantly changing work environment.
• Exhibits maturity, reliability, composure, and stability under pressure in order to handle on the-job stresses and challenges.
• Understands and abides by a high standard of professional ethics in order to ensure the integrity of the organization.
• Works successfully with a diverse department and upholds the College’s commitment to equal opportunity.

What you bring:

Required Qualifications

• Strong interest in a career in public gardens, horticulture, and related fields.
• A demonstrated beginning knowledge of ornamental plants and turf including: plant identification, cultural requirements, care and maintenance, proper pruning techniques and IPM practices.
• Ability to frequently lift objects weighing up to 50 pounds and possess the physical strength to perform groundskeeping/gardening operations.
• Hand, arm, and back strength to shovel, prune, and rake for extended periods of time. Ability to manipulate vibrating, hand-held power machinery for extended times.
• Ability to perform kneeling, bending, squatting motions for extended times. Ability to work from a ladder doing pruning and other plant care. Visual ability to do detailed pruning.
• Ability to read and interpret pesticide labels, machinery safety manuals, and new information related to horticultural practices. Ability to maintain written maintenance records and keep a journal of daily work.
• Ability to work under adverse weather conditions and perform emergency storm-related damage services is required. Ability to work occasional scheduled weekends.
• Physical dexterity to perform the job and ability to work outside.
• High level of productivity; work pace is frequently fast-paced.
• Ability to work with diverse crew, faculty, staff, and volunteers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Completed a degree in horticulture, green industry, or related field.
• Experience working in horticulture or green industry.

What You Will Get:

You’ll work at one of the world's most renowned liberal arts Colleges, with incredible benefits, a stunning 420-acre campus, and a collaborative work environment. Join a team of passionate, creative people who work hard and have fun supporting the College students, faculty, and staff.

We want to hear from you if you are excited about this role! For full consideration, submit applications with an uploaded resume, including a cover letter, by January 30, 2026. Applications received after this date may be reviewed on a rolling basis until the job has been filled. A cover letter indicating how your qualifications and experience have prepared you for this position. If you have experience that meets any of the preferred qualifications, please include a detailed explanation of any such experience in your cover letter and how it meets the preferred qualification(s).

The market range for this position is $20.00-$23.00 per hour, which represents the College’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range at the time of posting. The salary offered is determined based on factors including, but not limited to, experience and education of the final selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information.

PA Criminal Clearance Required

Swarthmore College requires a PA Criminal background check for all staff positions prior to the start of employment.

Preview our Benefits Flyer. We offer benefit plans starting at zero cost! Upon benefit eligibility, the College contributes 10% of an employee’s salary to their retirement account. Employees are 100% vested in their accounts on the date participation begins.

2026 Swarthmore Benefits Guidebook

Retirement Plans

Tuition Grant Program

Tuition Reimbursement Program

Paid Time Off (Staff)

Holiday Schedule

Swarthmore College is committed to creating a culture of respect and inclusion so that every member of our community feels a sense of belonging. We actively seek and welcome candidates with diverse perspectives and experiences, exceptional qualifications, and a demonstrable commitment to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on any identity or characteristic protected by law or College Policy.