We’re Morden College: an almshouse charity with a proud 330-year history and a big vision for the future. We provide homes, care, and support for over 250 older people across two lovely sites in Blackheath and Beckenham, helping our residents lead independent, connected, and fulfilling lives.

We're entering an exciting new phase, with a fresh strategy focused on excellent housing, high quality services, and thriving communities.  

Job Summary/Purpose:

Assisting the Gardens Manager in ensuring that Morden College gardens and grounds at Blackheath and at Beckenham are maintained as safe and appealing external spaces and to promote resident wellbeing by supporting hands on gardening activities.

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

• Mowing, using all types of mowers, including ride-on mowers.
• Edging, trimming and maintaining lawns.
• Scarifying and spiking of lawns.
• Maintenance of fine turf areas including sports areas (including hammers and putting).
• Application of lawn fertilisers, use of hosepipes and sprinklers, watering of pots and urns.
• Planting and maintaining seasonal bedding, planting and maintaining shrubs and trees, pruning of fruit trees and shrubs, propagation of hard wood cuttings and potting up.
• Rose pruning and application of rose fertilisers, removing epicormic shoots from trees.
• Leaf clearing, using leaf blowers or rakes/brooms, make and apply compost.
• Application of rock salt or other specified materials and clearing snow and ice from pathways and roadways.
• The mixing and application of chemical sprays.
• Hedge trimming using both manual and power assisted equipment, single/double digging of areas both manually and using a rotavator.
• Carrying out soft landscaping.
• Carrying out basic brick edging, laying of slabs and timber and metal edging.
• Labelling and sign writing.
• Cleaning and maintaining horticultural machinery and hand tools, tidying up Grounds Department sheds, storage and compost areas, loading and unloading of skips, containers or other delivery vehicles, maintaining garden furniture and garden features, including, cleaning and the application of preservatives.

Skills, Qualifications and Experience

• C&G Stage 2 Amenity Horticulture

or

• RHS Certificate Horticulture Level 2 Practical and Theory

or

• NVQ Level 3 Amenity Horticulture
• A minimum of 3 years practical experience in horticulture
• Chain saw certificate
• Mixing and use of chemicals certificate
• Spraying certificate
• H&S certificate
• Horticulture
• Grounds maintenance
• Use of Machinery
• Soft landscaping
• Garden Planning
• Forward Planning skills