Landscape Horticulture Intern
Internship Summary
This internship is a great opportunity for someone who is considering working in the fields of sustainable horticulture, history, museum education, agriculture, or landscaping. The Landscape Horticulture Intern will gain hands-on experience with a variety of gardening styles and techniques used in the many historic gardens at Strawbery Banke Museum. The primary expectation of the Landscape Horticulture Intern is to aid in maintaining the gardens; provide daily educational programming for kids and families; and collect and dry flowers for decorating our historic houses for our wintertime event: Candlelight Stroll.
The Landscape Horticulture Intern will work independently and alongside staff and volunteers in all of our gardens. The intern will have the chance to learn directly from the Museum’s Manager of Landscape Horticulture, who will be the intern’s direct supervisor.
The intern will have the opportunity to learn:
- Applied sustainable gardening techniques (including: pruning, soil health management, hardscape maintenance, plant health care)
- Plant identification
- Garden education
- Heirloom garden/plant care
- Portsmouth history
- Nonprofit museum operations
More information about our historic gardens at SBM can be found at: https://www.strawberybanke.org/gardens
Duties and Responsibilities
- Plant Care and Maintenance: Participate in planting, watering, pruning, fertilizing, and maintaining plant beds, shrubs, trees, and lawns according to horticultural standards.
- Run drop-in education programs: Work from existing lesson plans and develop new lesson plans to provide an opportunity for children and their families to interact with our gardens.
- Mowing and weed whacking: Learn to properly handle and maintain horticultural tools and equipment, ensuring they are in good working condition.
- Develop and complete an individual or group project related to historic landscapes
- Irrigation Systems: Learn about irrigation system installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting to ensure efficient water usage and proper functioning of irrigation equipment.
- Documentation and Reporting: Maintain accurate records of plant inventory, gardening activities, and assist in preparing reports or presentations as required.
- Provide garden interpretation for visitors: Learn about our museum buildings, gardens, and landscape to better address visitor questions.
- Collect and dry flowers for Candlelight Stroll: Collect and dry flowers using various drying techniques including air drying, silica gel, and pressing to preserve flowers. Monitor humidity levels, temperature, and duration to ensure optimal drying without damage. Assess progress and implement corrective measures or adjustments to improve the drying process.
- Identify, develop, and complete a group or individual project: This would be determined based on the intern’s interest and the museum’s needs. This could include (but is not limited to): an inventory of plants in the garden, geotagging perennial plants, categorizing ecological benefits of various aspects of our landscape, etc.
Qualifications
- Candidates must be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student level student in horticulture, agriculture, or a related field and be in good standing at an academic institution in order to be eligible for this internship program.
- Prior gardening, landscaping, farming, or related field experience preferred.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Must be physically and mentally able to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodations.
Physical Requirements:
- The candidate must be physically fit. Work entails moving around the 10-acre site, for extended periods of time outdoors in all weather conditions. Must be able to bend, stoop, and kneel, and must be able to lift up to 50 lbs throughout the day.
Requirements of all Strawbery Banke Museum Staff:
SBM is committed to fostering a workplace that is truly equitable, inclusive, and accessible for a diverse group of staff, volunteers, and visitors. As such, it is an essential requirement that every SBM staff member:
- Exhibit a positive, collegial attitude and ability to work cooperatively with others at all levels of the organization including direct reports, colleagues, supervisor, volunteers, and visitors of all ages, abilities, and cultural backgrounds;
- Actively contribute to an organizational culture of empathy, dignity, trust, and respect. Each person at SBM agrees to proactively prevent and address issues such as unconscious bias, harassment, gender disparity, racial inequity, political divisiveness, and barriers to accessibility; and
- Foster inclusive and engaging interactions, accommodate safety and comfort needs and requests, and to provide the best visitor experience possible. Staff members equally share the responsibility of immediately addressing a deficiency, and/or, notifying the appropriate department or supervisor to address any situations.
Optional Housing
Optional on-site housing is provided in Hough House for interns who need housing.
Hough House is open to all interns regardless of sex or age. While the common areas in Hough are co-ed, the bedrooms are single-sex based on the gender with which each intern identifies, and interns should expect to have a roommate for the duration of their stay in Hough House.
About Strawbery Banke Museum
Strawbery Banke Museum is a 10-acre living history museum located in the heart of downtown Portsmouth. The museum interprets daily life in the same historic waterfront neighborhood over 300+ years, making the 37 historic buildings accessible to a wide range of visitors one of our primary goals. Strawbery Banke hosts an ever-growing number of special events and programs throughout the year. Seasonal and holiday signature events are time-honored traditions that help make Portsmouth the vibrant destination it is. Strawbery Banke is continually ranked as TripAdvisor’s #1 “Thing to do in Portsmouth”, Yankee Magazine Editors’ Choice: Best of New England Classics “Best Historic Village” and the 2020 Best of the Seacoast in the Entertainment & Leisure category for Best Group Event/Tour/Activity.