College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Horticulture

The Horticulture fellowship is designed to provide participants the opportunity to gain academic and practical knowledge of horticulture through training and working alongside MBG horticulturists. The fellowship is structured to allow fellows to experience all aspects of botanic garden horticulture by rotating through different areas of the Garden and through training in living collections curation and management.

Fellows will be exposed to the widest possible range of practical horticulture by rotating on a four monthly basis through the various areas of horticulture. In each area, we will assign them a staff mentor and they will report to the unit supervisor. In addition to the practical training classes will be provided on collections management and curation, as practical tasks are conducted staff will explain the science behind each action. Tours will also be provided of library, herbarium and restoration activities at Shaw Nature Reserve. Areas of the MBG Fellows will gain work experience in:

Nursery: Work will involve propagation and production of plants for the Gardens collections and displays including sowing seed, sticking cuttings, potting on plants, nutrient management, integrated pest management and watering.

Gardens Grounds: Work will involve plant cultivation, planting, pruning training, irrigation, weed control and maintaining soil nutrients.

Conservatories / Greenhouses: Work will involve care and maintenance of the MBGs tropical plant collections including pruning, integrated pest management, maintaining nutrient levels, planting and watering.

Presentation: Fellows will be expected to work on and present the results of a project in written and oral format conducted over the last 6 months of the fellowship.

Fellowship completion: At the end of the yearlong training if, fellows have successfully completed requirements they will be awarded a certificate of completion.

Applicants must have completed a degree in horticulture, biology, ecology or other plant science related field. For more information or to express interest please email recruiting@mobot.org with a resume and or cover letter.