WHAT DOES A GARDENER DO?

Updated: Jan 20, 2026 – The Gardener operates specialized mowing and landscaping equipment to maintain golf course grounds, including greens, tees, fairways, and roughs. This position performs construction, repair, and maintenance of course features such as irrigation systems, hazards, structures, and drainage areas. The gardener also applies fertilizers, pesticides, and performs trimming, pruning, and debris removal to ensure healthy turf and landscape aesthetics.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Gardener

1. Gardener Job Description

  • Tree Pruning: Prunes and trims trees and shrubs to obtain the shape, size, and desired growth characteristics, and to remove diseased limbs or excess branches.
  • Plant Transplanting: Transplants trees, shrubs, flowers, and other plants by digging properly sized holes and preparing the soil to receive the plants.
  • Root Care: Removes the plant, takes care not to damage the roots, and removes sufficient soil to ensure its continued growth in the new location.
  • Material Estimation: Computes quantities of plants, seeds, and other materials needed for specific areas.
  • Irrigation Assessment: Determines when plants need additional watering and how long they should be watered.
  • Pest Control: Selects and sprays the area with herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides for the control of plant diseases, plant insects, and weeds.
  • Grass Cutting: Cuts grass and trims hedges using either hand or power equipment.
  • Lawn Maintenance: Fertilizes, waters, and seeds turf areas, and removes rocks, leaves, trash, and debris from landscaped areas.
  • Vehicle Operation: Operates various types of motor vehicles (e.g., pickup trucks) to transport supplies and materials to work sites.
  • Tractor Operation: Operates farm-type tractors with attached equipment such as rotary or flail mowers, augers, tillers, etc., in the performance of the gardener duties.

2. Gardener Details and Accountabilities

  • Garden Maintenance: Ensures the upkeep of the home’s gardens
  • Lawn and Bed Care: Maintains lawns, flowerbeds, borders, and hedges
  • Shrub and Tree Pruning: Takes responsibility for weeding and pruning shrubs and small trees
  • Safety Compliance: Complies with all safety procedures related to duties
  • Guest Assistance: Assists guests in a positive, courteous manner.
  • Work Efficiency: Works in an efficient, productive manner.
  • Instruction Following: Follows instructions, written or verbal.
  • Task Independence: Works without constant supervision on routine tasks.
  • Horticultural Maintenance: Provides horticultural care and maintenance to assigned gardens without constant supervision.
  • Equipment Operation: Operates basic grounds equipment.
  • Watering Techniques: Uses proper watering techniques.

3. Senior Gardener General Responsibilities

  • Horticultural Standards: Maintain and continuously work to improve the overall horticultural standards within the Barnsley Gardens and set a good example to the team
  • Ornamental Maintenance: Assist in the maintenance of ornamental features within the site and care for the gardens and grounds
  • Plant Care: Oversee the proper care of plants, including propagation, cultivation, weeding, deadheading, and hand pruning
  • Health and Safety Compliance: Ensure a full understanding of health and safety policy and practice within the grounds and gardens, and fully compliant with HSAW regulations
  • Machinery Operation: Use horticultural machinery, including a tractor and hedge cutters
  • Team Leadership: Take responsibility for the team in the absence of the Head Gardener
  • Floristry Assistance: Assist with floristry within the hotel
  • Garden Tour Facilitation: Facilitate and lead garden tours
  • Team Collaboration: Work in stunning gardens and grounds, as well as work with a dynamic team of professionals
  • Preventive Maintenance: Ensure that Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM) is carried out efficiently and promptly

4. General Gardener Job Summary

  • Turf and Garden Maintenance: Maintenance of turf, gardens, and irrigation
  • Grounds Maintenance: Take responsibility for maintaining the grounds
  • Equipment Operation: Operate powered equipment, including push mowers
  • Traffic Management: Meet basic traffic management plans
  • Pest and Disease Management: Pest and disease management
  • Client Satisfaction: Deliver a high-quality end product to exceed the client's expectations
  • Plant and Attraction Upkeep: Upkeep plants and water attractions, and weed control
  • Environmental Cleanliness: Maintain a clean and attractive environment.
  • Safety Compliance: Ensure equipment and work areas are safe, that procedures regarding cleaners or hazardous materials, or objects are strictly adhered to.
  • Storage Management: Ensure equipment and supplies are properly stored.
  • Health and Safety Practices: Ensure that universal precautions and infection control, isolation, fire, safety, and sanitation practices and procedures are followed, and promptly report any hazardous conditions and equipment.

5. Gardener Roles and Responsibilities

  • Equipment Operation: Operates various equipment in the performance of maintenance/construction activities, including tractor-powered gang and deck mowers, fairway mower, greens mowers, rotary mowers, etc.
  • Golf Course Construction: Works with the Golf Course Superintendent in the construction/repair of golf course hazards such as sand traps, tees, ponds, retaining walls, creeks, planters, bridges, putting greens, earth/rock movement, and drainage systems.
  • Irrigation Repair: Repairs irrigation lines, sprinkler heads, and valves to maintain/add to the golf course irrigation system.
  • Structure Maintenance: Repairs/constructs structures such as shelters, drinking fountains, benches, and trash receptacles on the golf course and at the clubhouse.
  • Chemical Application: Under the supervision of the Golf Course Superintendent, sprays trees, shrubs, greens, flowers, and other turf areas with pesticides or other chemicals to control insect, disease, and weed pathogens.
  • Condition Reporting: Reports any unusual conditions to the supervisor for study and treatment.
  • Turf Care: Sods, seeds, fertilizes, top-dresses, and waters the golf course playing areas and other out-of-bounds areas.
  • Precision Mowing: Mows putting greens, tees, fairways, and roughs using extreme care to comply with exacting specifications regarding the mowing of these areas.
  • Debris Removal: Removes debris from the golf course.
  • Shrub Pruning: Prunes or trims shrubs to prevent/correct winter damage or obtain the size and shape required for the location.
  • Plant Treatment: In case of excessive pruning or trimming, treats with tree paint/sealant to minimize damage to the plant.