Public Garden Management Internship

The highly competitive Public Garden Management Internship program at Rutgers Gardens provides Rutgers students with a thorough understanding of how a public garden or park serves the community and operates. Through garden maintenance, students learn a variety of horticultural techniques, as well as basic garden design as it applies to public gardens and parks. Underscoring the value of time management and cost-effective practices, students learn what is required to keep a public garden beautiful and functional.

Students will intern at Rutgers Gardens 5 days (37.5 hours) per week, with occasional weekend rotations. Educational experiences include planting and maintaining various zones in the gardens, pruning and care of shrubs and trees, learning proper lawn maintenance, working with both annuals and perennials, woodland maintenance, removal of invasives, and equipment operation and safety training.

This paid internship includes exposure to a variety of programming, including both community and volunteer events. The comprehensive 14-week program is complemented by a required 3-credit course, “Public Garden Management” (11:550:240), focusing on aspects of public gardens that students don’t experience firsthand. Additionally, numerous trips to public parks, gardens, nurseries, and organic farms throughout New Jersey, and the NYC and Philadelphia area provide unique educational and networking opportunities with various professionals in the local green industry.

The Plant Breeding option is an additional component of the program, providing a more specialized educational focus. Several interns will spend part of each week working alongside the plant breeding coordinator, covering topics such as flower morphology, plant genetics, propagation practices, plant evaluations and ratings, hybridization techniques, and setting breeding objectives. Along with the necessary planting, mulching, weeding, and tending to the breeding stock, this track gives a unique and well-rounded view of working in a plant-oriented setting.

Application Process

Click here for the 2020 Public Garden Management Internship application. All application materials must be received by March 1, 2020.

Depending on your browser, there are 2 ways to save/submit the application. The most reliable method is to download the application and save it to your computer. Open the file, complete the fields, save it, and send as an attachment. If the file is opened in a web browser, it will only retain the personalized data if “print to pdf” is selected—not “download” or “save as.” Please be sure that your application contains the necessary information before submitting.

The Public Garden Management internship will start Monday, May 18, 2020 and end Friday, August 21, 2020.

For more information, please email Clayton Leadbetter or call 732-932-8451.