Jonathan Swain

Managing and maintaining over 5 acres of outdoor green spaces across the Wood Wharf residential estate with help from the team when required. I write up plant lists and any tool and materials lists to be ordered for upcoming projects or seasonal planting.

I am usually a contact for any contractors and departments the landscape team deal with, so if any works take place on the Wood Wharf estate, I'll ensure all health & safety and legal legislation is followed. Communication and organising logistics are part of every day life in the role.

Effectively managed a small team of professional horticulturalists performing garden maintenance duties for prestigious estates in London and outer suburbs. Our clients are domestic and commercial.

Ensuring clear communication with senior managers and team members so work is carried out in an efficient manner whilst establishing a good long term relationship with our clients.

To ensure trees and shrubs were prepared and delicately loaded onto lorries for delivery the following day.

Ability to identify the needs of many different tree species such as; pruning requirements, pest and disease identification and treatment methods, the ability to secure trees without damaging the stock during transport.

As an employee living on site, had there been any security issues or requirements for additional watering of specimens then I would also fulfill these duties.

The owners required a trustworthy individual to renovate a large garden from the ground up so I was brought in to renovate the traditional garden on this stunning Grade II listed private estate.

My role involved elements of estate management, for example; good communication between the owners and myself to ensure general tasks and large assignments were understood and delivered, communication and managing contractors on the estate, managing a gardens budget, the ability to deal with any security concerns, owner discretion.

Significant garden restoration and maintenance including project management of contractors on site as required whilst owners were away.

I began as a garden maintenance operative and was promoted to a team leader after my probation period to lead a small garden maintenance team whilst maintaining the gardens in affluent London boroughs.

I worked as a senior horticulturalist in affluent Melbourne suburbs; Toorak, Armadale, Malvern and South Yarra whilst in the city using as a working holiday visa.

General garden maintenance tasks including, but not limited too; tree and shrub pruning (inc. topiary), lawn care, soft landscaping, mulching, leaf blowing, brush cutting, hedge trimming, pest and disease management and fertilising.

Occasional team leadership to ensure any new team members understood tasks enabling them to pick up the job requirements in an efficient way.

I effectively managed and worked closely with a team of 15 dedicated volunteers.

Organising garden plans and liaising with other departments such as ‘Community Gardens' and ‘Events' for the official opening of the Serpentine Woodland Walk by Sir Alan Titchmarsh MBE.

Public interaction- visitor questions, open days and events.

I prepared and installed new bedding displays by selecting plants relevant to Horace Walpole's original design and colour scheme in the garden such as the Serpentine Woodland Walk renovation.

• The course involved many different educational and practical elements which has given me a much greater understanding in botanical and display horticulture.
• Student exchange trip to Berlin Dahlem Botanical Gardens for two weeks in Germany as work experience undertaking horticultural tasks in the geographical and alpine units.
• Identification tests (family, genus, species, common name, location).
• Garden placements - Queens Garden, Dukes Garden, Arboretum (Rosa species, Mediterranean Garden, Japanese Gate Way, Arboretum Nursery, Berberis Dell, Rhododendron Walk etc.
• Glasshouse placements - Tropical nursery (Orchid Unit- temperate and tropical species), Temperate House Unit, Princess of Wales Conservatory - section Bromeliads and working with other sections when required (Display House).
• Plant labelling and accessioning as well as updating plant database - (Kewnet).
• Communication - engaging with visitors, answering any questions they may have related to the horticultural task being undertaken and directing them to parts of the gardens they wish to visit.
• Independently managed the Ribes, Deutzia and Philadelphus collections for 3 months of my arboretum summer placement.
• Worked on removal and new formal planting of the Parterre.
• Installing and maintaining irrigation systems in garden placements during summer and throughout the year during my glasshouse placement.
• Pest and disease identification and understanding the most effective control methods.
• Machinery use - Mowers (pedestrian roller and rotary, ride on and flail), brush cutter, backpack & hand held leaf blowers, petrol lawn edger, Dosatron feeder, Knapsack sprayer, tractors and John Deere Gators (Electric and Petrol).
• PA1 & PA6 City and Guilds spraying license.
• Took part in reading and understanding risk assessments and relevant legislations unique to the jobs undertaken in the gardens and glasshouses.

Beeleigh Abbey is a private estate with 4 acres of English country gardens that opens to the public a few times a year.

We cultivate a large amount of different plants for sections of the estate including; David Austin rose garden (400+ specimens), traditional cottage garden, herbaceous borders, soft fruit garden, bog garden, kitchen garden, wildflower meadow, management of 3 large ponds and woodland walk.

We also propagate seeds, bulbs, corms, tubers, plug plants, shrubs, trees, fruit and vegetables.