Internships
Each spring, Great Hill selects interns for the upcoming growing season. Our interns work alongside seasoned, professional gardeners and are immersed in the many tasks and practices involved in the execution of a highly manicured landscape. The following are examples of the tasks performed as well as educational opportunities during employment.
- Field work in a variety of gardens, each requiring their own unique gardening styles and techniques
- Participation in the conduction of plant trials to better understand which types of plants succeed or fail under specific conditions
- Proper pruning techniques
- Invasive species and control methods
- Insect and pest detection and control
- Plant disease prevention and treatment
- Gardening to encourage pollinators
- Nursery trial observation and data collection
- Landscape research and data collection
We strive to help our interns understand basic garden functions achieved through utilizing environmentally friendly practices. Our interns learn the benefit of plant trials and data collection in contributing to the future success of the landscape as a whole. Our goal is that before they leave us, our interns have a sense of the larger ecosystem and how intentional gardening benefits the environment around us.
“My overall experience this summer was very positive. Everyone was inviting, extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. I always felt included in projects even if I was just there to observe. In terms of skills, I learned everything from planting and daily care to digging and transplanting trees, learning about the growth and care of more unique plants, how to identify pests and treat them, how to maintain gardens with specific themes and requirements, and general information about most of the plants on the property. Some of the pests I encountered were aphids, scales, lacewing, leaf miner, powdery mildew and then common pests like deer, bunnies and birds. The two things I enjoyed most were learning about, pruning and digging the trees and caring for the dahlias. Although the dahlias were a specific task, it was nice to have something that I was more or less in charge of and responsible for. It was particularly rewarding to see them begin to bloom right before I left. My least favorite was probably wedding but only because it’s tedious and never ending. There wasn’t anything I’d actually complain about. My favorite gardens are Japanese and Monet. As and architecture student, I appreciate the similarities to Monet’s gardens and house in France. The colors and the variety of flowers are beautiful. My favorite is probably Japanese- I love how all of the forms look so natural but it actually takes fine pruning to keep them that way. I really appreciate the amount of work it takes to make it appear untouched. The only critique I have is that I wish I could have spent more time in the nursery. I know it isn’t supposed to be a part of the internship but I took a somewhat surprising interest in the trees and would love to be more involved with it next year.”
-Emma, Summer 2019