Head Gardener- Private Household

| Port Washington, NY, United States

Posted Date 11/26/2025
Description
A UHNW couple in Sands Point, NY is seeking an experienced and highly skilled Head Gardener to oversee extensive estate gardens, greenhouses, and surrounding grounds. This individual will lead a dedicated landscaping team, ensure exceptional horticultural standards, and support the care of select property animals, including peacocks. The ideal candidate is proactive, organized, collaborative, and passionate about estate-level garden stewardship.
 
Key Responsibilities
  • Lead, train, and supervise a team of 4–5 landscaping and grounds staff, ensuring productivity, professionalism, and high-quality results.
  • Oversee the planning, installation, and maintenance of formal gardens, flower beds, orchards, vegetable gardens, lawns, pathways, and wooded areas.
  • Manage greenhouse operations, including plant propagation, seasonal rotations, climate control, inventory, and specialized specimen care.
  • Develop and execute annual planting calendars, soil management programs, pruning schedules, pest/disease mitigation, and fertilization plans.
  • Maintain irrigation systems, outdoor lighting, garden structures, and grounds equipment, coordinating repairs or upgrades as needed.
  • Assist in the care, feeding, health monitoring, and safe habitat maintenance of estate animals—primarily peacocks—in collaboration with the House Manager and external specialists.
  • Source plants, supplies, and equipment; manage vendor relationships and oversee deliveries and contracted services.
  • Ensure safe, environmentally responsible horticultural practices, including eco-friendly material use and waste management.
  • Monitor staff adherence to schedules, work assignments, and estate standards, reporting updates to the House Manager/Estate Manager.
  • Support seasonal projects, special events, storm preparation, and recovery efforts across the property.
  • Maintain detailed logs, inventories, plant records, and budget tracking.
Qualifications & Experience
  • 5+ years of professional gardening, landscaping, or estate horticulture experience required; private estate experience strongly preferred.
  • Proven team leadership, supervisory, or managerial experience.
  • Deep knowledge of horticulture, plant identification, soil science, integrated pest management, and greenhouse cultivation.
  • Experience working with irrigation systems, grounds tools, machinery, and safety protocols.
  • Comfort working around and supporting care for animals such as peacocks or other ornamental birds.
  • Strong organizational, communication, and time-management skills.
  • Ability to work outdoors year-round in varying weather conditions and perform physically demanding tasks.
  • Professional, discreet, dependable, and service-oriented.
Job Type
Full-Time
Job Categories
Groundskeeper
Compensation
$90,000- $95,000 annually
Housing Type
Live-out

Share this job