A distinguished private estate near Ipswich in Suffolk is seeking an experienced and motivated Head Gardener to be hands‑on leading a small team, maintaining the diverse private estate gardens and continuing to enhance the gardens. The position is full time and permanent.
The estate features an impressive combination of ornamental and productive gardens, blending traditional English country house character with extensive horticultural infrastructure. Surrounding the historic Hall, the front gardens provide a welcoming setting, featuring brick‑paved courtyards and terraces, formal topiary, clipped evergreen hedging, mature specimen shrubs and architectural planting. Seasonal displays and large terracotta planters provide colour and interest throughout the year, while expansive lawns bordered by mature trees create a sense of scale and established beauty along with a picturesque pond. Beyond the formal gardens, the estate includes a stable courtyard, extensive lawns and paddocks, mature trees, woodland boundaries and a variety of established horticultural features.
A particular highlight is its well‑established and productive walled garden, providing a sheltered microclimate suitable for both productive and ornamental horticulture which supplies fresh fruit, vegetables, seasonal produce and cut flowers for a small restaurant. Crops include a variety of vegetables, brassicas, alliums and climbing crops, grown in raised beds and traditional cultivation methods. The estate also benefits from two greenhouses and a substantial polytunnel, providing excellent facilities for propagation, protected cultivation and year‑round crop production.
Responsibilities As Head Gardener, you will be responsible for the overall management of the gardens and grounds, including the formal gardens, kitchen garden, walled garden, glasshouses, polytunnel, beds and borders, lawns, hedging, borders, pond, and woodland areas. You will manage a small gardening team and will be expected to lead by example through a hands‑on approach to horticulture. This role requires someone who enjoys working alongside their team while also taking responsibility for planning, organising and prioritising daily, seasonal and long‑term maintenance programmes.
The successful candidate will oversee all aspects of garden management, including lawn care, border maintenance, pruning, planting, propagation, hedge cutting, topiary, shrub and rose care, crop production, plant health monitoring and ongoing garden improvements. Responsibilities will also include managing machinery and equipment, coordinating contractors when required and ensuring that the estate continues to achieve the highest standards of horticultural excellence.
Qualifications Applicants should possess significant practical horticultural experience and a strong knowledge of ornamental gardening, kitchen garden production, glasshouse management and estate garden management. Previous experience as a Head Gardener within a private estate or similar environment is required. Experience managing staff is essential, together with excellent organisational, communication and planning skills.
Benefits This position would suit a passionate and knowledgeable horticultural professional who takes pride in maintaining exceptional gardens and enjoys balancing practical gardening with team leadership. In return, the opportunity offers the chance to work within a beautiful and established private estate where both ornamental horticulture and productive growing are highly valued.
SALARY: up to £45,000 DOE
LOCATION: Ipswich, Suffolk
JOB No: EC73817
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