Chicago Botanic Garden

General Info

Employment at the Chicago Botanic Garden

TITLE: Intern, Propagation (one year; one position available) – FILLED

Are you looking for practical hands-on experience in horticulture? Would you like to improve your propagation skills? If your answer is yes, a horticulture internship is for you.

PURPOSE: To gain experience in the propagation stage of plant production.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Duties include assisting with the propagation of annuals, perennials, woody ornamentals, native habitat plants, tropicals and floriculture crops grown in the production greenhouses and nursery. This propagation will include sowing seed, taking cuttings and divisions and, depending on demand, grafting and budding. The intern will also assist in the after care of the propagules including watering, fertilizing, thinning and repotting. Additional tasks will be researching propagation techniques, tracking propagation requests in a computer tracking system and recording propagation scheduling. The intern will also assist other growers in the greenhouses and nursery on occasion when the need arises.

January through June: The emphasis of the first three months will be propagating spring and summer annuals from seed and cuttings. Perennial and woody seeds for the collections and native habitats will also be sown. The last three months will include sowing seed but the focus will shift to propagating perennials and woodies by cuttings and divisions.

July through December: The first two months will focus on taking cuttings with some time spent sowing seeds for the fall annuals. Seed sowing will continue through the next two months. During the last two months the propagation of the spring annuals will start, and pretreatment of perennial, woody and native habitat seed will be done.

Education and interpretation are important facets of the day-to-day Garden operations. The intern will work closely with the Production staff and gain practical knowledge in the growing of native and non-native taxa. They will also have the opportunity to get exposure to general Garden operations by attending Production staff meetings and biweekly intern meetings with guest speakers during the summer months and attend courses offered by the School of the Chicago Botanic Garden.

DEPARTMENT: Production

REPORTS TO: Propagator

SUPERVISES: Volunteers

COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIPS: Growers, Floriculturists, Nursery Supervisor, Laborers and Seasonals.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS: Candidate should be available to work twelve months beginning June and enrolled in a college horticulture program or a related field with an interest in greenhouse and nursery management. The ideal candidate will be flexible, able to work in a fast-paced environment and possess good communication and interpersonal skills. Candidates within a year of their graduation date will also be considered. Must have or be able to obtain an operator’s license for chemical applications. Must be able to lift and carry 25 lbs.