FULL-TIME Horticulture & Grounds Support (includes weekend hours)
Hourly Pay Rate: $18-23/hr; depending on experience
Hours:
Full-time; 30-35 hours/week;
Includes benefits (health, vacation, sick leave)
eligible for retirement savings program after 1 year
Regular Schedule:
requires weekend work
Saturdays & Sundays, plus 3 weekdays
Typical hours: 7am-3pm, may shift to 6am-2pm during hot weather
Job Overview
Join our dynamic team as a Full-Time Horticulture & Grounds Support specialist, based in Solomons. This energetic role is perfect for someone passionate about maintaining beautiful, healthy landscapes, woods, and trails. You will be responsible for the care, upkeep, and enhancement of outdoor spaces, ensuring they meet high standards of safety, aesthetics, and functionality. Your expertise will help create inviting environments that support outdoor activities, promote plant health, and uphold safety protocols. This position offers an exciting opportunity to work outdoors year-round, applying your horticultural skills in a fast-paced, rewarding setting.
Job Summary: Assists the Horticulture & Grounds Manager with a variety of horticulture, grounds, and program/event related duties. Helps to open and close garden; prepares garden for public visiting hours; assists with lawn and garden care and maintenance. Assists with special projects, including light carpentry, painting, and construction work. Assists with gallery and classroom set up; provides significant support for program/event set-up, production, and clean-up. Must be able to work independently and with little supervision.
Daily Responsibilities: Prepares garden for visiting hours- unlocks and locks gates, applies deer repellant (non-toxic, natural mix), empties all trash receptacles, blows off sidewalks, wooded path, and drive areas, keeps flower beds tidy and weed free, waters plants, mows and cuts grass. Assists Horticulture & Grounds Manager with landscaping and maintenance tasks as directed. Basic grounds-keeping experience and knowledge is preferred. Experience with backpack blowers, lawnmowers, weed whackers, chainsaws, and other standard grounds equipment and safety is required.
Special Event & Market Schedule: Annmarie Garden hosts numerous festivals, markets and special events, most notably there are 9 weekend markets held throughout the year, as well as the Fairy Festival (April), Mud Day (June), Insectival (July), Artsfest (Sept), Halloween (October), and Garden In Lights (December). Depending on the size of the event, part or all of the Horticulture & Grounds staff are expected to assist with set up, work the event, and clean up. Please note that Garden In Lights is a large and complex event that requires extensive work by the H & G staff that includes setting up large displays, climbing ladders, stringing lights, etc. In addition, H & G staff may sign up to work private evening rentals, which include a nice gratuity.
Other responsibilities: Assists staff with set up for exhibits, programs, classes, and special events; assists with special projects including light carpentry and related work; works special events and weddings as needed; other duties as assigned.
Job Duties
- Works closely with Horticulture & Grounds Manager to perform a variety of duties associated with overall care of the 50-acre property
- Performs landscape maintenance tasks including mowing, edging, pruning, planting, and mulching to sustain vibrant outdoor spaces.
- Operate groundskeeping equipment such as lawnmowers, trimmers, chainsaws, power tools, and irrigation systems safely and effectively.
- Perform manual handling tasks including heavy lifting of materials like soil bags, mulch loads, or landscaping stones while following proper safety procedures.
- Maintain equipment through routine cleaning and preventative maintenance to ensure reliable operation and longevity.
- Support landscaping projects by planting new greenery, installing garden features, and enhancing overall landscape design.
- Operate company vehicles (truck, gator, golf carts, tractor) for transportation of tools, materials, or team members between job sites.
- Follow all safety protocols related to power tools and equipment operation to prevent accidents or injuries
- Assists with the preparation, production, and clean-up of a wide variety of events and programs, with significant responsibility for the month-long light show.
- Works all major events and helps to ensure guests safety
- Assist with special projects, including light carpentry, painting, and construction work.
- Assist with gallery and classroom set up.
- Must be able to work independently and with little supervision.
- This is a physically demanding position.
Knowledge & Experience
- Ability to identify a variety of plant material.
- Knowledge and skills in using standard materials, tools, and equipment required in arboriculture and horticulture trade preferred, (including pruners, hedge shears, roto-tillers, back pack blower, sprayers, shovels, rakes, hoes, tampers, pick-up trucks, gator).
- Basic knowledge of equipment maintenance and repair
- Ability to safely operate and care for the truck, tractor, zero turn mowers, gator, golf carts, and other grounds and horticultural equipment is a preferred!
- Ability to work independently while coordinating with the Horticulture & Grounds Manager
- Prior experience in groundskeeping or landscape maintenance is highly preferred; familiarity with park and garden groundskeeping is a plus.
- Demonstrated knowledge of irrigation systems installation and troubleshooting is a plus.
- Ability to perform manual labor involving heavy lifting and manual handling safely over extended periods.
- Ability to work outside in all weather, year-round
- Knowledge of horticulture principles including plant care, gardening techniques, and landscape design fundamentals.
Join us in creating stunning outdoor environments that inspire community engagement! We are committed to supporting your growth with comprehensive training on equipment operation and safety standards—empowering you to excel in this vital role while enjoying the satisfaction of transforming outdoor spaces every day!
Protocols for working around art and sculpture:
H & G staff must follow critical established guidelines for working around works of art and sculpture, including art located in the indoor gallery areas and the outdoor sculpture; these guidelines establish protocols for performing landscaping and maintenance duties near sculpture, as well as guidelines for activities, events, and programs that take place adjacent to art/sculpture. H & G staff must follow established policies and procedures for working around loaned works of art as stipulated by the loan agreements with the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art, and other private loans. These guidelines apply to all Annmarie staff, as everything we do is informed by the art and sculpture that surrounds us on the property. H & G staff bear the brunt of the responsibility for the day-to-day safeguarding of the art and sculpture in our care.
Minimum qualifications & experience: High school diploma or GED required; minimum of two years work experience or relevant training required.
Licenses or certificates: must have valid Maryland drivers license with good record. Must complete OSHA 10 training, first aid/cpr training, and other relevant within first two months of service. Other on-going training opportunities will be made available.
Special requirements: operation of garden owned equipment and vehicles. Experience operating a tractor is a plus! Subject to background investigation.
Physical demands: Requires daily strenuous physical effort to perform manual work involving walking over rough terrain, uneven terrain, repeated bending, climbing, stooping, stretching, reaching and lifting objects up to 100 pounds. Work requires climbing ladders, and using hand and power tools and operating various pieces of equipment. Work requires sufficient physical strength, agility, endurance, dexterity and hand-eye-foot coordination to perform all essential duties. Subject to exposure to pesticides, other toxins, insect bites, stings, and disease pathogens. Work requires the use of safety clothing and equipment, and compliance with safety rules and procedures, as needed. Job requires the ability to work outside in all weather conditions, with excessive heat, cold, rain, dust, and dirt.
Equal Opportunity Employer August 2026
SCHEDULE NOTES:
· Working Saturday & Sunday is a required part of this position. There will be opportunities to take a weekend day off, but this will be infrequent.
· Regular hours for H&GS are 7am-3pm, but this will vary according to market and special event schedule. During very hot weather, the schedule may shift to 6am-2pm.
· H&GS works all markets and all major events
· During the month-long light show, hours may shift to evening, typically 3-10pm.
MARKETS:
- Markets are held most months, typically the 1st Saturday, but this will vary each year according to changes in schedule. As of 2026, we host nine markets
- February, April, May, June, July, August, October, December
SPECIAL EVENTS
As of 2026, we host 7 special events, but this will vary from year to year, and we may have more or fewer . . .
- MLK Days – typically Saturday, Sunday, & Monday in January
- Fairy & Gnome Home Festival – typically a Saturday Sunday in April or May
- Mud Day – typically a Saturday Sunday in June
- INSECTIVAL – typically a Saturday Sunday in July
- Artsfest Fine Arts Festival – Saturday & Sunday in September
- Halloween in the Garden – typically a Saturday in October
- Annmarie Garden In Lights – about 30 nights in December; H&GS will work some evenings; evening shift it 3-10pm
Updated August 2026
Pay: $18.00 - $23.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Relocation assistance
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- This position requires a background check. Please confirm you have a clean record with no serious criminal or traffic offenses. Minor traffic violations are fine, but anything beyond that will impact your suitability for this position.
- Please acknowledge that you understand the REGULAR SCHEDULE for this position includes Saturdays and Sundays.
Experience:
- Groundskeeping: 2 years (Required)
- equipment maintenance: 2 years (Required)
- tractor operation: 1 year (Preferred)
- outdoor labor: 1 year (Required)
Work Location: In person
