Garden Center Intern

GARDEN CENTER INTERN

Job Details
Job Type: Internship (Seasonal or Part-Time)
Location: Milford, OH

Classification: Nonexempt

Salary Grade/Level/Family/Range: Intern

Reports to: Garden Center Manager / Nursery Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION

Summary/Objective

The Garden Center Intern supports the daily operations of the garden center and nursery by assisting with plant care, customer service, merchandising, and general maintenance tasks. This role provides hands-on experience in horticulture, plant identification, retail nursery operations, and landscape industry practices. The intern will work alongside experienced garden center staff to learn best practices in plant health, inventory upkeep, and guest engagement.

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

• Provide a welcoming, friendly environment by greeting guests and offering basic assistance or directing them to knowledgeable staff.
• Develop and maintain foundational product knowledge of plants, garden supplies, and seasonal materials.
• Assist with plant care tasks including watering, pruning, deadheading, scouting for insects, diseases, and other plant health issues.
• Support merchandising and display maintenance, including organizing plant material and ensuring a clean and visually appealing retail area.
• Help restock the retail yard with plants from the wholesale area and notify the Nursery Manager and Garden Center Manager about inventory needs.
• Assist with receiving merchandise, processing new plant shipments, and maintaining accurate labeling and signage.
• Maintain housekeeping standards throughout the garden center, including sweeping, organizing, and keeping workspaces tidy.
• Learn basic POS procedures and support simple transactions under supervision (if applicable).
• Communicate guest questions or needs to management promptly.
• Assist with loading and unloading delivery and wholesale trucks.

Competencies

• Willingness to Learn
• Customer/Client Focus
• Communication Proficiency
• Organizational Skills
• Ethical Conduct
• Teamwork

Supervisory Responsibility

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Work Environment

While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works in outside-weather conditions. The employee frequently works near moving mechanical parts and is frequently exposed to wet or humid conditions and vibration. The employee occasionally works in high, precarious places and is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, and risks of electrical shock. The noise level in the work environment is usually loud.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. This position is very active and requires standing, walking, bending, kneeling, stooping, crouching, crawling, and climbing all day. The employee must frequently lift and/or move items over 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.  

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

Occasional evening and weekend work are required as job duties demand.

Travel

No travel is expected for this position.

Required Education and Experience

· High school diploma or GED.

Preferred Education and Experience

· Coursework or interest in horticulture, plant biology, landscape design, environmental science, or related fields. 

· Previous garden, greenhouse, or retail experience is a plus but not required.

Additional Eligibility Qualifications

None.

Work Authorization/Security Clearance

U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident 

AAP/EEO Statement

It is the policy of The Company to ensure equal employment opportunity in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code 125.111 and all applicable federal regulations and guidelines. Discrimination against employees and applicants due to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, military status, veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law, is illegal.  

Employees or applicants who believe that The Company has discriminated against them should report it immediately to The Company President. It is important to note that employees and applicants may raise such concerns without fear of reprisal or retaliation.

All employees will comply with state and federal equal employment laws, rules, regulations and guidelines. Any employee that deliberately violates this policy will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.