Horticruitment

22/10/2026

🌸 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT | WOODCHURCH COTTAGE FLOWERS

Autumn might feel like the garden is beginning to slow down, but for growers, there’s still plenty happening behind the scenes.

We spotted this lovely seasonal update from Woodchurch Cottage Flowers, where returning from a well-earned break means getting straight back to a growing list of autumn jobs. 🌱

From pricking out seedlings and starting ranunculus to labelling dahlias before the first frost arrives, this time of year is all about preparing, planning and thinking ahead to the seasons to come.

It’s a great reminder of just how much work goes into producing locally grown flowers long before we see the beautiful end result. 🌸

We love seeing what growers and horticultural businesses in our local community are working on throughout the year.

💬 What’s at the top of your October gardening or growing list?

21/10/2026

💧 POSITION FILLED | JUNIOR IRRIGATION ENGINEER | J226

Another successful placement for Horticruitment! 🌱

We’re delighted to have successfully placed a Junior Irrigation Engineer with a leading irrigation specialist working across prestigious private estates, residential gardens, commercial landscapes and major developments throughout the South of England.

This was an exciting opportunity for someone with a horticultural background looking to develop specialist technical skills, with full training provided and a clear pathway for long-term career progression.

From learning irrigation installation and servicing to developing skills in fault finding, pumps, control systems and preventative maintenance, the role offered the opportunity to build a career at the intersection of horticulture and technology.

💧 A great example of how horticultural experience can provide a pathway into specialist technical careers within the wider industry.

Another successful match between client and candidate, and we wish the newly appointed Junior Irrigation Engineer every success as they develop their skills and career within the business.

🌿 Looking to recruit within horticulture, landscaping or specialist technical roles?

Get in touch with Horticruitment.

21/10/2026

🐝 COULD BRITAIN’S NEW BANKNOTES PUT NATURE IN THE SPOTLIGHT?

The next generation of UK banknotes is going wild. 🌿

The Atlantic puffin, barn owl, buff-tailed bumblebee and European hedgehog have been chosen as the central images for the Bank of England’s next series of notes.

And the public had a big say in the decision.

Almost 500,000 people responded to the consultation, choosing their favourites from a shortlist of 18 native species.

The eventual four include some very familiar faces from Britain’s gardens, landscapes and countryside:

🐝 Buff-tailed bumblebee – receiving an impressive 360,399 selections
🦉 Barn owl – the public’s favourite bird
🦔 European hedgehog – the most popular mammal
🐧 Atlantic puffin – chosen as the most popular marine animal

The new designs will celebrate the variety of wildlife found across the UK, while other elements of nature could also feature alongside the four central species.

For those working across horticulture, landscaping and grounds management, there’s something particularly fitting about seeing biodiversity represented in something millions of us encounter in everyday life.

After all, gardens and managed landscapes can play an important part in supporting many of the species we’ve chosen to celebrate.

From pollinator-friendly planting and connected hedgerows to habitat creation and more wildlife-conscious landscape management, the work happening across our industry can help create the spaces wildlife needs.

The notes themselves are still some way off, with design, testing and production expected to take several years.

But perhaps their message is already a valuable one:

🌿 Britain’s wildlife is something worth recognising, celebrating – and protecting.

💬 Which of the four would you like to see on the £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes?

21/10/2026

🌿 NEW VACANCY | PROJECTS MANAGER | SURREY | T544

💷 Salary: Up to £45,000 DOE
📅 Monday – Friday
🌱 Commercial Grounds Maintenance

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Projects & Machinery Manager to join an established commercial grounds maintenance company experiencing continued growth.

The role will oversee a varied portfolio of one-off landscape projects, seasonal works, sports pitch renovations and specialist machinery management, working alongside the existing Grounds Maintenance Contracts Managers.

🌱 WHAT WILL YOU BE RESPONSIBLE FOR?

🏗️ Hard & soft landscaping projects
⚽ Sports pitch renovation and seasonal works
📋 Project planning, scheduling and resource allocation
👥 Leading and developing field teams
🚜 Management of the company's machinery fleet
🔧 Servicing, repairs and preventative maintenance
📦 Machinery procurement, cross-hire and logistics
✅ Quality control and project sign-off
🦺 Health & safety, RAMS and machinery compliance
🌱 Hands-on support across projects when required

The successful candidate will work closely with the Contracts Managers to coordinate people, machinery and seasonal workloads, ensuring projects are delivered efficiently, on time and to a consistently high horticultural standard.

This is a genuinely hands-on management position, suited to someone who can combine strong project management and leadership skills with practical horticultural knowledge and a good mechanical understanding.

🌿 KEY SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

✔️ Strong project management and organisational skills
✔️ Team leadership and staff development
✔️ Good horticultural knowledge and training
✔️ Strong mechanical understanding
✔️ Experience operating and managing horticultural/agricultural machinery
✔️ Understanding of costs, budgeting and profitability
✔️ Full UK driving licence
✔️ Formal Horticultural/Agricultural qualification at HND level or above, or equivalent

The company is also committed to supporting the successful candidate's development, with training and mentoring available where additional skills or knowledge are required.

🌱 Could this be your next step into senior commercial horticulture management?

📩 Apply now through Horticruitment.

21/10/2026

🌱 COULD YOU START A CAREER IN HORTICULTURE WITH NO EXPERIENCE?

What if the only thing you needed to begin was an interest in plants and a willingness to learn?

One of the world’s most famous botanic gardens is offering people the opportunity to take their first steps into horticulture with no previous horticultural experience or qualifications required.

The introductory programme at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, delivered alongside Capel Manor College, combines real-world experience with formal training.

Participants complete three practical placements across areas including:

🌸 Formal gardens
🌳 The arboretum
🌿 Kew’s famous glasshouses

Alongside working with experienced horticultural professionals, participants attend college one day a week and work towards a Level 1 horticultural qualification.

Importantly, the programme is specifically designed for people without previous horticultural qualifications or experience.

It is being offered through positive action to help address under-representation within horticulture and create opportunities for people from backgrounds currently under-represented within Kew’s Gardens Directorate.

And it could be just the beginning.

🎓 Participants can progress towards apprenticeships
🌱 Continue into further horticultural education
👩‍🌾 Move towards employment within the industry
🌿 Potentially apply for Kew’s own apprenticeship programme

For a sector that regularly talks about skills shortages and attracting the next generation, programmes like this show the importance of creating genuine entry points into horticulture.

You don’t necessarily need to grow up gardening.

You don’t need years of experience.

And you don’t always need qualifications before you start.

Sometimes the first requirement is simply being given the opportunity to learn. 🌱

💬 Could opening more entry routes to people with no previous experience help horticulture find its next generation?

20/10/2026

🪴 SALTEX 2026 | 11–12 November | NEC Birmingham

SALTEX celebrates its 80th edition in 2026, bringing together the grounds management community across sports turf, landscaping and ground care.

With hundreds of industry brands, thousands of professionals and more than 30 hours of CPD, the event provides a fascinating insight into where the profession is heading.

🌱 The modern grounds professional isn't just responsible for maintaining turf. Increasingly, they may need to combine knowledge of soils, plants and practical maintenance with machinery, technology, data and sustainability.

And with apprentices and early-career professionals attending alongside experienced grounds managers, SALTEX also highlights a vital question: Are we doing enough to equip the next generation with the skills needed to manage the landscapes of the future?

From elite sports venues to public green spaces, the grounds professional of tomorrow could be as comfortable with data and technology as they are with a mower and a soil profile.

https://www.saltex.org.uk/

SALTEX 2026 brings together 400+ leading brands, 7,400+ grounds people and 30 hours of free CPD education at the NEC, Birmingham on 11-12 November.

20/10/2026

🌱 WHEN PEOPLE GROW, BUSINESSES GROW

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) has launched Broad Horizons, a new fully funded development programme designed to help horticultural businesses develop and retain the people they see as future leaders.

Running from January to December 2027, the programme will give participants the opportunity to explore different areas of the horticulture industry while developing skills in:

📈 Business operations
📣 Marketing & communication
💷 Financial decision-making
👥 Recruitment & team management
🏛️ Policy & regulation
🌱 Business strategy

The programme is open to people working across garden centres, growers, landscapers and manufacturers, including those in marketing, finance, operations, retail and science.

👩‍🌾 WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE HORTICULTURAL WORKFORCE?

Technical horticultural knowledge remains important, but future leaders may increasingly need a much broader skill set — combining industry knowledge with commercial understanding, leadership and people management.

For employers, investing in existing employees could also provide another way to retain experienced staff and develop the next generation of leaders.

🌿 Imagine the career pathways:

Grower ➡️ Manager
Gardener ➡️ Team Leader
Store Manager ➡️ Senior Leadership

With participants committing just six days across the year, and the programme fully funded by the HTA, it provides an opportunity for businesses to invest in their people alongside their day-to-day operations.

📅 Applications open 5 October 2026.

As the horticultural industry continues to evolve, could developing existing talent become just as important as recruiting new talent?

20/10/2026

🌿 POSITION FILLED | HORTICULTURALIST | Z223
📍 Surrey
🏡 Award-Winning Landscape Design & Build Company

There’s something particularly rewarding about a role where you get to care for established gardens while helping bring completely new ones to life.

We’re delighted to have successfully placed a Horticulturalist with an award-winning landscape design and build company in Surrey.

Joining an experienced horticultural team, the successful candidate will work across beautiful high-end private gardens, combining hands-on garden maintenance with soft landscaping and the installation of newly designed spaces.

🌱 The role brings together:

🌿 Professional garden maintenance
🌸 Planting & soft landscaping
🏡 Newly designed garden installations
✂️ Practical horticultural skills
🌱 Plant knowledge & attention to detail

Sara Yassin supported the recruitment process, helping to find someone with the practical ability, horticultural knowledge and genuine enthusiasm for the quality of work this company is known for.

It’s a lovely opportunity for the successful candidate to continue developing their skills while contributing to some exceptional gardens.

🌿 We wish them every success as they settle into the team and begin their next chapter.

20/10/2026

🌱STAY CONNECTED WITH HORTICRUITMENT

Stay connected to your career in horticulture.

Creating your HUK Candidate Account starts with completing our candidate registration form and uploading your current CV.

Whether your experience is in garden centres, nurseries, landscaping, garden maintenance, horticultural production, technical roles, sales or management, registering helps you stay connected with opportunities across the industry.

Once registered, you can use your Candidate Dashboard to manage your preferences, set up Job Alerts and keep your information current as your career develops.

You don't need to be actively looking for a new position to register. Staying connected means, we're here when the right opportunity comes along.

🌱 Register with Horticruitment and keep your career options open.

👉CREATE YOUR HUK CANDIDATE ACCOUNT https://horticruitment.com/candidates/register/

19/10/2026

🌸 IFTF 2026 | 3–5 November | Expo Greater Amsterdam

The International Floriculture Trade Fair brings together the global flower industry — from growers and breeders to buyers, suppliers, logistics companies and technology providers.

But beyond the flowers themselves, IFTF offers a fascinating insight into how commercial floriculture is changing.

🌱 Modern production is becoming increasingly technical, with opportunities spanning propagation, crop management, automation, logistics, data and international supply chains.

The future floriculture professional may need to be more than a skilled grower — they could also need to understand technology, production systems and the global journey of a crop from propagation to customer.

🌍 As the industry becomes more connected and automated, are we developing the skills and talent needed for the next generation of floriculture?

https://hppexhibitions.com/iftf/