Garden Center Specialist

Job Description

Job Title: Garden Center Specialist

Reports To: Store Lead

FLSA Status: Non-exempt

Type: Temporary (Seasonal)

GENERAL SUMMARY

The Garden Center Specialist is responsible for maintaining a healthy, organized, and visually appealing garden center while delivering outstanding customer service. This role ensures plants are properly cared for, displays remain full and attractive, and customers receive knowledgeable assistance when selecting plants and garden-related products.

Responsibilities include watering and maintaining plant health, receiving and staging plant deliveries, maintaining clean and organized displays, managing plant inventory and markdowns, and supporting customers with their gardening needs. The Garden Center Specialist also ensures the outdoor garden center area remains safe, organized, and well stocked during peak gardening seasons.

PAY RANGE: $9.00 - $12.00

Starting pay is based upon experience.

This position does have a cap pay rate.

TEMPORARY/SEASONAL POSITION:

Start date: March 23, 2026

End date: May 10, 2026

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Store Operations

Ensure a positive, professional, and safe work environment for all associates and customers.

Work with the Store Lead on all aspects of operating and maintaining the garden center.

Participate in scheduled staff meetings; if applicable.

Communicate inventory, plant health concerns, or operational issues to the Store Lead.

Assist with maintaining a clean, organized, and safe outdoor garden center environment.

Assist with:

Receiving, checking in, and staging plant deliveries.

Removing shrink wrap and plant sleeves from new deliveries.

Verifying plant deliveries against receiving paperwork.

Report any damaged plants or delivery discrepancies to the Store Lead immediately. Do not accept damaged plants unless directed to do so by the Store Lead.

Removing empty flats, trays, and pallets from display areas.

Keeping walkways clear of debris, hoses, pallets, and potential trip hazards.

Plant Care and Maintenance

Ensure the health and quality of all live plants in the garden center.

Water plants daily as needed, ensuring proper watering schedules are followed.

Monitor plant health and condition, removing dead or damaged plants as necessary.

Perform routine plant maintenance including:

Condensing and rotating plants

Deadheading plants

Removing damaged foliage

Spacing plants to allow for airflow and sunlight

Fertilize vegetable plants every other day using:

SKU 7362684

SKU 7306244 (refills)

Evaluate plants for watering needs by checking soil moisture and container weight.

Monitor plants during hot or windy weather conditions and provide additional watering if necessary.

Ensure plant deliveries are unloaded and watered within a timely manner to prevent stress or damage.

Follow best practices for watering including morning watering and midday or evening spot checks as needed.

Required ALP Courses

2026 Proven Winners Certified Garden Center Training

The Garden Place: How to Properly Water Plants

The Garden Place at Ace Live Goods Training Bundle

Plant Inventory and Markdown Management

Manage plant inventory to ensure the garden center remains visually full and well organized.

Condense plant displays as inventory levels decrease by moving plants forward and removing empty display areas.

Update pricing signage when plants are relocated or condensed.

Rotate plants to new areas periodically so customers see fresh product displays.

Ensure clearance or markdown plants are moved to designated areas of the garden center.

Highlight seasonal plants and high-impact items in visible locations to encourage impulse purchases.

Merchandising and Display Presentation

Maintain attractive, organized, and full plant displays throughout the garden center.

Create visually appealing blocks of color with blooming plants to encourage impulse purchases.

Ensure every plant display bench has visible and accurate pricing signage.

Condense flats when inventory decreases and combine like plants when possible.

Avoid mixing plant varieties within the same flat to prevent customer confusion.

Rotate plants from grower racks to display benches and adjust plant placement to improve visibility, sunlight exposure, and airflow.

Ensure tie-in products such as soil, fertilizer, pottery, watering tools, and garden accessories are merchandised near plant displays.

Keep the garden center clean, organized, and easy for customers to shop.

Customer Service

Provide a positive representation of Summit Hardware.

Proactively assist customers with plant and garden product selection.

Greet customers entering the garden center and offer assistance.

Possess basic knowledge of plant care, seasonal gardening products, and garden center layout.

Assist customers in selecting plants appropriate for their needs including sun/shade requirements and watering needs.

Recommend related products such as soil, fertilizer, planters, gloves, watering tools, and garden accessories.

Assist customers with loading large or heavy purchases when needed.

Possess a friendly outgoing demeanor and work well with customers and fellow associates.

Ensure all radio pages and calls are answered promptly, courteously, and effectively.

Forward any customer complaint that cannot be handled to your Store Lead.

Ensure all job-related calls, WhatsApp messages, texts, and emails are answered promptly, courteously, and effectively.

Implement the W.O.W. process with “every customer, every time.”

Weekend Operations

During peak gardening season, weekends can bring high customer traffic. The Garden Center Specialist should prioritize plant health, customer service, and maintaining safe and organized displays during busy periods.

Ensure plant displays remain full and visually appealing throughout the weekend.

Assist customers promptly and efficiently during high traffic periods.

SKILLS

Oral Communication Skills

Customer Relations

Customer Service

Basic Plant Knowledge

Listening Skills

Decision Making Skills

Professionalism

Reading Skills

Merchandising Awareness

Time Management

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers; handle or feel objects, tools, plants, and equipment. The employee is required to stand, walk, bend, and reach with hands and arms for the duration of their shift.

This position requires working outdoors for extended periods of time in varying weather conditions including heat, cold, wind, and rain.

The employee must be able to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds including bags of soil, plants, and garden products.

Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

High School Diploma Not Required

Prior garden center, retail, landscaping, or plant care experience is helpful but not required.

On-the-job training will be provided.

About Jays Hardware Inc

Jay’s Hardware opened in Wrens, Georgia, on March 2, 1992. It began with a young father’s dream to build a place where his family could work together and see the fruits of their labor. That dream lives on in Summit Ace Hardware. Though the company has grown, it remains led by a member of the founder’s family—committed to creating meaningful careers and empowering others to build a life they’re proud of. Today, Summit Ace serves rural and suburban communities across Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama. Our mission is simple: meet the needs of our customers and invest in our team through training and support. Our core values—Respectful, Accountable, Passionate, Innovative, Driven, and Helpful—guide everything we do. More than a store, we are a part of each community we serve. And with the buying power of Ace Hardware, we offer big-store products with hometown service.