What are the responsibilities and job description for the CONSERVATION HORTICULTURE 12-MONTH INTERNSHIP position at Longwood Gardens?
As one of the great gardens of the world located just 30 miles outside of Philadelphia, Longwood Gardens is rooted in a steadfast mission of bringing joy and inspiration to everyone through the beauty of nature, conservation, and learning. Across our many departments, each and every staff member creates the magic that makes our Gardens distinctive. Our team of dynamic professionals is what sets us apart, and our spirit of legacy, innovation, and opportunity is what guides us. While beauty is our heart, our people are our soul.
Join our team for a 12-month Conservation Horticulture Internship where you will learn daily tasks involved in operating horticultural research laboratories, greenhouse facilities, and outdoor trial beds through hands-on involvement by working with extraordinary hardy and non-hardy plants.
What you gain:
- Experience maintaining a large diversity of greenhouse and nursery plants with varying cultural requirements, using standard plant care techniques - watering, weeding, planting, repotting, mulching, training, etc.
- Experience propagating plants by seeds, cuttings, grafting, and other appropriate techniques
- Experience applying tissue culture practices to create and maintain clean in vitro stock by micropropagation and meristem isolation
- Opportunities to perform daily laboratory tasks such as cleaning glassware, preparing culture media, and deflasking plantlets
- Collecting quantitative and qualitative data of experiments and plant evaluations
- Developing, implementing, writing, and presenting a research project developed in accordance with the intern’s specific interests within the context of established research projects
Qualifications:
- Currently enrolled in or completed (graduated in May 2025 or later) an associate or bachelor’s degree in horticulture, biology, conservation horticulture, or a related field
- High degree of motivation, organization, attention to detail, and willingness to work independently
- Occasional weekend work is required
- The ability to work outdoors in varying weather conditions, working from ladders, bending, stooping, and lifting 50 pounds
- The ability to obtain a Pennsylvania pesticide applicator’s license within four months of starting the internship
- A valid driver’s license is required
- U.S.-based individuals only (for international internship program, click here).
The internship will run from June 1, 2026 to May 6, 2027.
Application Requirements:
- Upload an updated CV or resume
- Upload a statement of purpose (Word or PDF) telling us why you are interested in coming to Longwood and what you hope to gain from this placement
- Provide the names and email addresses for two professional references. Your references will only be contacted if you are selected as a finalist.
Application deadline is January 15, 2026. Reviewing will begin in January, and interviews will be conducted through February 18, 2026.
Benefits:
- Medical Insurance through Independence Administrators
- Free furnished housing on the grounds of Longwood Gardens (this is a taxable benefit). For further details about housing click here.
- All utilities are included except cable television
- 96 hours of personal time and 9 paid holidays
- Weekly field trips, hands-on workshops, lectures, and conferences
- Complimentary tickets to Longwood Gardens for friends and family
- 50% discount at The Café and 25% discount in The Garden Shop
Longwood Gardens is committed to nurturing a diverse and inclusive environment that celebrates the complexities and differences of all living things. We welcome and respect diverse backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives. Diversity creates a more beautiful world, sparks innovation, and unites us.