Internships

Description

The Maybeck Sack House Garden is a unique display garden in the

Berkeley Hills, surrounding the former home of architect Bernard

Maybeck. The cabin is a registered California Historical Landmark.

Unusual characteristics include innovative building and fireproofing

materials and the legacy of re-purposed materials for the house,

garden and appurtenant buildings. The densely planted grounds are

on half an acre, and include 3,000 cultivars, many of which are rare

and unusual.

Internships

Two multi-week internships are offered each year, one in the Winter

(15 November - 15 January) and one in the Spring ( 1 June to 31

July). The intern workday is one six-hour Tuesday per week for a

total of 48 hours over the course of the internship.

Responsibilities

The Sackhouse Gardens intern will receive training and experience

in the maintenance, propagation and cataloguing of this complex

and distinguished plant collection. The intern will work under direct

supervision of the garden manager. Duties are extremely diverse

and vary with the seasons, ranging from pruning, arboriculture, and

soil care to design/maintenance and operation of newly installed

landscape lighting, and irrigation systems. The integration of solar

energy at the historic site is anticipated.

Plant Id/labelling and construction/refinement of the plant database

is a discrete project for each Intern.

Requirements

The intern should be enrolled in a degree program related to

ornamental horticulture or environmental design with at least one

season’s experience in the field or demonstrable 'plant ID' skills.

This program is designed to provide the applicant with college

credit towards the student's degree depending on the Institution.

In addition, intellectual curiosity, wide-ranging interests, a respect

for natural, sustainable practices are highly prized in applicants to

this competitive and demanding program. These characteristics

should be evident in the personal statement and letter(s) of

recommendation. Applicants must also be responsible, detail-

oriented, and have transportation. There is public transportation

within a short walk of the Garden.

Notable Quotes

..."a garden that exploits all the plantable spaces, and artfully

arrayed to maximize drama..... It sets the bar high for the outer

limits of creative horticulture."

Nathan Smith, Horticulturalist/Museum Scientist, University of

California Berkeley Botanical Garden