Horticulture Assistant

Join Our Plant-Loving Team! Horticulture Assistant (Part-Time)

Do you love getting your hands dirty, helping plants thrive, and creating beautiful spaces that inspire people? If so, we may have the perfect role for you!

The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens is seeking an enthusiastic, dependable, and passionate Horticulture Assistant to help care for our incredible living collection of plants and assist in creating stunning seasonal displays that delight thousands of visitors each year.

About the Role

As a Horticulture Assistant, you'll work alongside our Horticulture team and amazing volunteers to nurture everything from tropical plants and flowering displays to trees and shrubs. Every day is a little different—one day you may be propagating plants, the next installing plant labels, preparing a seasonal display, or working alongside volunteers to keep our gardens looking their absolute best.

Schedule: Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays - 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM
24 hours per week (with occasional additional hours during busy seasons)

What You'll Be Doing

Plant Care & Garden Magic

• Water, fertilize, weed, mulch, transplant, propagate, and care for our plant collection
• Help maintain indoor conservatory spaces and outdoor gardens
• Assist with seasonal exhibits and special horticultural displays
• Keep gardens, greenhouses, and collection areas beautiful, healthy, and visitor-ready
• Help create and install plant labels and maintain collection records
• Assist with exhibit setup and breakdown throughout the year

Volunteer Collaboration

• Work side-by-side with our dedicated volunteers every day
• Help coordinate tasks and provide hands-on guidance
• Foster a positive, welcoming, and rewarding volunteer experience

Teamwork & Visitor Experience

• Serve as a friendly ambassador for the Botanical Gardens
• Help create an exceptional experience for visitors
• Support special events, exhibits, and community programs
• Work collaboratively while upholding our mission, values, and commitment to inclusion

What We're Looking For

You might be a great fit if you:

• Love plants and working outdoors (and indoors in warm greenhouse environments)
• Have at least one year of gardening, landscaping, or horticulture experience
• Enjoy working with people as much as plants
• Are reliable, self-motivated, and team-oriented
• Have a positive attitude and willingness to learn
• Are comfortable using basic computer programs like Microsoft Office
• Can safely operate or are willing to learn to operate gardening equipment and vehicles

Physical Requirements

This is an active, hands-on role! You'll need to be able to:

• Stand, walk, and move throughout the day
• Lift and carry up to 50 pounds
• Bend, reach, kneel, and perform physical gardening tasks
• Work in humid greenhouse conditions and changing outdoor weather
• Safely use gardening tools, equipment, carts, and vehicles

Benefits   

We offer benefits including life insurance, a retirement plan option with company match and PTO.  

Why You'll Love It Here

At the Botanical Gardens, you're not just caring for plants—you're helping cultivate wonder, education, community connection, and environmental stewardship. Every flower you plant, every exhibit you help create, and every volunteer you support contributes to an experience that inspires visitors of all ages.

If you're passionate about plants, enjoy meaningful work, and want to be part of a team that helps our community grow, we'd love to meet you.

Apply Today and Help Us Keep Buffalo Blooming!