The University of Delaware Botanic Garden accepts 4-5 interns for their summer cohort.
Interns spend the summer gaining hands-on experience and work closely with professional garden staff to learn basic landscape maintenance skills and public horticulture operations.
The majority of work is performed outside including activities such as mowing, pruning, planting, hardscape installation, weed control, and more. In addition, they will develop specialized skills with experiences such as detailed pruning, plant propagation, and using curatorial software for living collections management. The cohort will take several field trips to local public gardens and horticultural entities to further enrich their learning.
No prior horticultural experience is required, though these internships are tailored to provide a valuable supplement to the undergraduate curriculum. Students familiar with horticulture can use the internships to expand their horizons, discover new aspects of this diverse industry, and create meaningful connections between course material and practical experience.
This is an hourly paid internship. Financial support is provided by Patrons of the Spring Plant Sale and generous contributions from Summer Internship Endowments.
Tour the Garden with our Summer Interns!
Summer Internship Endowments
UDBG gratefully recognizes the donors who have created endowed funds to ensure that generations of students receive valuable hands-on learning experiences and skills in garden and nursery maintenance and public garden operation. The following endowed funds have been created to support student experiences and skills building.
- Dorothy Foster Undergraduate Garden Internship
- Lafferty Family Garden Internship
- Steve and Janet Leate UDBG Internship
- Parvis Family Summer Internship
UDBG provides undergraduates passionate about plants, the environment, horticulture, and landscape management with valuable hands-on learning experiences. By working in the gardens, students gain practical experience while contributing to the maintenance and development of a public garden.