Native Plants and Urban Landscapes Internship, Intern

Denver Botanic Gardens•Denver, CO

55d•$22

About The Position

About Denver Botanic Gardens: Green inside and out, Denver Botanic Gardens was founded in 1951 and is considered one of the top botanical gardens in the United States and a pioneer in water conservation. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, The Gardens has a robust living plant collection, natural history collection and art collection along with temporary art exhibitions. The Gardens is a dynamic, 24-acre urban oasis in the heart of the city, offering unforgettable opportunities to flourish with unique garden experiences for the whole family - as well as world-class exhibitions, education, and plant conservation research programs. For more information, visit us online at www.botanicgardens.org. Denver Botanic Gardens is currently seeking a Native Plants and Urban Landscapes Internship, Intern in our Horticulture Department! Read below to see if the requirements might be a good fit for you: Position Summary and Goals: The goal of this internship experience is to develop a core understanding of urban ecology and resource-minded, drought-dynamic horticulture. The experience will highlight the benefits and challenges of utilizing native plants and a regional focus in the cultivated urban landscape (including residential, commercial, and public spaces). Additionally, the intern will be expected to develop strong plant identification skills and become familiar with plant taxonomy. For this position, time will be split between the York Street site and off-site urban projects. Time in the botanic gardens will be spent developing naturalistic garden design theory, garden maintenance and curation principles with several members of the horticulture staff. The intern will accompany horticulture and research staff in botanical field work throughout the season as available. Compensation package includes a housing stipend of $1,000. Details to be covered during the interview process. Background: To work with native plants requires a deep understanding of plants in situ and ecological principles that define growing constraints. This requires a level of specialization and experience of habitat that only happens in the field. By juxtaposing field study, urban ecology and garden theory, this intern will develop a well-rounded understanding of the role native plants, non-native plants, and ecology can play in our built and "wild" landscapes as we look to the future. This internship will set up the intern with a general knowledge base of Colorado native plants and ecology that can be applied to many fields of work going forward. To be considered, please submit your application by Friday, January 30, 2026.

Requirements

Candidates must be currently authorized to work in the United States.
High school diploma / GED and/or combination of education and equivalent experience is required.
Must have proven excellent customer service, interpersonal, and communication skills in dealing with the public.
Ability to maintain stability under pressure and able to deal well with stressful situations.
Ability to be flexible and willing to modify plans, when necessary, throughout the day.
Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends and/or holidays.
Knowledge of Microsoft Suite products, specifically Word, Excel and Outlook and Teams.
Ability to work overtime as necessary.
Must be a positive representative of the Gardens both internally and externally at all times.
Must work with respect and cooperation at all times with fellow employees and the public.
Must be committed to working safely at all times.

Nice To Haves

Experience/interest in plant conservation a plus.
Experience/interest in working in a horticultural environment a plus.

Responsibilities

Garden maintenance of public garden spaces.
Present a "Lunch and Learn" to volunteers at the end of the season.
Demonstrate Plant identification skills.
Demonstrate Landscape Design principles.
Presentation to staff and blog post detailing highlights of internship experience.

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