This is supervisory gardening work planning and participating in gardening tasks necessary for the improvement and maintenance of extensive grounds areas. An employee in this class is responsible for a small gardening program for an entire city department or a phase of an extensive city-wide gardening program.

Work includes supervising grounds maintenance and/or gardening employees who perform such duties as planting, transplanting, pruning, spraying insecticides, watering, mowing, raking and otherwise performing any necessary gardening and laboring tasks. The employee demonstrates techniques and performs the more skilled gardening tasks.

Work is performed under the general supervision of a technical or administrative superior. Work involves some disagreeable aspects and light physical effort.

• Supervises grounds maintenance and/or gardening employees; makes work assignments such as planting, pruning, fertilizing, watering, raking leaves and litter, mowing grass and shoveling snow; checks work performance for skill and conformance to instructions; gives technical assistance; coordinates workers and equipment necessary for the performance of work projects.
• Determines location and layout of flower beds and lawn areas; selects and requisitions flowers, shrubs, grass seed, fertilizers, insecticides and tools; plants and transplants flowers, shrubs, trees and lawns; prunes shrubs and trees.
• Determines type of fungi, insects and diseases attacking flowers, shrubs and trees; determines proper type of treatment to be used and oversees treatment measures.
• Demonstrates gardening procedures and techniques.
• Operates hand and power tools and equipment such as outdoor vacuum sweepers, snow blowers, hedge trimmers, edgers, sprayers, rakes, shovels and hoes.
• Performs related work as required.

KNOWLEDGE OF:

• the methods and materials used in propagating, cultivating and maintaining flowers, shrubs, trees and lawns.
• the common insects, fungi and diseases which attack flowers, shrubs, trees and lawns.
• the operation and care of hand and power tools and equipment used in gardening work.
• the types and varieties of flowers, trees, shrubs and lawns which will grow well in an urban environment.
• the methods and techniques used in arranging plants and shrubs to achieve specific designs.
• supervisory methods and practices.

SKILL IN:

• planting and transplanting a variety of seeds, cuttings, bulbs and plants.
• the use and care of hand and power tools and equipment used in gardening work.

ABILITY TO:

• identify and treat a variety of fungi, insects and diseases which attack flowers, shrubs, trees and lawns.
• plan projects for the improvement of assigned grounds and to estimate the supplies and equipment necessary for these projects.
• establish and maintain effective working relationships with associates.

• Education equivalent to completion of the twelfth school grade.
• Three years of experience performing grounds or horticultural maintenance work, one year of which shall have been performing gardening work at the full performance level.

Additional acceptable grounds or horticultural maintenance experience may be substituted for the educational requirement on a year for year basis up to a maximum of two years;

additional education above the high school level in the horticultural field may be substituted for the experience requirements on a year for year basis.

PHYSICAL AND MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required of a position in this class.

LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS AND/OR CERTIFICATES:

• Possession of a valid proper class motor vehicle operator's license as issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania prior to appointment and during tenure of appointment as a Gardening Supervisor.

PAY RANGE: EP9
Class Established: 6/1971

Spec. Revision:
  CSC - 2/1995 ; Ad Board - 5/1995

AH/sb/mt