THE HOLDEN
ARBORETUM
INTERN PROGRAM
Internships to Help Shape Your Future:
Gain a balance of practical experience and educational programming as a intern at The Holden Arboretum. With more than 25 years of experience working with interns, Holden offers more than just seasonal work.
Our program offers students in horticulture, landscape architecture, horticultural therapy, botany, biology or related fields, an opportunity to experience various job responsibilities in a professional environment. On-the-job instruction, educational sessions and field trips to other horticultural institutions offer a perfect complement to academic study.
Holden offers interns housing. Located just 30 minutes drive east of Cleveland—museums, professional sports, ethnic areas and festivals are within reasonable driving distance.Select the internship that's right for you.
Choose from five areas of various specialties and lengths.Horticulture:
Learn horticultural operation at one of the country's largest arboretums. Gain hands-on experience in landscape maintenance, tree care, plant records, estate gardens management and nursery production. During training in public horticulture, interns rotate through our Display Garden, Helen S. Layer Rhododendron Garden, Lantern Court estate gardens, 250 acres of plant collections, trails and production nursery. Interns develop additional skills assisting Holden’s plant recorder with inventorying, evaluating collections, mapping using BG-Map and data management on BG-Base. [ 1 position for 1 year and 1 position for 3 months.]Conservation:
Gain practical work experience in the stewardship and monitoring of native plant communities by participating in surveys and monitoring of existing populations of rare plant species within Holden’s natural areas. Work will include assisting the conservation seasonal workers with management of invasive exotic plant species, which threaten our natural areas. Additional work may include monitoring the gypsy moth population, beech bark disease, deer enclosures; collecting water transparency data and propagating native plants. [1 position for 3-5 months.]Horticultural Therapy:
Learn all aspects of coordinating and implementing a horticultural therapy program. Experiences include: curriculum development for human services agencies, greenhouse maintenance, and other special projects according to student's interest. Special populations served: adults with developmental disabilities, older adults, traumatic brain injury survivors and people with chronic illness and loss. [1 position for 6 months.]Education:
Receive practical work experience by assisting with programs centered around public horticulture and natural history. Opportunities exist to gain experience with exhibit development, school programming, teaching, writing and developing educational materials—based on intern's interest and Holden's annual needs. [1 position for 2 years.]