Native Plants and Urban Landscapes Internship, Intern na DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS INC

Description

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

Internship Highlights:

Interns will take part in field trips, lectures, and group projects. We at Denver Botanic Gardens feel strongly that there is no substitute for hands-on learning so in addition to the project and participating in the learning opportunities, interns are expected to work alongside their mentors and other horticulturists in the Gardens. This will include participating in the daily activities associated with public garden maintenance – weeding, watering, planting, accessioning, preparing for special events, etc. 

The goal of the internship is to provide an overview of public horticulture as well as useful experience in a specific area which can help interns define their interests in horticulture. 

 As a member of Denver Botanic Gardens staff, interns will participate in employee meetings and other day-to-day operations and will be subject to all Denver Botanic Gardens employment policies. 

In Denver temperatures can reach a sizzling 100° in mid-summer, while temperatures at our Mount Goliath site can drop into the 50’s. Humidity is very low here, however, there are occasional days of rain or drizzle. Interns should be prepared to work in these environmental extremes as the work site is primarily outdoors.

Regular attendance at the work site may be required. As with all positions at Denver Botanic Gardens, the incumbent must be in good performance standing to be eligible for remote work. Remote work is at the discretion of management at all times.

All Gardens employees must be committed to the mission of connecting people with plants, especially plants from the Rocky Mountain region and similar regions around the world, providing delight and enlightenment to everyone.

General Duties and Responsibilities/Deliverables:

• 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.

Skills that will be learned or refined: 

• Garden maintenance and best practices.
• Communicating scientific principles to the public via speaking, writing, and garden interpretation. 
• Plant identification. 
• Principles and challenges of urban ecology and horticulture.

Horticultural knowledge that will be learned and how this project will link classroom theory with practical experience:

This position will gain experience in design, maintenance and curation of urban landscapes in public spaces. This will link traditional garden design with the new Perennialist movement and naturalistic design in practice. The position will be exposed to the use of native plants in many different design aesthetics and public settings including highly maintained gardens, low maintenance right of ways, green roofs, and more. This position will also travel with staff as possible to study plants “in situ”, or naturally occurring in the wild, across the region. The position will aim to blend botany, urban ecology and landscape principles for a comprehensive overview of sustainable landscaping in the urban environment.  

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

To be considered, please submit your application by Friday, January 30, 2026.

Come work for a place that offers you SO much more than just a paycheck!