The Smithsonian Butterfly Habitat Garden consists of four different habitats: wetland, wood's edge, wildflower meadow, and backyard garden. While working in the garden, the intern will be responsible for the daily gardening maintenance that sustains an ecologically balanced habitat. Through observation and analysis of the ecosystem, the intern will develop a record from which lists of plants can be produced for use in future plantings in the urban setting. The intern will integrate research conclusions into educational materials such as web pages and/or presentations for visitors.

Top

This urban rose garden was designed as a four-season garden and serves as an important backdrop to the Smithsonian’s iconic Castle building. Modern roses are displayed among a mixture of complementary plantings and enhance the many historic furnishings on display. The maintenance of this garden not only includes the watering, weeding, fertilizing, mulching, pest and disease control of all of the plants, but also the pruning and training of roses.

Top

This four acre garden was designed and built in 1987 with funds donated to the Smithsonian by philanthropist Enid A. Haupt. Interns chosen to work as part of this garden's horticulture team will have the opportunity to experience many aspects of grounds management in a large public display garden.

Enid A. Haupt Garden interns will assist horticulturists and gardeners with day-to-day management and maintenance of formal displays. They will take part in turf management, hanging basket and tropical plant maintenance, as well as annual plant care. Interns will learn about what it takes to keep the garden in top shape for special events and for the millions of visitors who explore it each year.

The intern chosen for the Ripley Garden will have the opportunity to work in this densely planted garden which displays plants from around the globe. This garden is designed, planted and labeled for both its aesthetic appeal and its educational value to visitors and staff. Working with the horticulturist and volunteers, the intern will assist with all aspects of garden maintenance, diagnosing and controlling disease, insect and weed problems, and maintaining containerized specimens and hanging baskets.
The intern will have the opportunity to assist with interpretive programs including public tours, plant labeling and record keeping. They will experience first hand the challenges and joys of working in a public garden and will be called on daily to answer visitor questions.

Top

The National Museum of American History, Behring Center, has the largest turf and tree area of all the Smithsonian gardens located on the National Mall. Also found on the grounds of this museum are a developing woodland and two specialty gardens of interest--the Victory Garden and the Heirloom Garden. The intern will assist HSD horticulturists with maintaining the gardens and grounds and researching appropriate plantings for the specialty gardens.

Top

The newest of all the Smithsonian museums! Opened in 2004, the National Museum of the American Indian features four natural environments – cropland, meadow, wetland and forest – within an urban setting. Intern responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, maintenance of the native plant landscape, wetland mitigation, pest and disease identification and control, and helping with the increase of plant diversity. This position will offer the opportunity to promote an understanding of the relationship of Native Americans to this ecologically balanced habitat.

Top

Do you want to be exposed to the inner workings of a public grounds management program and acquire a professional skill set for a career in the horticulture field, while learning teamwork and networking skills? HSD is looking for motivated and hardworking interns to be a part of its Rotating Internship program which provides a cornucopia of experiences within the many gardens, greenhouse support facilities and interiorscapes of the Smithsonian for a minimum of twelve weeks.

For various lengths of time over the course of the program, interns will have the opportunity to work with and learn from numerous members of HSD’s skilled staff on the Mall and at outlying support facilities. Interns will learn about plants from around the world, managing and maintaining formal landscapes, and applying pesticides in a museum setting. They may participate in organic landscape management and pot and mount orchids as well as conduct a proper Integrated Pest Management inspection, garden with historically significant vegetable crops, inventory butterfly eggs and caterpillars, and properly prune roses and woody plants.

Top

Interns working in this position will assist the Landscape Architects with various projects that develop out of current design needs or multi-year projects. Intern projects typically involve the development of designs, presentations, and/or planning reports. All assignments require effective project management skills.

Interns will generate plans and update existing planting and irrigation plans to reflect current conditions. They may help in the design of interior exhibits such as the Smithsonian’s biennial Orchid Exhibit. Interns will be exposed to design and construction meetings with architects, engineers, approving agencies, and other parties. Experience in CAD is required.

Top

HSD’s Greenhouse Nursery Operations manage the production facility that provides plants and related supplies necessary to meet the horticultural needs of the Smithsonian museums. Major areas of emphasis include the propagation and production of annuals and hanging baskets for the flower beds and gardens; production of tropical plants and seasonal pot plants for special events; production of poinsettias for the winter holiday season; and the management of the plant collections. Working directly with HSD staff in charge of the program, the intern will assist with cultivation techniques used to produce various seasonal pot crops. This includes potting rooted cuttings, watering, weeding, fertilizing, and monitoring and controlling various diseases and pests.

Top

Integrated Pest Management is responsible for the development and implementation of IPM programs for HSD. This includes IPM programs for ornamental plants and turf in the landscapes; production greenhouses; interiorscapes; and urban pests. The intern will have exposure to all aspects of HSD's planting and production operations with the goal of evaluating the effectiveness of current IPM programs and improving their effectiveness.




Top

This internship involves maintenance of the various seasonal displays within the Smithsonian museum interiors as well as long range planning for them. The intern will work directly with the interior plant section horticulturist and undertake a thorough review of the many interior plant spaces throughout the Smithsonian to determine the needs of each plant display area within each museum. The intern will assist with maintaining tropical plants and preparing verified plant label lists using proper plant nomenclature.

This position will provide opportunities to research seasonal plant materials which effectively provide long lasting and aesthetically pleasing displays. It will also provide insight into special challenges of maintaining plant material in certain adverse conditions posed by interior spaces.

Top

The Smithsonian’s irrigation system services 180 acres of grounds surrounding eleven museums and three satellite facilities and is operated by an extensive computer database system. The intern will perform general tasks including operating, maintaining, troubleshooting, repairing, and improving the system’s preventive maintenance program and will work with the Grounds Management Branch’s Instrument Mechanic and/or the Landscape Architect.

The intern will monitor all irrigated grounds on a regular basis and assess the ability of the system to keep all the plantings sufficiently watered; adjustments to the system programs will be made in response to changing landscape needs and varying weather conditions. The intern will assist with addressing problems, including tracking data lines; repairing and replacing circuit boards; checking, cleaning, and/or clearing blockages from the system; and installing, fixing and retrofitting pipes, valves, and rotary heads. The project will include calibrating flow sensors, updating information to be entered into the database, and working with staff horticulturists to establish new watering schedules.

Top

The primary focus of this internship will involve preparing an up-to-date inventory list of the Orchid Collection and integrating this data into a computerized records system. This will entail a thorough review of the collection to locate and verify existing labels and replace all faded or damaged labels. Identification of unknown cultivars will be done. This position will provide the intern with opportunities to strengthen their plant nomenclature skills.

Top

The Archives of American Gardens internship is designed to provide opportunities to experience various components of archival collections management by working on projects in the Archives of American Gardens (AAG), a growing photographic collection that documents American garden design and landscape history. The internship will foster experience in the following areas: collections registration, cataloging and description, research, development of finding aids, inventory, and basic preservation practices.

Projects focus on organizing and processing photographic materials, maintaining archival records, locating and verifying data for research purposes, editing and checking the accuracy of electronic records, cataloging images by describing their content according to recognized data standards, assisting with basic reference duties, image digitization, computer automation of collection records, and developing outreach materials. This experience will help interns learn the practices necessary to prepare archival collections for curators, staff, and outside researchers. It will also provide opportunities to understand ways in which intellectual and physical control of museum collections is achieved.

Top

HSD’s Horticultural Artifact Collection includes antique garden furnishings such as urns, fountains, and settees; wardian cases; posy holders; and assorted floricultural memorabilia. This position is designed to provide an intern with the opportunity to learn organizational and assessment skills essential to collections management. The intern will undertake the annual inventory of HSD garden furnishings on display in the Smithsonian gardens, research specific pieces or design styles, and compile data to add to the collection files and catalog records. The intern may also photograph and label pieces as well as research appropriate preservation treatments. A familiarity with collections management, preservation practices or historical research, either in a classroom or museum environment, is recommended.

Top

HSD is committed to providing quality educational experiences for visitors to the Smithsonian gardens. This is done through planned horticultural programming, the development of plant labels for use in the gardens, interpretive labels for exhibitions, and brochures. Building on existing themes or special concepts, interpretive label text will be developed for exhibitions or living plant displays, using both standard references and staff guidance to gather the appropriate material and prepare the desired product. The intern will work with horticulture records and resources under the guidance of the Horticulture Collections Management and Education staff to develop these materials.

Top