Jobs & Volunteering

Volunteers provide valuable assistance in the gardens and throughout Longwood Gardens. To guide you in completing your Volunteer Application, our most popular opportunities are described below.

Guest Services

Organ and Pipes Gallery Docents

Longwood’s Organ and Pipes Gallery docents welcome guests to the Organ Museum, answer questions about the Pipe Organ, and provide information about Longwood Gardens and its history. A musical background is not a requirement. However, enthusiasm for learning, sharing and enhancing our guest experience is vital to connecting our guests to this special place. Candidates for this assignment should have strong verbal skills and enjoy interacting with many different types and ages of people. Docents must attend scheduled orientation and training sessions, and be committed to volunteering a minimum of six hours per month. Shifts are three hours long, 11:00 am–2:00 pm, and may be scheduled any day. Summer hours include an afternoon shift 2:00 pm–5:00 pm, and Friday and Saturday nights 5:00–8:00 pm. Shifts involve standing for extended periods of time. Trainings are scheduled on weeknights or on weekends. This is a year round assignment.

Guest Information Volunteers

Greet and engage our guests, and answer questions about daily and seasonal activities events taking place at Longwood , Volunteers are stationed in the Conservatory and the Heritage Exhibit in the Peirce-du Pont House. Time commitment—one or two shifts per month, and training sessions, as assigned, each year.

Interpretive Docents—Conservatory, Idea Garden

Longwood’s docent teams enthusiastically interact with guests, sharing knowledge of Longwood’s history, plants and events. These volunteers, who are trained in interpretation, actively engage guests, answer questions, and enhance our guest experience. Must be comfortable interacting with the public. Docents often stand for extended periods of time. Time commitments vary, based on docent’s assigned area. Volunteers should be prepared to work several morning or afternoon shifts several times monthly and participate in on-going training sessions.

Indoor Children’s Garden Volunteers

This team of volunteers offers kids and families fun and educational activities in and around Longwood’s amazing Children’s Garden. Volunteers must enjoy  interacting with youngsters, and be at ease working in a fast-paced environment. Volunteers are needed seven days a week from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Training is provided. Time commitment is a minimum of four hours monthly, plus training sessions every two months.

Membership Ambassadors

Volunteers welcome our guests during peak times at the Gardens, and provide information on the benefits of membership. Enthusiasm and a familiarity with Longwood’s membership programs are required. Volunteers work 2 to 3 hours shifts, standing and walking for most of the shift. Orientation and training provided by Longwood’s membership department.

Horticulture

Horticulture Assistants

These assignments are for volunteers who enjoy physical activity and being hands-on gardeners. Responsibilities include watering, potting, preparing soils, weeding, pruning, mulching and general plant maintenance. Assignments require kneeling, bending and some lifting. All volunteers who work in horticulture must purchase and wear safety-toed shoes.

Indoor Horticulture Assistants

Our indoor team participates on a year-round basis, usually one or more mornings per week. Volunteers assist in production greenhouses, research areas, the Main Conservatory and the Conservatory at the Peirce-duPont House. Each area features different plant collections, and all areas include seasonal displays.

Outdoor Horticultural Assistant

These assignments are more seasonal in nature, usually a morning per week between April and October. Volunteers are assigned to a section of the garden, such as the Idea Garden, Flower Walk, Peirce’s Woods, Hillside Garden, Rose Garden, Vegetable Garden, Italian Water Garden, or other landscaped areas.

Integrated Pest Management and Sustainable Practices Teams

Volunteers serve as scouts to identify and quantify insect populations and the presence of plant problems throughout the gardens. Hours can be flexible, but must be regular. One shift per week, on a year round basis.

New! Compost Tea Team Volunteers assist in the brewing and distribution of compost tea fertilizer, in Longwood’s indoor and outdoor garden beds. Time commitment: 4–5 hours per week.

Education, Library, Archives, & Records

Continuing Education

Volunteers help prepare for classes and workshops and help with set-up, registration, record-keeping and tidying up after classes. Assignments are on an as needed basis, and are class-dependent, so schedules will vary widely.

Library Assistants

Assist library staff with daily activities, including assisting patrons, maintaining records, circulation, and projects as needed. Basic knowledge of computers is essential, along with the willingness to learn new software. Ability to bend, stretch and lift is required. Hours flexible, once a week to several times per month. Volunteers with an interest in photography and strong computer skills may apply to assist in Longwood’s digital gallery. Shifts and assignments are on weekdays, during business hours.

Phenology

Volunteers monitor all areas of the gardens to record plant bloom times for Longwood’s extensive plant records system. A horticultural background and basic understanding of nomenclature would be helpful. Schedules can be flexible, as long as assigned areas are monitored as assigned. While these volunteers are a team, each team member works independently to perform data collection.  

Volunteer-Managed Teams

Longwood Gardens believes in empowering volunteers to develop and manage a variety of projects. These teams are guided by Longwood staff, but the teams plan and accomplish projects with a great deal of independence. Some examples of these teams are:

Garden Highlights

Each week this photography team identifies and documents especially notable plants in bloom and highlights garden features throughout the indoor and outdoor gardens. Team volunteers also prepare their images for upload to the Longwood image gallery. Images are ultimately selected for use on the Longwood website and other Longwood publications. Volunteer photographers must possess a solid background in digital photography, along with a good eye for subject selection and aesthetically pleasing composition. Computer skills and a willingness to learn processes are required. Team members are selected following an application process and portfolio review.

Facilities Maintenance Team

Volunteers lend support to Longwood’s facilities department, assisting with small projects including many preventative maintenance tasks. Assisting in the carpentry or paint shop, assembling or repairing benches, lubricating doors, and hanging photos are project examples.  A background in basic woodworking and tool skills is helpful. Hours are flexible; minimum of three hours per month, year-round, mornings preferred. 

Meadow Wildflower Team

Volunteers on this team gather on Wednesday mornings to conduct a bloom inventory of Longwood’s managed meadow, and take turns leading wildflower meadow walks for Longwood visitors on Saturday mornings in spring, summer, and fall. A basic knowledge of wildflowers is helpful, but the team is known for nurturing those with a strong interest in learning and participating on the team.

Bluebird Team

Team members are responsible for monitoring and maintaining Longwood’s bluebird and martin houses. Schedules are flexible and coordinated by team leaders.

Natural Lands Stewardship Team

Volunteers perform a variety of activities in Longwood’s 700+ acres of natural lands, working alongside Land Stewardship staff. Responsibilities include helping manage invasive plants in Longwood’s forest, wetlands and our newly expanded meadow along the new Rte. 52, plant ID and record keeping, restoration plantings, interpretive activities, leading other teams of volunteers helping with one-day team projects.

Birding Team

Volunteers lead scheduled walks for Longwood’s visitors for enjoyment and to raise awareness of Longwood’s bird populations. Team members also tally and record the number of species cited during walks.  Walks are usually given on select Monday and Saturday mornings, year-round.

Christmas Teams

Several teams of volunteers work behind the scenes, helping prepare for Longwood’s Christmas display. Teams work, usually one day per week summer through early fall, to organize Christmas lights, create ornaments from gathered natural materials, and assemble décor elements.

This is just a sampling of the many ways volunteers lend support to Longwood Gardens.  Team development and refinement are on-going.