Student placements at De Wiersse
Many of our students have stayed on for longer, or come back for further periods to work in the garden. At de Wiersse students have the opportunity to experience a great variety of practical aspects: woodland and wild garden; meadows, where the grass is mown and carried twice a year to promote the wild flowers and bulbs that grow there: hedges and paths, water in ponds and stream: the mixed borders,Rose Parterre (1913), pergola and Sunk Garden (1917): and a large and productive organic fruit and vegetable garden which includes annuals and a nursery area. Students will have the unique chance to observe and share in the pleasures and challenges of continuity and renewal in an historic garden and park open to the public.
The work includes all forms of maintenance, weeding, sowing, manuring, cutting back and pruning, digging, planting, staking, strimming, mowing. Students will work within a team, sometimes sharing a job with others, but must be able to work independently as well. There is also work in the woods and avenues – planting, thinning, pruning and coppicing.
De Wiersse is in a very rural area – 4 km from the nearest village and railway station – so students must be independent and not inclined to get bored by the countryside! We have bicycles, and train connections are good from here, so there is plenty of opportunity to visit other areas of the Netherlands or nurseries and botanic gardens. Amsterdam is about 1 ¾ hours away.
The working day starts at 8 am and ends at 4.30 pm from Monday to Friday and we do expect a high level of commitment and enthusiasm. It is not important that students have a great deal of previous knowledge of plants, but they must be willing to learn through practical experience. We are usually able to accommodate students and cover their cost of living.
For more information please contact Mrs. Gatacre, de Wiersse, Wiersserallee 9, 7251 LH Vorden, NL. or Contact us or email info@dewiersse.com