2025 Horticulture Internship Placements

Rising Senior, Horticulture
University of Tennessee Gardens Jackson
Jackson, Tennessee

My name is Will Davidson and I am a Horticulture major at Clemson University. This summer, I interned at the University of Tennessee Gardens in Jackson, one of three public gardens that make up the State Botanical Garden of Tennessee. Much of this summer was devoted to preparing the garden for our biannual Summer Celebration Event, an outreach event for locals drawing over a thousand visitors. With a small staff most of the year, interns are given a lot of responsibility and work directly with the Director Jason Reeves. Working in a public garden means that many days were spent tilling, raking, mulching, planting, watering and weeding. Every day looks different, but my favorite parts included designing and building a bog garden, evaluating annual trial plants, propagation, collections management, designing a shade garden and attending the Cultivate Conference. This was an overwhelmingly positive experience that has given me invaluable perspective and practical skills that will help me in the future.

Rising Senior, Horticulture Major, Minors in Agribusiness and Chemistry
Universidad de Cordoba, Spain

My name is Lanie Deyo, and I am a rising senior majoring in Horticulture, with minors in Agribusiness and Chemistry. This past summer I had an internship in Cordoba, Spain. This internship was part of the Clemson FLORECE program. The program entails a ten-week trip to Spain where I assisted as a lab technician within the Department of Agronomy. While in the lab I worked on the Plant Pathology team studying aflatoxins. My role was to make and prepare petri plates of different carbon-based media, record fungus growth patterns, count spores, and insert and evaluate data. This internship allowed me to get fully out of my comfort zone and be in a new lab in a new country. FLORECE gave me the opportunity to connect with people from around the world and learn about agriculture from other perspectives and techniques. I truly enjoyed this internship, and I am thankful for the amazing opportunity!

Senior Horticulture Student
South Carolina Botanical Garden
Clemson, SC

My name is Kathryn Gathers and I am a senior horticulture student at Clemson University. I had the opportunity to complete my internship this summer at the South Carolina Botanical Garden. During my time at the gardens, I was able to work with most of the horticulture managers as well as complete a wide variety of tasks. Some of the tasks I completed included working in the nursery, building a dry creek bed on a trail, removing invasive plant species, and working two summer camps. These experiences allowed me to gain a better understanding of the different work aspects of a career in the public gardens. The various sectors in which I worked challenged me both mentally and physically with each project allowing me to gain a sense of accomplishment. Even though working in this environment involves a lot of physically difficult work I can say that I really enjoyed each day, and I could see myself having a career in this same field. The South Carolina Botanical Garden is a wonderful place to gain experience.

Rising Junior – Horticulture Major
South Carolina Botanical Garden
Clemson, SC

My name is Ellie Gerdes and I am a horticulture major at Clemson University. This summer, I had the opportunity to work here in Clemson at the South Carolina Botanical Garden as a Conservation and Curation Intern. In this position, I completed tasks such as counting germinating seeds, planting seeds, repotting plants, and entering data into a digital spreadsheet. I also got to work on various projects like the refurbished insect hotel in the Children’s Garden and protocol sheets designed to aid in propagation and growth of a particular species. This internship has been an amazing experience and has helped me gain confidence in completing tasks.

Senior, Horticulture
FLORECE, Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology Seville (IRNAS)
Seville Spain

My name is Daniel Greco, and I am a senior Horticulture major at Clemson University.
This past summer I was selected for the FLORECE, Future Leaders Obtaining Research and Extension Career Experiences program, and my research station was IRNAS in Seville Spain. I chose this program and location because I have a deep interest in agricultural research and cultural exchange. In the field, I was responsible for taking soil moisture measurements, logging irrigation figures, installing new pieces of equipment and general maintenance tasks. In the lab, I worked with researchers using existing technology in a novel manner and comparing the results with existing methods. The trip had its difficulties but was an amazing experience to help me grow as a person and a student. I would recommend this program to anyone who has an interest in research and cultural exchange.

Rising Senior, Horticulture
Clemson Cooperative Extension
Clemson, SC

Hello! My name is Audrey Hembree, and I am a senior Horticulture student at Clemson University. My internship this summer was with Clemson Cooperative Extension. I worked remotely, which gave me the opportunity to take my work with me. The project I have been working on this semester has been creating presentations for an ornamental production course that will be offered later through extension. There are eight presentations. I compiled information, found photos, and formatted most of the modules. Some required me to do more research. Throughout the experience, I followed my mentor, Drew Jeffer's, guidance and learned a lot about the industry. I found this job to be fulfilling and fun! I loved working for the extension department.

Rising Junior Horticulture
Adelberg Lab at Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina

My name is TJ Hemphill, and I am an upcoming senior majoring in horticulture at Clemson University. This summer, I worked as a lab assistant, focusing on the research involved in hydroponically growing vegetable plants. I primarily worked in the greenhouses, taking care of plants as well as collecting vegetative data, electrical conductivity data, and pH data of the plants and the solution they were grown in. On other days, I worked in the lab preparing fertilizer solutions, sowing plants, and inputting data into Excel for the researchers I collaborated with this summer. I found this internship to be extremely informative because I had never worked on any experiment from start to finish before. Although it was very challenging, I am grateful for the opportunity to work this summer.

Rising Senior, Horticulture
South Carolina Botanical Garden
Clemson, South Carolina

My name is Lindsay Hill and I am a senior Horticulture major at Clemson University. This past summer I worked rotations with different managers at the South Carolina Botanical Garden in Clemson, SC. I wanted to expand my knowledge in Horticulture, so being with the managers helped. Between all of the managers, I weeded, planted, repotted plants, sanitized tools, watered plants, sprayed chemicals, mulched beds, and pulled invasive weed species off of trees. I loved this internship because it was informative to me within the short period of time. However, I loved it so much I got a job as a student worker! This was a great group of individuals to work with, managers and interns. I would highly recommend this internship to other Horticulture majors.

Rising Senior in Horticulture
Dr. Faust’s lab at Clemson University

My name is Kayley Hudson and I’m a rising senior in Horticulture. This summer, I got to work for Dr. Faust and Dr. Borda, which involved Clemson University’s greenhouses and Dr. Faust’s lab. Among my duties were mixing solutions, helping log data for experiments, harvesting flowers, pruning, watering, and washing equipment. I was even allowed to lead an experiment myself to learn about post-harvest treatments for evergreen branches. This internship has allowed me to gain a lot of practical experience in the greenhouse and learn more about what it’s actually like to work in a lab. I’m really glad I got this opportunity, and I’ve greatly enjoyed my time in the greenhouse and lab

Rising Senior, Horticulture Major
Garrett Farms
Easley, South Carolina

My name is Dylan Hughes, and I’m a senior Horticulture major at Clemson University. This summer, I had the opportunity to intern at Garrett Farms, where I gained a lot of experience in the daily operations of a greenhouse and plant nursery business. At the start of my internship, I focused on learning the basics- identifying the wide variety of plants, understanding the classification, and determining the proper environment suitable for each plant. I spent a significant amount of time planting plugs, repotting rootbound plants, and propagating new ones. Watering techniques were another essential skill I developed. I learned how to ensure the water reached the roots effectively, avoid wetting the foliage to reduce disease risk, and make certain that all plant within a tray are watered. This internship has been an incredibly valuable experience. It deepened my knowledge, strengthened my practical skills, and reinforced my confidence in pursuing a career in horticulture.

Rising Junior, Horticulture
Farm Girl Deliveries
Six Mile, South Carolina

My name is Marilee Hull, and I am a rising junior Horticulture major with a minor in Agricultural Business Management at Clemson University. This summer, I interned at Farm Girl Deliveries, a family run farm in Six Mile, where I harvested flowers and produce. I also did a variety of other projects such as: weeding, laying mulch, clearing flower beds, installing tarps for solmization, sowing seeds, watering, maintenance care on plants, drying flowers, cleaning workstations and working a local farmers market. All these hands-on experiences helped me understand the importance of soil health, ecological and sustainable practices, exposure to plant cultivation and maintenance, and the connection with local ecosystem. I learned and expanded my knowledge this summer through hands on experience more than I could imagine. I appreciate the expansion of my expertise and the invaluable lessons from the farm for the development of my future plans. I encourage others to pursue an internship here if interested in learning to work with the environment in a natural way.

Senior Standing, Horticulture
Clemson University Musser Fruit Research Center

Hello, my name is Hillery Justice, and I am a Senior Horticulture major at Clemson University. This past summer, I had the opportunity to intern at Clemson's Musser Fruit Research Center, where I focused on gaining hands-on experience in fruit farm operations. During my time at the Center, I worked on harvesting ripe, consumer-ready peaches, sorting them for sale, grafting, and learning the process of peach tree care in a research setting. I was involved in every step of the process, from fieldwork to post-harvest handling, and had the chance to work with a variety of fruit crops. This experience deepened my appreciation for the dedication and knowledge required to successfully manage a fruit research farm. It was both educational and rewarding!

Rising Junior, Horticulture
The Garden Center at Precision
Seneca, SC

My name is Madelyn LeRoy and I am a rising Junior Horticulture major at Clemson University. I had the privilege of working as a summer intern at The Garden Center at Precision in Seneca, SC. At the Garden Center I tended to customers and answered their questions, watered and pruned plants, restocked plants, and helped out in any way that I could throughout the nursery. The Garden Center had a deep inventory, and customers always came with a lot of questions, so I learned something new every single day. Working at The Garden Center was truly an amazing experience and I would definitely recommend working there.

Rising Junior, Horticulture
South Carolina Botanical Garden
Clemson University, Clemson, SC

My name is Noel Naumoff, and I am a junior Horticulture major at Clemson University. Over the course of three months, I interned at the South Carolina Botanical Garden because I wanted to strengthen my knowledge and hands-on experience of horticulture. I rotated through the various sections of the garden, where tasks included weed and invasive species identification and removal, mulching, repotting, irrigation checks and repairs, creating an online plant inventory, planting plugs and young trees or shrubs, pruning, watering, de-vining trees, clearing walking paths of debris, and removal of trees. I enjoyed this internship because it exposed me to the diverse aspects of public garden management and broadened my perspective on career opportunities in horticulture. I would recommend this internship to anyone interested in pursuing a career in public or botanical gardening.

Senior Horticulture Major & Business Minor
Blue Ridge Flowers
Blue Ridge, Georgia

My name is Maggie Payne, and I am a rising senior majoring in Horticulture at Clemson University. This summer, I interned at Blue Ridge Flowers, a wonderful flower shop located in Blue Ridge, Georgia. My responsibilities at the flower shop included processing flowers as they were delivered, caring for our diverse live plant inventory, creating and delivering a variety of fresh flower arrangements, initiating customer interaction and online sales, and setting up events such as weddings and funerals all across northern Georgia. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at this company and feel I have learned a lot about what it takes to succeed in the flower industry and about flowers themselves.

Rising Senior, Horticulture
Growing Green Family Farms
Anderson, South Carolina

My name is Jonathan Rodriguez and I am a rising senior Horticulture major at Clemson University. This summer I had the privilege of working at Growing Green Family Farms in Anderson, SC. My duties at the farm included harvesting, transplanting, seeding, applying compost and mulch, weeding, cleaning and processing produce, and packaging and preparing orders. Along with that, I learned about regenerative farming, non-chemical pest and weed management, and the various business aspects of owning a farm. My experience here has been overwhelmingly positive and has been a wonderful opportunity for me to learn new skills and build on what I know.

Senior Horticulture
Major Lush Acres Farm Thornwell
Clinton, SC

My name is Jason Rogers and I am a senior Horticulture student at Clemson. I had the privilege of doing an incredible internship this summer at Lush Acres Farm at Thornwell which is located right in the heart of Clinton, South Carolina. At the farm I was able to do many different tasks every day such as feeding cows and chickens, picking/planting produce, working cows, selling produce to the public, working with kids on field trips at the farm, working with the public handing out lunches in the community, building fences, running a planter, planting a corn maze and so much more. This summer was a great experience where I got to be a part of so many different things every day. I would definitely recommend working here. I love the team here and the work experience is great as well as being involved with the community.

Rising Junior Horticulture
Musser Fruit Research Center
Friendship Shores, SC 29678

During my time at the Musser Fruit Research Center as a general intern we experienced a variety of learning opportunities geared towards peach orchard management and horticultural practices for other small fruits. Since summer is the busy season there was never a moment where we stood around or experienced boredom. The most common tasks we performed were picking orchards, sorting fruit, assisting with research and sanitizing our areas to comply with food safety. My reaction to the experience was overall positive, working here has allowed me to narrow down what I might want to pursue later in my career.

Rising Senior, double majoring in Horticulture and Plant & Environmental Science
Tiger Lily Flowers, LLC
Central, South Carolina

My name is Hannah Spurrell, and I am a senior, double majoring in Horticulture and Plant & Environmental Science. This summer, I worked at Tiger Lily Flowers, LLC in Central, South Carolina. At Tiger Lily, I worked as a “shop” girl and delivery driver. As a “shop” girl, I helped with processing flowers, organizing flowers for daily and event use, taking orders, and doing gift basket orders. For large events, I would also help put greenery in arrangements. As a delivery driver, I had to coordinate delivery times with customers and deliver their flowers, baskets, events, or balloons. I absolutely loved the experience! The team at Tiger Lily is wonderful and welcomed me like I was part of the family from day one. I also learned much about the floral industry and how much it has changed in the past few years.

Rising Senior, Horticulture Major Business Administration Minor
Cannasure LLC.
Clemson, SC

My name is Nicholas Velez, and I am a rising Senior Horticulture major Business Administration minor from Murrells Inlet, SC. This summer I had the opportunity to gain firsthand horticultural experience at Cannasure LLC. in Clemson, SC. Cannasure LLC. Provides fresh local produce to different restaurants and people in the area. As a part of the internship experienced seed sowing, plant transplanting, crop harvesting, as well crop weighing and packaging, along with plenty of other experiences. Every day was truly something new and provided a new insight into the industry of Horticulture. Overall, my experience with this internship has been a positive one with many ups and downs and a very realistic look into not only the in the field hands on labor of crop production but the business aspect of it as well.

Rising Senior, Horticulture
South Carolina Botanical Gardens
Clemson, SC

My name is Luc Whittingham, and I am a senior horticulture major at Clemson University. This summer I worked at the South Carolina Botanical Gardens and managed the Natural Heritage Trail. Me and the other intern in my position often did the tasks of weeding, leaf blowing the trail, trimming things back, planting plugs and trees, checking on and adding water to the water fixtures along the trail, fixing the trail ground as needed, and weed eating. I also worked on a few projects, namely the pocosin (small wetland bog), the pond near the carnivorous garden, and the area between the dam and the bridge next to Hunt Cabin. I really enjoyed my time at the garden, especially the people that I worked with, I learned a lot there.

Senior Horticulture
Musser Fruit Research Center
Seneca, SC

I have a background in the food industry, including running a dining hall at a biology field station for 3 years, and I'm currently finishing up a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture as a returning student. I'm interested widely in the cultural aspects of horticulture, particularly in ecological alternative methods of weed control, plant nutrition and health, and soil health. Musser Farm was a logical choice in the immediate area, as they are primarily concerned with research on horticultural innovation in fruit cultivation, and I knew they would value my background in food safety. As we began the work experience, there were a huge variety of jobs to do, as there weren't many peaches to pick yet- but there were plenty of strawberries for the first two weeks, which was hard, backbreaking work to pick and cultivate, but delicious. I spent some time working with Dave, a 30-year employee at the farm, on thinning the fruit on the trees for optimal fruit size and picking- replicating grower standards. I helped to finish building a pole barn where they were planning to store farm vehicles. I helped to clear out brush along the fence line as well as repairing and maintaining the fence. We spent a half-day grafting trees, which was something I was really excited to do. For the second half of the experience, there was an incredible, near-overwhelming amount of fruit to pick- weighing the yield from each tree for data- and picking and sales totes to clean, along with several events occurring at the farm that required us to clean the building in preparation. I got a ton of practice on picking fruit at the desired ripeness - fully developed, but not yet softened. I really enjoyed the times I had the opportunity to discuss my interests and learning with people at the lab with a wealth of knowledge in their field, and to practically apply that learning. I was fully prepared for the peach picking- they made sure to warn us that it was hot and itchy and buggy, which was certainly true, but I wasn't prepared for the amount of cleaning and sanitizing involved in the fruit processing, which is something I certainly had my fill of in the restaurant industry. Overall, I had some really fun times driving around the farm and talking about fruit while we ate it, got out a good sweat in the hot sun, enjoyed chatting with the other employees while picking and sorting fruit, and learned some interesting techniques for keeping itchy peach fuzz off my neck and elbows. I'll continue to develop my horticultural and general career skills that I've learned in school, life, previous work, and experience at Musser Farm.