HIDCOTE Manor Gardens near Chipping Campden has been chosen as one of the partners in a new project for gardeners to learn their trade.

The new Triad project is currently recruiting experienced gardeners to spend four months in three of the world’s leading gardens in Gloucestershire, Pennsylvania, in the USA and Hyogo, in Japan.

At any time there will be six triad partners, two recruited in each country, who will gain experience from the gardens they work in as well as sharing knowledge from their own countries with the gardeners they meet overseas.

Mike Beeston, General Manager at Hidcote Manor Garden, said it was a unique and huge opportunity for the right person.

"We would expect applicants to have a diploma or degree in horticulture but we will be looking for a plantsman, somebody who can show an interest and willingness to learn and share ideas – and of course, travel," he said.

As well as Hidcote, the gardeners will be working at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, designed by Pierre S. du Pont, and at the Miracle Plant Museum of Plants, in Hyogo, near Kyoto in Japan.

The first four months at Hidcote will cover late summer, autumn and the start of winter in the heart of the Cotswolds.

In the New Year the Triad gardeners will move onto the Miracle Planet Museum of Plants, in Japan leaving just after the cherry blossom flowers before spending time in America.

"It is a really special project and something very new for the National Trust," added Mr Beeston. "Hidcote is already well known around the world and celebrated as one of the most influential 20th century gardens.

" We already have strong connections in Japan but this will bring us closer links and make sharing of ideas between the different countries and gardens much easier. "

Recruitment for the first two British gardeners is currently underway with the job details available online. For details visit nationaltrustjobs.org.uk. The closing date is Thursday, March 27 with the post starting in September.