Horticulturists work with plants, people and the environment to transform or
maintain areas for recreation or relaxation. They are employed by retail garden
centres, production nurseries, landscape contractors, landscape architectural
firms, the municipal, provincial and federal governments, public park systems,
botanical gardens, horticultural gardens, colleges and universities.
Horticulture
is a broad and diverse field. You can combine various gardening, construction
and business skills to develop careers in widely divergent areas. Many
horticulturists grow plants for landscape contractors and retail garden centres.
Others design, build and look after gardens and parks working with plants, soil
and water, and materials such as stone and timber. Their gardens may include
features such as fountains or rockeries. You can also act as a consultant,
giving advice to homeowners and clients on how to create beautiful gardens.
Your
preference may be to specialize in looking after rare and exotic plants in
public conservatories. You may also provide workshops, symposia, courses or
tours for the thousands of interested people who are served by public gardens.
You
may choose to concentrate on areas such as the provision or care of trees or
turf. Another speciality is golf course development and maintenance, keeping the
course looking its best despite obstacles such as insects, disease, or drought.
On entering this field, you are likely to be paid by the hour. Management is
paid a salary while sales are paid a base rate plus commissions.
This job
will appeal to you if you are well organized, responsible and artistic. You
should respond to the challenge of creating something from nothing and have a
keen interest in working with plants to improve the environment. The ability to
respond to changing priorities and working to detailed specifications is
essential.
You will enjoy field work if you like physical activity in an
outdoor setting. You will succeed as a salesperson if you are friendly, possess
good communication skills, and are very familiar with landscape plants and their
uses. On the other hand, if you are self-motivated, display initiative, enjoy
working with people and are willing to develop a good business background, you
are an excellent candidate for an administrative career in horticulture.
The
job involves working in all sorts of weather. It can also mean working at a
frantic pace especially in the spring and fall. Much of the industry functions
on a ten to eleven month work year, so most workers get one to two months off
annually.
Most people who enter this profession begin as gardeners. With the right personal attributes and attitude, it is possible to attain management or supervisory positions within a few years.