What are the Different Horticulture Jobs?

The field of horticulture has to do with designing, planting, and maintaining outdoor spaces with shrubbery, ground cover, and trees. Different horticulture jobs specialize in one stage of this field, such as planning, or in one aspect of the landscape, such as lawn maintenance. There are many horticulture jobs available to an educated, experienced employee in environments as diverse as a theme park, nursery, campus, florist, cemetery, historical monument, golf course, museum, or arboretum.

One possible horticulture job is a landscape designer. This person is responsible for having a vision for a hillside, front lawn, or business parkway, and being able to implement it smoothly. A designer has knowledge of appropriate hedges, trees, perennials, and ground cover that will do well in that particular climate. One would also be in charge of landscape elements, such as water features, pathways, retaining walls, and arbors. Experience with irrigation, drainage, and soil type would be an asset to a landscape designer.

Another horticulture job is a florist. This entrepreneur can own a floral shop. They order and stock cut flowers, foliage, and accessories. A florist must have a designer's eye to use color and texture in tasteful arrangements for a bride's bouquet, birthday centerpiece, or Christmas garland. On hand must be the names of many flowers, as well as colors in which they are available, as well as scent. Florists should also possess other business skills needed to run a storefront, such as financial management.

Maintenance employees are involved in yet another potential horticulture job. These would include groundskeepers, lawn maintainers, and tree trimmers. They must have a solid background in soil chemistry, disease, insects, pesticides, and plant varieties to keep a lawn lush and healthy. Maintenance personnel need to be able to handle assorted equipment, such as pruning sheers, lawn mowers, weed trimmers, etc., keeping skill and safety in mind. A maintenance technician could run their own small business, or work for a company.

A representative working at a nursery is another option. In this horticulture job, the employee might supervise the nursery's greenhouse to breed new strains of roses that resist drought. Or they could grow vegetable seedlings and repot them for sale. Customers ask a nursery specialist what plant is best for their parkway, how to water and feed herbs, or how to use nitrogen fertilizer. At a nursery, one would perform casual consulting, customer service, and plant care, as well as retail duties.