Becoming a gardener is a rewarding career choice, but it takes hard work and dedication. This guide will help you become qualified to pursue a career as a professional gardener.
Step 1: Learn about plants and gardening
The first step to becoming a professional gardener is learning about plants and gardening. You can start by reading books about plants, visiting botanical gardens, or taking classes at your local community college.
Step 2: Get experience by volunteering at a botanical garden or horticultural center
Once you’ve learned about plants and gardening, the next step is to gain some experience working with them. Most cities have many different types of gardens that need volunteers to help maintain them. These types of organizations often offer free training courses and experiences where you can learn how to care for different types of plants in different environments.
How To Become Gardener
If you like growing plants and being outdoors, you might enjoy a career as a gardener. Many people like being gardeners because of the flexible hours, the ability to work outside and the knowledge that you’re helping plants grow and thrive. It also offers the opportunity to start your own business. In this article, we discuss what a gardener does, what skills they have and how to become a gardener.
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What does a gardener do?
A gardener is a professional who works with plants. Gardeners grow, arrange and care for a variety of flowers, trees, shrubs and plants. A gardener may tend to the gardens on private properties or in public spaces, such as at community parks. Although gardeners can work in a variety of locations, most usually work in an outdoor location. Your responsibilities as a gardener may include:
- Monitoring the health of plants
- Doing garden maintenance work, such as pulling weeds or mowing lawns
- Growing plants from seeds or cuttings
- Operating outdoor machinery or tools, such as tillers, lawnmowers or pruners
- Planning a garden layout or aesthetic
- Performing pest control in gardens, such as by using insect traps
- Cleaning, repairing or maintaining gardening tools
- Pruning shrubs or trees
- Completing basic building tasks, like placing a fence or assembling a shed
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How to become a gardener
Professionals wondering how to become a gardener should know that there aren’t any formal qualifications required. However, finding a position as a gardener may be easier if you have some experience, training or education. Here are five different ways you can become a gardener:
1. Enrol in a university course
Take a university course in gardening or a related subject. Some aspiring gardeners decide to take a college course that covers subjects such as safe usage of gardening machinery, identifying plants and growing different types of plants. Many colleges and universities call these courses horticulture, meaning the art and science of growing plants. You might also decide to take classes or modules about specialised subjects, such as tending to historic gardens. Course options include:
- Level 1 Certificate in Horticulture Skills
- Level 2 Diploma in Horticulture and Amenity Horticulture
- Level 3 Certificate in Practical Horticulture
To apply for a gardening course from a university, you typically first need one or more GCSEs. The number and grades of the required GCSEs depend on what level of gardening course you’d like to take.
2. Find an apprenticeship
Get a horticulture and landscape operative intermediate apprenticeship. Some colleges offer apprenticeships that allow candidates to gain practical gardening and horticulture skills, such as designing different gardens, growing crops and helping plants stay healthy. You might also find horticulture apprenticeships at professional bodies that specialise in gardening, such as the Royal Horticulture Society. Entry requirements for horticulture apprenticeships typically include some GCSEs, often in at least English and maths, at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C).
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3. Gain experience
Gain gardening experience with a volunteer or entry-level position. Some people become gardeners by looking for gardening volunteer roles. Both The Conservation Volunteers and the National Trust often have open volunteer positions in gardening, horticulture or conservation. You might also consider searching for an entry-level gardening job, such as an assistant gardener.
4. Look for courses offered by a professional body
Enrol in a specialist course from an organisation for gardening. Some horticulture professional bodies teach courses in plant growth, health, planning and related subjects. The Royal Horticulture Society, for example, offers qualifications for Levels 1, 2 and 3.
5. Apply directly
Submit applications to gardener positions directly. If you have gardening skills and knowledge already, you may apply directly to a gardening role. Check the job posting’s requirements and desired qualifications before sending in your application materials.
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Gardener skills
If you want to become a gardener, consider developing the following skills:
- Patience: Cultivating plants can take a long time. A gardener must be patient and give plants time to grow.
- Creativity: Gardeners often design the arrangement or aesthetic of a garden. A gardener needs to understand how to create gardens that are both pleasing to look at and meet their client’s expectations.
- Attention to detail: Gardeners must have excellent observation skills to notice minor details about the plants in their care. For example, they should be able to detect the subtle signs that show a plant is in poor health.
- Basic technology skills: Many gardeners today use basic technological devices or tools for their business. For example, a gardener might use an electronic system to manage their appointments.
- Organisation: Many gardeners have multiple clients, meaning they need to know how to balance their various tasks, projects and responsibilities. Gardeners also should understand how to artfully organise various flowers, trees and plants within a designated space.
- Business management: Gardeners who are self-employed or run a small business should understand basic business management tactics and tools. Business management skills include balancing budgets, supervising employees and planning projects.
- Interpersonal skills: Gardeners often collaborate with other professionals, such as landscapers and groundskeepers. A gardener needs to know how to communicate effectively with others and be a valuable part of a team.
- Ability to use mechanical tools: Gardeners should understand how to operate, clean and perform minor repairs on mechanical gardening tools.
- Physical fitness: A gardener may spend most of their time in a standing or kneeling position, which requires physical stamina. Gardeners should also have the physical strength and ability to operate heavy garden machinery.
- Customer service: Gardeners often help customers with varying wants, backgrounds and concerns. A gardener should have customer service skills, such as professionalism and communication, that help them meet the needs of each client.
- Manual dexterity: Gardeners do a lot of work with their hands, such as planting seeds, pruning bushes or watering plants. These and other horticulture skills require a gardener to carefully control the slight movements of their hands.
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Salary for gardeners
Gardeners earn an average of £22,159 per year. An individual gardener’s salary may vary based on many factors, including their years of experience, education or geographic location. For example, gardeners at some of the top employers for gardening professionals report earning over £40,000 per year.
FAQs about gardeners
Here are some frequently asked questions about gardeners:
What’s the work environment like for gardeners?
Many gardeners spend most of their time outdoors. This means that you may work in a variety of weather and might need to use outdoor protective gear, such as rain slickers or goggles. While outside, gardeners frequently work while standing or kneeling.
If a gardener is self-employed or runs a small business, they may also spend some of their time at an office managing appointment schedules, balancing their budgets or making garden plans for their clients.
How long does it take to become a gardener?
The time needed to become a gardener depends on many factors, including how you decide to become a gardener. Completing a course from a university or professional body may take longer than some of the other methods for becoming a gardener. However, formal education or training might help you advance faster in your gardening career.
Where do gardeners work?
Many gardeners are self-employed or work for small private businesses. They might work with or run a gardening business or a related type of organisation, such as a grounds maintenance or landscaping company. A gardener might also find employment opportunities at places such as nurseries, garden centres, botanical gardens or historic landmarks.
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What’s the difference between a gardener and a landscaper?
Gardeners and landscapers both design and help maintain outdoor areas. However, landscapers care for a wider outdoor space than a gardener does. For example, a landscaper for government property might create, develop or maintain the garden, deck, walkway and other outdoor features. A gardener, however, would focus only on designing, cultivating and maintaining the garden space.
Gardeners and landscapers also differ in their specialised knowledge. A landscaper knows more about pouring concrete, mixing cement and assembling other more complex outdoor elements. However, a gardener understands more about cultivating plants, such as the best conditions that various plants thrive in or the optimal ways to cut different plants.
