The UK is renowned world wide for its wonderful heritage of parks and gardens. Our parks and green spaces meet many of the health, life quality and community integration agendas of society.
Gardeners grow and maintain plants in a variety of different settings. These include public and historical parks, private and botanical gardens, plant nurseries, sports facilities, roadside verges and open green spaces.
">No two parks or gardens are the same therefore the work is varied, interesting and provides a wide variety of tasks and opportunities. Their work involves all stages in the care and planting of flower beds, trees, shrubs, lawns and managing and maintaining gardens or green spaces. In addition to this, there is also the general maintenance of green areas plus erecting fences and hard landscape tasks e.g. laying paths.
Many Gardeners work in gardens open to the public and can be engaged in visitor management, events, leading garden walks and contributing to the interpretation and marketing of the site. Gardeners must work to maximise visitor enjoyment by maintaining excellent standards of presentation within the environment.
A Gardener's work involves a variety of jobs including:
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Cutting grass and hedges
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Edging lawns
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Seasonal maintenance of shrubs and trees
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Digging, planting and weeding flower beds and borders
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Laying mulch (compost, bark or other materials) around plants
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Propagation, plant production and maintenance under glass
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Clearing and planting flower beds
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Providing plants with support and protection
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Pest and disease control and the timely and safe use of pesticides as directed
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Clearing leaves and litter
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Recycling garden rubbish
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Cleaning and maintaining machinery and equipment
Gardeners will be expected to use a range of tools and mechanical equipment, ranging from hand forks to large vehicle-mounted equipment requiring specialised training.
The work may involve basic building, such as erecting sheds or conservatories or building patios, walls, decking and fencing.
Gardeners involved in ground maintenance may work in small teams to make sure parks and public spaces are regularly maintained. Some Gardeners may also be involved in park safety, carrying out regular checks on children's playgrounds.
Gardeners may specialise in:
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Trees and shrubs (arboriculture)
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Maintaining specialist play surfaces such as cricket and football pitches (Groundsman) and golf courses (Greenkeeper)
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Interior landscaping and looking after plants in office blocks, shopping arcades and other indoor areas
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Restoring old gardens
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Tree-planting schemes
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The regeneration of derelict land
Many Gardeners are self-employed, working for private individuals and offering services from basic lawn mowing and hedge trimming to full garden design.
Gardeners usually work around 37 hours a week. Their hours can vary according to the season. In the growing season, they often start very early in the morning and need to be flexible and willing to work extra hours at peak times to keep gardens and parks looking at their best. Overtime, part-time and casual or seasonal work is available.
Gardeners work outdoors in all weathers. Some jobs, such as working in the gardens of a historic house, involve regular contact with the public.
Gardeners may also have to climb ladders, use noisy machinery or apply chemicals and fertilisers to improve soils or kill pests and diseases.
A driving licence could be an advantage. The work could be difficult for people with allergies to grass and pollen or those who get hay fever.
These figures are only a guide, as actual rates of pay may vary depending on the employer and where people live.
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Gardeners working for a local authority may start at around £12,000 to £16,000 a year
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More experienced gardeners may earn up to £19,000 a year
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Senior gardeners specialising in ground maintenance or in management jobs may earn around £25,000 a year
Self-employed gardeners normally negotiate an hourly rate, which varies depending on their experience and where they work.
- Monitor and maintain the health, safety and security of the workplace
- Inspect and monitor landscape maintenance
- Monitor the safety and condition of features and facilities
- Maintain environmental good practice at work
- Monitor and control the use of resources
- Plan the work of teams and individuals
- Lead the work of volunteers
- Monitor and evaluate the management of land-based sites
- Sequence and programme work
- Maintain compliance with conservation requirements
- Maintain trees and woodlands
- Manage projects
- Initiative
- Attention to detail
- Safety awareness
- Planning / Organizing Skills
- Work in a team / with others
- Customer Care / People Skills
- Financial Management Skills
- Project Management Skills
- Instruction / Training Skills
- Decision Making Skills
There are a variety of qualifications and training courses that can help you:
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Find employment
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Improve your current skills
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Gain promotion
Relevant training courses for a Gardner include:
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Apprenticeships in Horticulture
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BSc (Hons) Landscape and Garden Design
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BSc (Hons) Horticulture
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FDSc Garden Design
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BTEC First Diploma in Horticulture
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Higher National Diploma in Garden Design
Further information on Apprenticeships in Horticulture can be found on the Apprenticeship website.
A Diploma in Work-based Horticulture (previously National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)) at Levels 2-4 are also available. These qualifications can be obtained 'on the job' as they include workplace assessment.
Local authorities often run structured training programmes covering areas such as gardening techniques, health and safety, using machinery such as chainsaws and pest spraying.
While working, Gardeners may study for other qualifications, such as the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture or City and Guilds National Certificate in Horticulture. Other courses are the Wisley Diploma in Practical Horticulture, the Kew Diploma, the Edinburgh Diploma and the RHS Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Horticulture.
A variety of certificated courses are available and in certain circumstances may improve potential employment opportunities. These include:
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Certificate of Competence in the Safe Use of Pesticides
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Chainsaw Certificate
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Certificate in All Terrain Vehicles
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Trailer Handling Certificate
Having a full driving license will also improve employment opportunities.
Read more about all types of qualifications available in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Know what course you want? Search for a training course with Lantra’s CourseFinder.
It is important to:
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Be interested in plants and nature
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Have dedication to the practice and development of high quality gardening and craft skills
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Be interested in the landscape and the environment
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Enjoy working outdoors
Around 172,000 people work in gardening and horticulture in the UK, including the role of Groundsman and Greenkeepers.
Given the opportunities within the role of Gardeners there are many different types of employers, they include:
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Local authorities
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Private companies and contractors
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Developers
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Voluntary sector organisations
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Sports clubs
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Theme parks
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Universities, colleges and large industrial companies
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Plant nurseries
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Heritage organisations such as the National Trust
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Private individuals
Gardening itself is becoming more popular, leading to greater demand for gardening services. Employment opportunities are increasing as local authorities seek to improve the ‘green spaces’ they control. Many local authorities contract out their gardening and horticultural work to Landscaping Contractors.
Self-employment prospects are good, particularly in areas such as landscape maintenance, contracting and design.
There is keen competition for this job role and although there are no set academic qualifications required to enter this career, a real interest in gardening and some experience would be an advantage. This could include voluntary work.
In organisations employing teams of Gardeners, such as local authorities or heritage organisations, it may be possible to become a Supervisor, managing a team of gardeners, overseeing regular maintenance work and planning new planting schemes. Some Gardeners move into different areas of gardening work.
There are many opportunities for Gardeners with relevant experience to diversify into different careers, including outdoor recreation officer, countryside officer, horticultural education officer, forestry worker and landscape designer. There are also opportunities to specialise in areas of Botanical and Historic Gardens.
There may also be opportunities to work abroad.
For further support and information on careers you can contact the Lantra Connect Service:
Tel: 02476 69 69 96 or e-mail horticulturelandscapingand sportsturf@lantra.co.uk
Industry Information
Publications (some may be priced):
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Horticulture Week
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Come into Horticulture - Institute of Horticulture with Royal Horticultural Society
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HTA News
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Professional Gardener