Horticulture Work

Kinds of Horticulture Work and Planning Your Career

Horticulture encompasses a broad profession so if you are interested in horticulture work, the diversity of this industry will allow you plenty of options. In simple words, horticulture work is all about growing plants and flowers. It also involves growing vegetables and herbs but it differs from agricultural work because horticulture focuses on more exotic crop varieties.

Most horticulturists work in large plant nurseries where the products are sold wholesale. Horticulture work can be the actual tending of the plants or it can be the supervision of these nurseries. Marketing flowers and plants to retail shops can also be considered a form of horticulture work. You can find horticulture work on private nurseries, farms, greenhouses, orchards and even gardens. Government agencies also offer horticulture work that can vary from tending public parks to being a plant pest control specialist.

While the type of jobs that you can get in this industry varies widely, the traditional horticulture work always has something to do with physical labor. If you are interested in this type of work then you need to be physically fit. You should be able to lift heavy objects like plants or fertilizer bags. Other types of manual horticulture work include sowing seeds, weeding, fertilizing, watering, potting, moving plants, harvesting flowers, operating machinery, managing watering systems, applying chemicals and many more.
While manual horticulture work is not at all glamorous, workers are rewarded by spending their working days peacefully surrounded by lush greenery.

Another option is to consider a specialized horticulture work such as working in a flower farm or in a greenhouse. Alternatively, you can specialize in growing just one type of plant or flower such as roses or sunflowers. Typically, owners of farms and nurseries hire workers to do one type of job on the farm, for instance, watering or harvesting. But as an applicant, you should be flexible enough to do different types of jobs.

If you are considering a higher-level of horticulture work such as landscape architect or greenhouse manager, get an education preferably an associate or bachelor's degree in horticulture or a specific area that you are interested in. Having the right education and training is very important to support your career goals. Study various horticulture programs offered in colleges in your area. Additionally, nothing beats having significant experience in your chosen field so after graduation, you should plan your career choices carefully so that you gain relevant experiences that will allow you to move right towards your goal.