What Kinds of Jobs Can You Get Working With Plants?
Jobs working with plants fall into main categories: practical gardening jobs or scientific jobs working as a botanist. Many jobs working with plants do not require a formal education or training, but an interest in plants is essential. The demand for people working with plants is good. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 1.2 million people worked in grounds maintenance jobs in 2008.
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Business Premises
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Businesses employ gardeners to maintain the landscaped areas around their offices. These may be extensive grounds, small areas close to reception or communal areas shared with other businesses on a campus. Shopping malls also require gardeners to maintain plant displays within the mall or in surrounding car parks and public areas. Gardeners working for businesses may be self-employed or work as employees for a facilities maintenance company.
Government Agencies
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Government agencies employ gardeners to work in parks, schools, hospitals and other public buildings. Gardeners can work on the maintenance of grounds around public buildings or on landscaped public areas. They can also work in local government nurseries, growing and supplying plants for public gardens. Gardeners in this sector are likely to be employees of local government agencies.
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Residential
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Many homeowners employ gardeners to maintain their design or maintain their gardens. Much of the work is simple garden maintenance, such as routine weeding and planting, lawn care or tree and shrub pruning. Some homeowners employ gardeners to plan and undertake a complete makeover of their gardens. Gardeners working for homeowners are generally self-employed. Homes with very large grounds may employ teams of gardeners on a full-time basis to manage the scale of work.
Nurseries
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Nurseries and garden centers employ gardeners to grow plants, deal with customers and maintain the displays within the garden center or nursery. People who have a good knowledge of plants can provide customers with advice on the best plants for their garden conditions. Nurseries employ people with botanical skills to develop new species and improve the quality of their existing range. They also employ people to do routine jobs such as planting seeds, watering and preparing plants for sale.
Botanists
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Botanists have a major in biology or botany and most take higher qualifications, according to the education website, State University. Botanists work in colleges and universities teaching or carrying out research into plants. They may also work in areas such as agriculture, conservation, forestry or horticulture, where they provide expertise or carry out industry-specific research.
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