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Gardeners & Groundskeepers
Gardeners and Groundskeepers earn a wide range of wages due to their many different employers and union contracts. Local Wages Hours & Benefits Employment Trends Employment Trends by California County Gardeners and Groundskeepers are a part of the bigger occupational group of Gardeners, and Groundskeepers (Except Farm). Because the number of golf courses, public parks, community and residential properties has been growing, the need for gardening and groundskeeping has increased. The employment outlook for Gardeners and Groundskeepers should remain stable into the next century. Advancement Getting the Job & Other Information Those looking for this kind of work should also apply directly to landscape maintenance and gardening firms, golf courses, and nurseries. Also, newspaper ads are helpful in finding a job. Better chances for employment seem to be during the beginning of the landscape season, which usually starts in March and April. However, employers may begin to hire earlier to get ready for the peak season. For current job listings, browse CalJOBS or America's Job Bank. References Related Occupation: Landscape Architects #216, Horticulturalists #396 Training: California State Training Inventory |
Education and Training Employers usually require that the job applicant be in excellent physical condition, be able to do heavy work, and be able to follow directions. For some jobs, employers may require Gardener/Groundskeeper experience, some mechanical background, the ability to read and write, and a valid driver's license. Persons interested in becoming Gardeners and Groundskeepers can take horticultural courses at job training centers, community colleges, or adult schools, although most of these workers are trained by the employer. Skills & Other Requirements Landscape Gardeners keep up city, state and national parks. Following a planned design of the landscaped area, they lay sod or sow grass seed and plant shrubs, flowers, and trees. These workers also trim hedges, prune trees, spray herbicides and pesticides, mow lawns, and remove rubbish. They may also help repair roads, walks, and greenhouses. Greenskeepers maintain the grounds of private and public golf courses. Operating tractors, electric and hand mowers with various attachments, they till, cultivate and grade new course areas. These workers use fertilizers, pesticides and other materials to keep the grass healthy, cut grass on greens and tees to the right height, and connect hose and sprinkler systems at designated points on the course to water the grass. Lawn Service Workers use thatchers, power and hand aerators, and chemicals to grow healthy lawns. They remove dead leaves and grass and rake lawns to put air into the soil. They apply fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides on a set schedule. These workers may take their tools from job to job and record activities and determine charges to customers. Cemetery Workers prepare graves and maintain cemetery grounds. They dig graves using picks and shovels or a back hoe. They position a casket- lowering device over the grave, put up a canopy over the grave site, and arrange folding chairs in for graveside funeral services. Following a set plan, these workers may plant and prune flowering shrubs, flower beds, and lawns, using hand and power tools. Industrial-Commercial Groundskeepers do the same kind of work as Garden Workers, except on commercial, industrial, or public property. They may also do minor fence, gate, sprinkler and outbuilding repairs, and may also shovel snow during the winter season. These workers also clear the grounds of litter and rake and bag leaves. © State of California EDD/LMID, US Department of Labor |