* * * This is NOT a job offer * * * The purpose of this occupational guide is to provide you with useful information to help you make career decisions. If you are searching for a job, please go to CalJobs (for jobs in California)     OR      JOBcentral (for jobs nationwide)

More Occupational Guides

Gardeners and Groundskeepers

THE JOB

GARDENERS and GROUNDSKEEPERS work in many different places, from private 
property to city parks to golf courses to cemeteries--even on Hollywood 
movie sets.  These workers have different titles, depending on where they 
work and the type of work they do.

Garden Workers and Yard Workers condition and prepare soil, plant seeds or 
bulbs in greenhouses or outdoors, and plant flowers, shrubs, and trees using 
a work plan.  They fertilize, weed, transplant, and thin plants in public or 
private gardens.  They may also lay sod, prune trees and repair gardening 
tools and fences.

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.

Special Effects Gardeners create special displays of plants for movie sets, 
gardening workshops, or fairs, working from detailed instructions.  They 
also collect moss, rocks, plants, and flowers to use in the display.  They 
may fertilize, water, and weed sets while the display is up.


WORKING CONDITIONS

Gardeners and Groundskeepers do medium to heavy work outdoors and in climate-
controlled greenhouses or work sheds.  Physical agility and strength are 
needed to crouch, squat, and stoop while cultivating, tending, and lifting 
plants, and while carrying equipment and materials for various distances.  
The strength and stamina needed is different from job to job, but most 
workers should be able to work outdoors in all kinds of weather and keep up 
a steady work pace all day.


EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK

Gardeners and Groundskeepers are a part of the bigger occupational group of 
Gardeners, and Groundskeepers (Except Farm).

The California Projections of Employment, published by the Labor Market 
Information Division of the Employment Development Department, estimates 
that the number of Gardeners, and Groundskeepers (Except Farm) in California 
will reach 86,110 by 2005, an increase in new jobs of 22,960 over the number 
there was in 1993.

There will also be an estimated 9,960 job openings due to people retiring or 
leaving the occupation.  Added to the 22,960 new jobs expected, this makes 
for an estimated total of 32,920 job opportunities through 2005.

(These figures do not include self-employment nor openings due to turnover.)

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. 


WAGES, HOURS, AND FRINGE BENEFITS

Gardeners and Groundskeepers earn a wide range of wages due to their many 
different employers and union contracts. Depending on experience, they can 
earn from minimum wage to $19.00 per hour.  Apprentices are paid at 50 to 70 
percent of the journey-level rate to start.  The standard workweek is 40 
hours, eight hours a day, five days a week.  Fringe benefits for workers may 
include paid vacations, paid holidays, sick leave, health insurance, and 
retirement plans.


ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS 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.


ADVANCEMENT

With experience and more training, Gardeners and Groundskeepers can promote 
to supervisor, landscape manager, or contractor/owner of a private 
landscaping business.


FINDING THE JOB

Jobs as Gardeners and Groundskeepers can be found through any Job Service 
office of the California Employment Development Department, private 
employment agencies, personnel offices of local, state and federal 
governments, or the personnel departments of big companies.  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.


ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Southern California Gardeners Federation
333 South San Pedro Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 628-1595

National Park Foundation
P.O. Box 57473
Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 785-4500
http://www.nationalparks.org


RELATED OCCUPATIONAL GUIDES

Landscape Architects                No.  216
Horticulturists                     No.  396

OCCUPATIONAL CODE  REFERENCES

DOT (Dictionary of Occupational Titles, 4th ed., Rev. 1)
Gardener                                   301.687-018
Greenskeeper II                            406.683-010
Cemetery Worker                            406.684-010
Groundskeeper, Industrial/Commercial.      406.684-014
Garden Worker                              406.684-018
Lawn Service Worker                        408.684-010

OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) System
Gardeners and Groundskeepers, Except Farm       790140


Source:  State of California, Employment Development Department,
         Labor Market Information Division, Information Services Group,
         (916) 262-2162.