Work with plant life is growing–in more ways than one.
According to BLS projections, the occupations related
to plants and landscaping will gain thousands of jobs be-
tween 2002 and 2012. Over this decade, employment for
both landscape architects and landscape and greenhouse
workers is expected to increase by about 22 percent.
That’s faster than the average employment growth pro-
jected for all occupations.
BLS does not make projections specifically for
landscape contractors, nursery supervisors, or turf grass
managers. Instead, these types of jobs are counted among
those of first-line supervisors or managers of landscaping,
lawn service, and groundskeeping workers. Employment
in this occupational group also is expected to increase by
about 22 percent.
What is causing this employment growth spurt in
green-industry occupations? The higher demand for land-
scaping services comes primarily from homeowners who
are improving their yards as a way to increase or protect
the value of their houses. Increased construction activ-
ity for housing and institutional buildings also should
support the demand for people who plan landscapes and
work with plants.
Still, job growth is only a small part of what’s creat-
ing opportunities for people who work with vegetation.
Many other openings are expected to come from the need
to replace current workers who permanently leave their
occupations. Landscape workers, with several thousand
openings expected over the projections decade, are a
prime example of this. But every plant-related occupation
is expected to need workers to replace others who leave.
Digging deeper
For more information about occupations related to plants,
visit your local library or career center. Many books and
resources describe green-industry occupations and how to
train for them.
One of the resources available at many libraries and
career centers is the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
The Handbook, which is also available and searchable
online at www.bls.gov/oco, describes the job duties,
working conditions, earnings, employment, and train-
ing requirements of plant-related occupations studied by
BLS.
The occupations profiled in this article are among
many in the green industry. Others include the following,
most of which are described in more detail in the Hand-
book
:
Arborists, also known as tree doctors, care for
trees and diagnose and treat diseased trees. (In the spring
2001 OOQ, see “You’re a what? Arborist,” online at
www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2001/spring/yawhat.htm.)
Farmers manage the crops that grow in farm
fields and greenhouses. (For more information about
modern farming practices, see “Farming in the 21st
century: A modern business in a modern world,” else-
where in this issue of the OOQ and online at www.bls.
gov/opub/ooq/2005/spring/art02.pdf.)
Forest workers plant trees in forests and timber-
lands, remove dead trees, and spray pesticides.
Foresters manage and take inventory of forests,
supervise the planting of new trees, and monitor forest
health.
Horticulturists and botanists research plants,
plant diseases, genetics, cross-breeding, and other tech-
niques for growing vegetation.
Horticulture and botany technicians assist sci-
entists with experiments and in caring for, testing, and
breeding plants.
Plant curators breed and grow plants for botani-
cal gardens and zoos, participate in conservation plant-
breeding programs, plan exhibits, and teach the public.
Urban foresters manage the trees and public
gardens of a city by choosing, caring for, and monitoring
plants and by working with volunteers.
Universities and community colleges can provide
information about horticultural training programs. The
cooperative extension services at State land-grant uni-
versities also have information for people interested in
qualifying to become master gardeners. And information
about working with native plants can be obtained at the
Native Plant Societies of the United States and Canada,
online at www.newfs.org/nps.htm#US.

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Many times, people are drawn to jobs in the green indus-
try because they like to raise plants. Gardening, studying
plant life, and caring for lawns are all excellent ways to
cultivate an interest.
Gardening
Having a garden or joining a garden club is a good way to
start learning about plants. But for more comprehensive
education, many people participate in “master gardener”
training programs offered at little or no cost by the agri-
cultural cooperative extension services of State land-grant
universities. Typically, gardeners in these programs
learn about topics such as botany, composting, organic
gardening, pesticide use and safety, and soils and fertil-
izers.
At the end of the training, participants are certified as
master gardeners, a credential that can later help in their
quest for a job in the green industry. In return for certi-
fication, gardeners agree to donate a specified number
of hours to community education service that is related
to what they have learned. They might perform
environmental gardening demonstrations or teach a
seminar, for example.
Plant studies
The study of plant life can begin early. Students
in junior high and high school can take classes in
subjects such as biology, botany, and environmental
science.
But the best preparation for a future in the green
industry includes other subjects as well. Mathematics
helps with calculating and measuring fertilizers and
additives, preparing cost estimates, and managing
business affairs. And classes related to communica-
tions are helpful in these careers, which nearly always
require interaction with clients or with other workers.
Lawn care
People of all ages can get a headstart on landscape
careers by operating a one-person, informal lawn care
business. These entrepreneurs solicit business from resi-
dential customers, charging fees to do basic groundskeep-
ing tasks, such as mowing, weeding, hedge trimming, and
gardening.
A common endeavor for teenagers, this pursuit
provides experience in business, customer relations, and
gardening and groundskeeping. Exposure to this kind of
work may help them to decide whether to pursue a career
in the green industry.
Lawn care is a good way to gauge interest
in a green career.

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More than sunshine and rain
Climate, location, and career choice are among the many
variables that affect the working conditions of people in
the green industry. The milder weather and longer grow-
ing seasons in warmer States contribute to higher output
and, in turn, more opportunity for continuous employ-
ment in many green-industry occupations. But other
occupations are not as dependent on weather.
Climate and locale
The green industry is affected by the climate and the
length of the growing season. Both depend on geographic
location, which in turn affects the work environment. For
example, greenhouses in colder States need to be heated,
so they must be made of glass or plastic. But in warmer
States, such as Florida, many growers use temporary,
shade-type greenhouses, which are designed to protect
seedlings from the harsh sun. As a result, growers in these
States can plant their crops directly in the fields using
shade-type greenhouses, saving the time and expense of
transplanting from a traditional greenhouse into a field.
Although every State produces greenhouse and nurs-
ery crops, output from greenhouses is, not surprisingly,
much higher in the warm southern States. Southern States
have the highest production of foliage plants for indoor or
patio display and of bedding and gardening plants. West-
ern States lead the country in production of cut flowers
and potted flowering plants.
Work options
People working in green-industry jobs are often outdoors.
The opportunity to work with nature and in nature is, for
many, one of the main attractions of these jobs. But some
tasks can also be based primarily indoors–or be physically
demanding or even dangerous, such as when either
pesticides or planting equipment are used.
The growing season may also affect the availability
of work opportunities. Outdoor planting of trees and
shrubs, laying new sod, or pruning or removing trees,
for example, can usually be done only when the ground
is free of ice and snow–a major concern in cold north-
ern States, where the ground may be frozen for several
months. Landscape construction and installation workers
in States with harsh winters may try to log as many hours
as they can during warmer months. Many of these work-
ers take other, often unrelated, jobs during the winter.
Some people with green thumbs work almost entirely
indoors. They may tend greenhouses, garden centers,
or indoor gardens in malls, museums, and other build-
ings, for example. Many workers, even those who work
outdoors much of the time, may spend some of their
workdays in offices doing administrative tasks, such as
filling out schedules, reviewing invoices, or completing
other paperwork. And landscape designers, architects,
and contractors work indoors to create plans and to meet
with other professionals and clients.

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