A Field youll LOVE! Nursery & Landscape A Growing Career Path

What we do… Quite simply, LandLovers work with and for the land, and love what they do. When you step outside, virtually everything you see that isn't asphalt has been touched at some point by someone in the nursery and landscape industry.

Top 5 myths about this industry… MYTH #5: It's only digging in the dirt. MYTH #4: These jobs don't pay well. MYTH #3: It's only a summer job. MYTH #2: It's not a prestigious industry. MYTH #1: It's a waste of a college education.

Career paths available… Arboriculture Garden Center Gardening Services Irrigation Landscape Design Landscape Installation Landscape Management & Lawn Care Nursery & Greenhouse Production

Arborist… If climbing trees and taking care of the largest plants on earth sounds like fun, then a career in arboriculture is perfect for you. With a focus on the health, safety and maintenance of woody plants and trees, arborists care for trees and shrubs of all sizes, particularly in urban settings.

Garden Center… Garden centers focus on the sale of plants and horticultural products to the general public. Thus, they are a direct link between growers and consumers. With this in mind, many consumers look to garden centers for tips on how to nurture potted plants, as well as tricks to rid their gardens of pesky pests. Working at a garden center offers many job opportunities, especially for people who enjoy customer service with elements of plant care and business management sown in.

Gardening Services… If you have a passion for pruning, a knack for keeping things neat, and you miss trimming your mother's flowers with kitchen shears as a child, then you should consider a career in gardening services. Professional gardening service companies install and maintain landscapes and gardens at homes, offices, parks, and malls.

Irrigation… As a kid, did you like tinker toys, making mud pies, and having water fights? Then a job in irrigation could be the right fit for you. Irrigation professionals specialize in the design and installation of landscape sprinkler systems for homes, businesses, golf courses, parks – all kinds of properties. Without water, plants die. That's why people who know how to use water without wasting it are important.

Landscape Design… If you like to plan, have a knack for organization, or frequently find yourself doodling or drawing diagrams, then landscape design might be your career calling. Your creativity can thrive in a landscape design career, where organization and design skills are used to create exterior spaces using plant materials and hardscape elements (like rocks, woodwork and fountains).

Landscape Installation… If you're good at working with your hands or enjoy bringing ideas (both conventional and wacky) to life, then a job in landscape installation would suit you well. Landscape installers (a.k.a. landscape contractors) implement the design plans created by landscape designers and architects by installing plant and hardscape materials.

Landscape Mgmt & Lawn Care… If you like caring for all types of plants, or really enjoyed your summer job mowing lawns in middle school, then a job in landscape management could be your ideal career match. Landscape management and lawn care companies work to preserve and enhance a client's landscape investment.

Nursery & Greenhouse Production… If you love biology class, find chloroplasts fascinating, or long to spend time outdoors with your hands in the dirt, a career in nursery and greenhouse production could be the profession for you. Jobs in the nursery and greenhouse industry are plentiful and offer the opportunity to work with many types of plants – well known and exotic.

4 reasons to consider this career… Jobs galore - in every part of the country! Make a difference – tangible results/immediate satisfaction Show me the money – skilled professionals make an excellent living Enter through different channels – a high school diploma, a college degree, or on-the-job training are all entry points!

Good skills to have… mathematical and analytical skills environmental awareness creativity problem-solving skills enthusiasm for design technological savvy love for the outdoors an aspiration to help people the desire to work with your hands

Interested in learning more? There are several colleges that offer degrees in the fields or nursery and landscaping: University of Minnesota - Crookston University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Anoka Technical College Central Lakes College Century College Dakota County Technical College Hennepin Technical College Rochester Community and Technical College