On course for more learning
There’s never been a better time to be involved with horticulture or gardening – whether it’s just to step up with your knowledge on garden design or identifying plants – or to look long term into a career.
Horticulture is booming. The industry is not only a stable one – it is growing. Interest in it is at an all time high and it sits as one of the subjects likely to offer long term opportunities for both the interested amateur and the ambitious professional.
Every time you walk outside you do not have a choice but to come in contact with horticulture.
The field of horticulture has to do with designing, planting, and maintaining outdoor spaces with shrubbery, ground cover and trees. Different horticulture jobs specialise in one stage of this field, such as planning, or in one aspect of the landscape, such as lawn maintenance. There are many horticulture jobs available to an educated, experienced employee in environments as diverse as a theme park, nursery, campus, florist, cemetery, historical monument, golf course, museum, or arboretum.
One growing sector is landscape design. A designer has knowledge of appropriate hedges, trees, perennials and ground cover that will do well in that particular climate. One would also be in charge of landscape elements, such as water features, pathways, retaining walls and arbors.
Maintenance employees are involved in yet another potential horticulture job. These would include groundskeepers, lawn maintainers, and tree trimmers. They must have a solid background in soil chemistry, disease, insects, pesticides and plant varieties to keep a lawn lush and healthy. A representative working at a nursery is another option. In this horticulture job, the employee might supervise the nursery’s greenhouse to breed new strains of roses that resist drought. Or they could grow vegetable seedlings and repot them for sale.
But what exactly is horticulture? It’s the technical term that refers to the field and science of plant development, which includes
everything from care and manufacture of trees and shrubs to genetic alterations to typical produce to keep it fresh and free from bruising, such as many tomatoes sold in the United States.
The industry has eight subcategories which deal with more specific aspects of horticulture. Arboriculture deals with vines, shrubbery, trees and other woody plants. This includes areas of research, planting and care of all these types of foliage. Floriculture similarly deals with flowers and floral crops.
Do your research on the education level required for entry-level positions in the field you are most interested in. Would you like to be a teacher, or would you prefer getting into advertising and marketing? Contact local firms or institutions; you might even ask about future hiring plans.
Decide which area of horticulture you would like to go into, and begin gearing your own education toward that particular division of the industry. Many institutions offer undergraduate degrees in horticulture, so from there, you should try to take classes which are tailored toward your area of interest.
Learn with us.....
Introduction to Dry Stone Walling: a practical course Tuesday 13th July 9 to 4
Charcoal Burning: a 2-day practical course 27th and 28th July
Practical, hands-on courses for professionals & enthusiasts:
• Building with cob, straw bale • Using hemp & lime • Intro to permaculture
• Build a pizza oven or compost loo • Coppicing for fuel • ALSO environmental art courses
courses@learningfromtheland.co.uk 01823 400696 Secret Meadow, Milverton TA4 1QE
www.learningfromtheland.co.uk
34 Cheddon Fitzpaine, Taunton, Somerset TA2 8LG
Telephone: 01823 413923 Fax: 01823 413747 email:
info@hestercombe.com www.hestercombe.com
Just minutes from Junction 25, M5 Follow the brown daisy Country Gardener Ask us about our pruning courses and plant swap days!
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