Please Help!!! Landscaping Education

[Bree]

I am interested in becoming a landscaper, but I have been unable to
find any information as to what avenues of education I should follow
to become one. What should my concentration of studies be? What
should my major be? Any information anyone could provide would be
greatly appriciated!

Thanks,
Bree

[Kjeanh]

Depends on where you live, but the field you want to research is Horticulture,
specifically Landscape Horticulture. The community college level usually
offers 2year programs (no degree), and often have lots of resources once you
are in. I am in CA, and, if you want to be a certified by the California
Landscape Contractors Association, I believe you need to have six years total
experience--school counts--before youcan take the licensing exam. Cal Poly and
UCDavis both have bachelor's programs in Landscape Horticulture, and I am sure
there are many others in other parts of the country. After you get a
bachelor's, you work in the field for two years under a licensed contractor,
after which you can take the exam, then start your own business, if you like.
You also have to decide what sort of focus you want to take. Do you want to
work in private gardens, parks, golf courses, or what? You can specialize in
turf management, irrigation, or pure horticulture (plants). Many park systems
have their own set of criteria: around here it's two years of school at the
community college level, after which you take the Civil Service exam, *then*
you might be hired on a temporary basis.
You can learn more than I can tell you in a post by checking out some local
schools' programs. I would recommend beginning on the community college level
to see what it's all about, and to make sure that it's really what you want to
do. I know. I've been there. 1 1/2 semesters and 36 units later, I decided
to pursue Landscape Architecture instead. This after working for a number of
local landscapers over the summer. Most of my classmates, though, have stuck
it out, and either have finished the program, or gotten work through resources
at school and are now working in the field--some as traditional "gardeners"
with their own businesses, some as employees of landscape contractors, some as
Park and Rec employees, and one as an employee for an irrigation company.
If you do an internet search for horticulture+education, I'm sure you will find
lots of options.
Good luck!
Kelly
e-mail to orangerose@aoldotcom