Horticulture is a specialized area of agriculture.  The focus for horticulture is trees, shrubs, flowering plants and vines, houseplants and potted flowering plants, landscape horticulture (design, contracting and maintenance), public horticulture (botanic gardens and arboretums), turf (golf courses and professional playing fields) and pomology (fruits).  Horticulture is an applied science derived from biology, chemistry, ecology and engineering.  There are many levels of service in this profession with entry levels requiring a high school diploma or advanced positions requiring doctoral levels of education.

Horticulture = Plants and Flowers and Is the 2nd Largest Agricultural Crop in California 

Surprised by the headline above?  California produces over $4 billion dollars in plant material.  Retail sales amount to over $13 billion.  The Industry is $17.33 billion large and California is the largest plant production state in the United States. 

Plants are everywhere.  They clean the air.  They provide shelter for birds and wildlife.  The cooling shade of trees reduces electrical bills and other plants help prevent erosion.  Plants help diffuse noise. 

Those wonderful trees, shrubs, bedding plants, colorful bulbs, green lawns, potted containers, home fruit trees and vegetable gardens are all a part of the urban environment.  Whether you step outside your front door, out onto the porch or balcony or when you go into the backyard, you are the beneficiary of a green environment. 

Don’t you want to be a part of an industry that does so much for our day to day lives?

HORTICULTURE OFFERS MANY CAREER  CHOICES

Retail: Retail employment includes opportunities in garden centers, retail nurseries and floral shops. Includes: Florists and floral designers, retail nursery workers and managers, sales and customer service positions.  Even many production growers have retail outlets. 

Experts: There’s a need for those who become experts in soils, plant pests and diseases and even computers. Become a plant biologist, a researcher in a private lab or for a university, a professor or teacher  – Secondary, Community College, College or University levels.

Production: Production jobs are those related to growing plants, shrubs or trees, either for wholesale, commercial or retail sales. Includes:  nursery and greenhouse growers and managers, importers, wholesalers and brokers, propagators, irrigators, field workers and others. 

Services: Service jobs are those related to all aspects of landscape design; installation; maintenance; lawn care and tree care. Includes: landscape contractors and grounds keepers, golf course managers, land planners, landscape architects, landscape designers, supervisors and directors, pesticide technicians, arborists, interior landscapers, conservationists and many others. 

Government:  How about working for parks and recreation or municipalities.  They all have landscapes to be designed and maintained!  The State Government has many positions open for state universities, highway management, and commercial building landscapes. State, local and national parks and recreation departments. 

HORTICULTURE REWARDS THOSE WHO LOVE NATURE

Horticulture, by its very nature, is an environmental occupation. Men and women who work in horticulture share an enthusiasm for working outdoors, improving the land and beautifying the landscape. They enjoy the diversity and creative challenges that horticulture offers and they feel rewarded and satisfied after a day's work.

For people who love plants other career choices include: Horticulture Therapy. Education – Personal Enrichment. and Professional Development. Research & Development, Garden Writing & Photography, Organic Food and Production, Landscape Preservation and Archaeology. There are careers available in so many areas of the horticulture industry that it is simply impossible to list all of them here. 

Preparing for a Career in Horticulture
There are many courses and programs throughout the state of California that prepares students for careers in horticulture. Regional occupational centers and programs, community colleges and four year universities all offer horticultural studies.

A wide variety of financial aid and scholarships for horticultural studies are available through selected colleges, foundations, and trade-related organizations including the California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers. Practical experience in the form of internships is also helpful in helpful in preparing for a career in horticulture. Or, entry-level and part-time jobs offering flexible hours are available to interested students who are earning their horticultural degrees.

So, considering a Career in Horticulture?  Good Choice! This means you are preparing yourself for a lifetime of personal satisfaction.  Are you up for the challenge? Make your decision today to become a ‘green’ team member.

READY TO CHOOSE HORTICULTURE AS A CAREER?

Choosing a career is a major decision, one that can be both exciting and confusing. Skills, experience, education and interests all play into this decision. Finding the right fit presents a maze of questions.

Will the job be interesting and challenging? Is there opportunity for advancement? Do I want to run my own business or do I prefer the security of working for a well-established company? What are the educational requirements? Do I want to be "on the road" or "behind a desk?" Does the job pay well? What are the benefits?

www.youtube.com/BetterGardener -- want to find out about career opportunities in the Horticulture Industry.  Check out the CANGC Careers in Horticulture cd on YouTube.  Are you an instructor of horticulture?  You can order this cd free from the CANGC office by emailing info@cangc.org and asking for it.  This is also available for free to members and for a small fee of $15, non-members can purchase this wonderful look at Careers in Horticulture -- you will be surprised at the variety and scope of careers available.