GARDENERS AND GROUNDSKEEPERS California Occupational Guide Number 320 Interest Area 3 1995
THE JOB
GARDENERS and GROUNDSKEEPERS work in a variety of places, from city parks to golf courses to cemeteries---even on Hollywood movie sets. These workers have a variety of titles, depending on where they work and the type of work done.
Garden Workers and Yard Workers condition and prepare soil, plant seeds or bulbs in greenhouses or outdoors, and plant flowers, shrubs, and trees according to a defined work plan. They fertilize, weed, transplant, and thin plants in public or privately owned gardens. They may also lay sod, prune trees and repair gardening tools and fences.
Landscape Gardeners maintain the grounds of city, state and national parks. Following a planned design of the landscaped area, they lay sod or sow grass seed and plant shrubs, flowers and trees. These workers also trim hedges, prune trees, apply herbicides and pesticides, mow lawns, and remove rubbish. They may also help in the repair of roads, walks, and greenhouses.
Greenskeepers maintain the grounds and turf of private and city golf courses. Operating tractors, electric and hand mowers and using various attachments, they till, cultivate and grade new course areas. These workers use fertilizers, pesticides and other materials to assure a healthy lawn, cut turf on greens and tees to specification height, and connect hose and sprinkler systems at designated points on the course to irrigate turf.
Lawn Service Workers use thatchers, power and hand aerators, and chemicals to grow healthy lawns. They lift dead leaves and grass from between live grass leaves and soil and rake lawns to put air into the soil. They often apply fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides on a continuous schedule. These workers may transport their tools from job to job, often using an hydraulic lift, and record activities and assess charges to customers.
Cemetery Workers prepare graves and maintain cemetery grounds. They dig graves to specified depth using picks and shovels or a back hoe. They position a casket-lowering device over the grave, erect a canopy over the grave site, and arrange folding chairs in preparation for graveside services. According to a set plan, these workers may plant and prune flowering shrubs, flower display beds and lawns, using hand and power tools.
Industrial-Commercial Groundskeepers do the same kind of work as Garden Workers, except in the settings of commercial, industrial, or public property. They may also do minor fence, gate, sprinkler and outbuilding repairs, and may also shovel snow during the winter season. These workers also clear the grounds of litter and rake and bag leaves.
Special Effects Gardeners create special displays of plant life for motion picture sets, horticultural workshops, or fairs, working from detailed instructions. They also collect moss, rocks, plants, and flowers to use in the planned display. They may fertilize, water, and weed sets during the display term.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Gardeners and Groundskeepers do medium to heavy work in outdoor growing and display areas, and indoor climate-controlled greenhouses or work sheds. Both physical agility and strength are needed to crouch, squat, and stoop while cultivating, tending, and lifting plants, and while carrying equipment and materials for varying distances. Individual jobs vary in strength and stamina requirements, but in most cases workers should be able to work outdoors in all kinds of weather and to maintain a steady work pace throughout the day.
EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK
The following information is from the California Projections of Employment published by the Labor Market Information Division. The figures represent the broad occupational group Gardeners, Groundskeepers, Except Farm, which includes Gardeners and Groundskeepers.
Estimated number of workers in 1990 81,430 Estimated number of workers in 2005 114,410 Projected Growth 1990--2005 41% Estimated openings due to separations by 2005 16,760
(These figures do not include self-employment nor openings due to turnover.)
This is one of the fastest growing occupations in the state. Because urbanization in California has increased the need for gardening and grounds keeping in golf courses, public parks, community and residential properties, employment prospects for Gardeners and Groundskeepers should remain stable into the next century.
WAGES, HOURS, AND FRINGE BENEFITS
Gardeners and Groundskeepers earn varying wages due to the diversity of their employers and union contracts, if any. Apprentices are paid at 50 to 70 percent of the journey-level rate to start. The standard workweek is 40 hours, eight hours a day, five days a week. Fringe benefits for workers may include paid vacations, paid holidays, sick leave, health insurance, and retirement plans.
ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS AND TRAINING
Employer hiring standards usually require that the job applicant be in excellent physical condition, able to do heavy physical work, and be able to follow directions. For some jobs, employers may require previous gardener/groundskeeper experience, some mechanical background, the ability to read and write, and possession of a valid California Motor Vehicle License.
Persons interested in becoming Gardeners and Groundskeepers can take horticultural courses at job training centers, community colleges, or adult schools, although most of these workers are trained by the employer.
ADVANCEMENT
With experience and further training, Gardeners and Groundskeepers can advance to supervisor, landscape manager, or contractor/owner of a private landscaping business.
FINDING THE JOB
Jobs as Gardeners and Groundskeepers may be found through any Job Service office of the California Employment Development Department, private employment agencies, personnel offices of local, state and federal governments, or the personnel departments of large firms. Individuals seeking such employment should also apply directly to landscape maintenance and gardening firms, golf courses, and nurseries. Also, newspaper ads are a good source of job leads. Better prospects for employment appear to be during the beginning of the landscape season which usually starts in March and April. However, employers may begin to hire earlier in preparation for the yearly oncoming peak season.
ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Southern California Gardeners Federation 333 South San Pedro Street Los Angeles, CA 90013 (213) 628-1595
National Park Foundation P.O. Box 57473 Washington, D.C. 20037
RELATED OCCUPATIONAL GUIDES
Landscape Architects No. 216 Horticulturists No. 396
OCCUPATIONAL CODE REFERENCES
DOT (Dictionary of Occupational Titles, 4th ed., Rev. 1) Gardener 301.687-018 Greenskeeper II 406.683-010 Cemetery Worker 406.684-010 Groundskeeper, Industrial/Commercial. 406.684-014 Garden Worker 406.684-018 Lawn Service Worker 408.684-010
OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) System Gardeners and Groundskeepers, Except Farm 790140
Source: State of California, Employment Development Department,
Labor Market Information Division, Information Services Group,
(916) 262-2162.
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