Horticulture Career Opportunities
Horticulture Careers
Horticulture Careers involve the intentional propagation, growth, maintenance, indoor use, therapeutic use, and landscape use of plants for reasons ranging from aesthetics, food production, ornamental crops, fiber and timber crops, restoration, air quality, water quality, soil quality, and habitat creation. Cultivated plants and landscapes are different from wild plants and pristine native habitats, and study and management of each group is different as well.
Phytotechnology Career Opportunities:
- Landscape Construction -
prepares sites, builds and plants functional landscape features such as wetlands, green roofs, living walls, or raingardens - Landscape Design -
plans and integrates functional features into the larger landscape scene, also educates clients about the role of functional plants and landscapes - Landscape Maintenance -
takes care of private or commercial gardens and landscapes in ways that maximize the ecosystem services, in addition to aesthetics - Nursery/Garden Center Sales and Marketing -
educates customers about the functional benefits of plants and about new ways to garden with plants to provide multiple ecosystem services - Phytoremediation Industries -
maintains plants in processes of treating wastewater, managing hazardous waste sites, filtering air in indoor environments, etc - Environmental Consulting -
advises clients on successful strategies for incorporating plants and plant systems to manage wastewater, stormwater, urban soils, etc - Urban Sustainability -
works with city planning, environment, or transportation offices to promote use of plant-based strategies to improve outcomes and reduce costs - Natural Resource Management -
works with land-owners and agencies such as Watershed Councils or Soil and Water Conservation Districts to improve community-wide management of water, soil, and air resources - Phytotechnology Research -
supports labs or engineering firms that investigate plant systems, physiological mechanisms, and site conditions necessary for successful remediation
Students will also be well prepared to pursue a higher degree in environmental engineering, hydrology, urban planning, landscape architecture, or scientific research.
Nursery and Greenhouse Management Career Opportunities:
- Nursery Production Manager –
manages in-field production of trees, shrubs and perennials - Greenhouse Production Manager -
manages greenhouse production of all types of plants - Plant Propagator –
grows plants using a variety of multiplication techniques such as seed propagation, cuttings, grafting and tissue culture - Pest Manager –
manages insect, disease, weed and vertebrate pests in a nursery or greenhouse setting - Plant Sales Representative –
works with wholesale nursery and greenhouse customers to secure and delivers plant orders - Retail Nursery Sales –
works for a retail nursery maintaining and selling plants to retail customers - Nursery and Greenhouse Supply Sales –
sells supplies, irrigation equipment, fertilizer and chemicals to nurseries and greenhouses - Crew Leader –
leads a team of workers in tasks associated with growing plants