Who are they and what do they do?

Arborist and Horticulturist are skilled trades that fall under the Service sector. Many of the employers who hire in this sector are accredited members of Landscape Ontario, a non-profit trade association located on a fifty acre site in Milton Ontario. The mandate of this organization is to be a leader in representing, promoting and fostering a favourable climate for the advancement of the horticultural industry in Ontario. As well, Landscape Ontario acts as a consumer safeguard by ensuring certain standards of service and training are achieved in the horticultural industry as a whole.

Membership

Landscape Ontario has more than 1800 members, including wholesale growers, garden centres, landscape designers, landscape contractors, ground maintenance firms, lawn care companies and irrigation contractors. Landscape Ontario also represents a unified industry voice for members' concerns to various levels of government, as well as advising government on the types and format of training, including apprenticeship, in the horticultural field.

Training

As part of an industrial committee looking at and advising the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities about standards in the trade, Landscape Ontario has an increasingly important voice in the implementation of changes to the way apprenticeships in Horticulture are offered in the province of Ontario.

Landscape Ontario has been instrumental in the development and design of the Canadian Certified Horticultural Technician program (CCHT), a North American trade designation of the horticultural industry that includes both a written and practical test of competence. At training facilities in different areas in the province, Landscape Ontario also offers over 100 professional development seminars, computer courses and safety training to members during the off-season.

Facilities, Events & Publications

Interest in horticulture has taken off in this province, as evidenced by the boom in gardening and so too has Landscape Ontario. The organization has grown from 2 staff in 1973, to eighteen staff working in five departments in 2000, on behalf of 1800 members in eight regional chapters and seven commodity groups. Long term plans for the Milton site include: development of a horticultural centre with full-time school facilities demonstration gardens meeting place and a banquet centre Two of Canada's leading horticultural publications originate here:

the Horticulture Review and Landscape Trades. Landscape Ontario puts on the well-known Landscape Ontario Congress trade show in January each year, and is involved in one of the premier gardening events, Canada Blooms, held each spring in Toronto. Landscape Ontario also actively participates in Skills Canada, an organization that profiles achievement in many different skill trades through skill competitions provincially and nationally.

Trends and Future Growth

Forecasts for growth in the horticultural industry continue to be excellent, as the population ages, two income families remain the norm, and cocooning and interest in the 'greening' of our immediate environment continues to grow. People seeking to enter the horticultural field should know that there is a labour shortage at present, particularly of knowledgeableworkers with trade certification. Work performed in the horticultural industry is usually physically demanding and affected by seasonal peaks. Flexibility is required by employees to work longer hours during the spring and summer months. One of the dilemmas facing employers in the horticultural field is retaining knowledgeable people during the downtimes.

Development of trade related courses that help staff and small business owners in the horticultural field grow their expertise and skills in the off-season is one way Landscape Ontario helps to address this problem now and in the future. In addition, Landscape Ontario is also helping to address the off-season dilemma by establishing an employment agency to assist laid-off employees find work in the winter months.

What's it like to work in the horticultural industry?

According to Barb Lawton from Taylor Nursery in Milton, the most rewarding aspect of her involvement in horticulture has been helping customers. Whether it's displaying various plant materials so customers can see what they'll look like in the landscape, or helping them find just the right plant or garden accent that they've been searching for, Barb enjoys the customer contact. Barb has been involved in this field for 24 years, is a member of Landscape Ontario and has successfully completed both Nursery Greenhouse Worker & Landscaper-Greenhouse apprenticeships, including approximately 20 weeks of in-school theory.

Although Barb currently works at Taylor Nursery, she and her husband began their involvement in horticulture by opening a landscaping design business, Lawton's Landscaping. During Barb's twenty-four year involvement in this field, she has seen many changes in the area, including increasing consumer interest in gardening, and recently in water gardening in particular. In addition, she has experienced a continued need to research what's new and up and coming in the trade. Consumers are more knowledgeable and have broader interests both in terms of garden features and plant material. Her advice for people entering the horticultural field is: "Get as much education as you can!"

Barb also feels there's an advantage to working for a range of different companies, from small to large operations, to equip an individual with a broad and useful background in the horticultural field. In a small operation, employees or small business owners need to be versatile, handling everything from landscape design, selecting and ordering plant material, to estimating bulk soil purchases. No two days are the same. The arrival of spring may bring longer daylight hours but for people involved in the horticultural business, it also means working longer hours as the time crunch hits. It's a short season and there's much to be done.

What Kind of Skills Are Employers Looking For in an Employee?

As a small business owner, Barb also makes hiring decisions. She is most interested in assessing a prospective employee's educational background in horticulture, and their ability to relate to customers. If a person is strong in both areas, chances are they'll be a valued addition to the team.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in landscaping/horticulture, you can explore the types of jobs available by visiting the Landscape Ontario website, and checking out the list of employment opportunities in the Landscape Trades & Horticultural Review Classified Ads section of their website.