How to become a landscape gardener
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If you like being outdoors (and not just when it’s sunny), and you don’t want to be working on the same job twice, then landscape gardening might be the career for you...
There is a lot of diversity in landscaping, meaning you’re unlikely to get bored. You might be building a pergola, laying a patio, or redesigning the layout of a whole garden.
The landscaping industry has been growing slowly and steadily over the last five years, and its market size is estimated at around £6bn. It’s likely the trend will continue, as more and more Brits move out of big cities into homes with gardens. With work all year round, whatever the weather, there has never been a better time to train to be a landscaper.
A day in the life of a landscape gardener
虽然在大多数行业中没有两天是相同的，但在园林绿化方面尤其如此。每个客户都是不同的，你设计的每个花园都是围绕客户的需求和品味而建的。
Contrary to what some believe, bad weather doesn’t mean you get the day off, even if it means some jobs are off-limits. Many landscapers turn to paving, driveways and patios during the winter months, but there’s always something to do.
没有办法粉饰它，这项工作对体力的要求很高。很多园艺工作都涉及到把重物从一个地方搬到另一个地方，或者像挖掘这样的工作，所以你可能会在一天结束的时候遇到擦伤、磕碰、割伤、划伤和身体疼痛。但这样做的回报是非常值得的。
As one landscaper put it to us: “At the end of the day it’s a hard job to do, but the rewards you get out of it really are worth it. It’s quite an artistic job, you’re working outside with your friends building something beautiful for someone to enjoy for years to come”.
Landscape gardener training and experience
There are manycollege coursesout there, but overall the best way to learn this trade is by practicing it hands on. You should be able to findapprenticeshipsfairly easily, and many landscaping companies are on the lookout for site labourers.
Apprenticeships are particularly useful if you don’t have a lot of experience on a building site, as it will help you develop a good understanding of the many different disciplines involved.
A good landscaper never stops learning their craft. Landscaping trends develop frequently, and customers often want some new feature or material they saw in someone else’s garden. So it’s important you keep in touch with new developments in the trade.
Landscape gardener salaries
There are many ways to trade as a landscaper and these estimates don’t necessarily cover the whole range of situations. As a quick guide, and when employed by a company rather than self-employed, a labourer can expect to make between £15,000 and £18,000, while a skilled landscaper would earn closer to £25,000 to £30,000 a year.
Self-employed tradespeople do not benefit from the safety of being employed full time by a company, therefore charge higher day rates, starting around £70 to £100 for a labourer, growing to £100 to £180 for an experienced landscaper, depending on the level of experience.
