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The differences between gardeners and horticulturists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a gardener and a horticulturist. Additionally, a horticulturist has an average salary of $36,583, which is higher than the $32,912 average annual salary of a gardener.
The top three skills for a gardener include GRASS, mowing and hand tools. The most important skills for a horticulturist are GRASS, irrigation systems, and horticulture.
| Gardener | Horticulturist | |
| Yearly salary | $32,912 | $36,583 |
| Hourly rate | $15.82 | $17.59 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 5,411 | 327 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 41 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Gardeners are skilled employees who are responsible for monitoring the health of all plants and trees while maintaining the landscape of a garden. These gardeners are required to trim lawns edges while using rakes and brooms to remove lawn clippings and clear other debris from the ground. They need to use various gardening tools to perform basic pruning while neatly shaping bushes and trees to the desired design. Gardeners must also apply liquid fertilizers and chemical control agents to remove weeds and protect the attractiveness of the landscapes.
The primary role of a horticulturist is to care, maintain, and cultivate plant propagation. Horticulturists may work in various environments with plants such as garden centers or arboretum. These professionals use scientific knowledge about plant cultivation and propagation. They provide technical information to farmers and flower and vegetable growers. Part of their job is to perform disease and pest experiments and investigations with improved plant varieties with greater disease resistance. Also, they may assist in the regeneration of degraded land in the mining industry.
Gardeners and horticulturists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Gardener | Horticulturist | |
| Average salary | $32,912 | $36,583 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $47,000 | Between $22,000 And $60,000 |
| Highest paying City | Union City, CA | Wellesley, MA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | UC Santa Barbara | Stanford Health Care |
| Best paying industry | Media | Government |
There are a few differences between a gardener and a horticulturist in terms of educational background:
| Gardener | Horticulturist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Plant Sciences | Plant Sciences |
| Most common college | - | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between gardeners' and horticulturists' demographics:
| Gardener | Horticulturist | |
| Average age | 41 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.4% Female, 43.6% | Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 28.0% Asian, 1.8% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 9.1% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 19% |