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Horticulturist vs landscape designer

The differences between horticulturists and landscape designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a horticulturist, becoming a landscape designer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a landscape designer has an average salary of $55,516, which is higher than the $36,583 average annual salary of a horticulturist.

The top three skills for a horticulturist include GRASS, irrigation systems and horticulture. The most important skills for a landscape designer are sketch, sketchup, and design development.

Horticulturist vs landscape designer overview

HorticulturistLandscape Designer
Yearly salary$36,583$55,516
Hourly rate$17.59$26.69
Growth rate8%-
Number of jobs32749,449
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4044
Years of experience24

What does a horticulturist do?

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.

What does a landscape designer do?

A landscape designer is responsible for ensuring that the plan arrangement meets the client's best interests with the highest quality standards. Landscape designers must have strong attention to detail, outstanding communication skills, and excellent analytical skills to provide the best services as the client instructs. They should also be creative and knowledgeable about the trends in the market, analyze site conditions to suggest design options that would fit the client's preference. A landscape designer should also provide expense estimates for the client and construct the project efficiently within the budget goals.

Horticulturist vs landscape designer salary

Horticulturists and landscape designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

HorticulturistLandscape Designer
Average salary$36,583$55,516
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $60,000Between $41,000 And $74,000
Highest paying CityWellesley, MASan Rafael, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutAlaska
Best paying companyStanford Health CareBayer
Best paying industryGovernmentManufacturing

Differences between horticulturist and landscape designer education

There are a few differences between a horticulturist and a landscape designer in terms of educational background:

HorticulturistLandscape Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorPlant SciencesLandscape Architecture
Most common collegeCornell UniversityCornell University

Horticulturist vs landscape designer demographics

Here are the differences between horticulturists' and landscape designers' demographics:

HorticulturistLandscape Designer
Average age4044
Gender ratioMale, 59.4% Female, 40.6%Male, 63.6% Female, 36.4%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 0.4% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 5.8% Asian, 5.2% White, 85.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage19%13%

Differences between horticulturist and landscape designer duties and responsibilities

Horticulturist example responsibilities.

  • Manage payroll processing and all aspects of accounts receivable and payable.
  • Operate snow plows, snow blowers and large salt sprayers.
  • Maintain all flower beds, landscape areas, and turf grass areas.
  • Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers.
  • Maintain inventory and help with Quickbooks.
  • Provide assistance with loading and unloading pigs.
  • Show more

Landscape designer example responsibilities.

  • Develop marketing and brand awareness initiatives through social media outlets; create and manage company Facebook and Houzz profiles.
  • Design with ACAD, GIS application with ArcView and ArcPad
  • Develop sketch plans for parcels of land being consider for subdivisions.
  • Complete many, complex, SketchUp models for city planning commission meetings and presenting to clients.
  • Introduce 3D modeling in SketchUp to the company to give clients a better understanding of a space during a proposal.
  • Perform duties as trimming, mowing, weed-eating, edging, leaf mulching, aerating, fertilizing, and seeding.
  • Show more

Horticulturist vs landscape designer skills

Common horticulturist skills
  • GRASS, 13%
  • Irrigation Systems, 9%
  • Horticulture, 9%
  • Grounds Maintenance, 7%
  • Mowing, 6%
  • Plant Material, 4%
Common landscape designer skills
  • Sketch, 12%
  • SketchUp, 10%
  • Design Development, 7%
  • Cost Estimates, 6%
  • Auto CAD, 6%
  • Lumion, 5%

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