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Horticulturist skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Bradley Rowe Ph.D.,
Kamel Didan Ph.D.
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical horticulturist skills. We ranked the top skills for horticulturists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 12.8% of horticulturist resumes contained grass as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a horticulturist needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 horticulturist skills for your resume and career

1. GRASS

Here's how horticulturists use grass:
  • Cleaned up parks; picked up garbage, cut grass, pulled weeds.
  • Helped design and install irrigation for four new turf grass areas.

2. Irrigation Systems

Irrigation is the process of providing water to the soil through artificial means using pumps, tubes, and sprays. It is common in areas where rainfall is irregular, weather is dry, or land is prone to droughts. Irrigation helps to maintain landscapes, grow crops, and revegetate land in dry areas. It is not uncommon to see irrigation used for dust suppression, cooling livestock, disposal of sewage, and mining.

Here's how horticulturists use irrigation systems:
  • Implemented and maintained residential irrigation systems.
  • Positioned and regulated plant irrigation systems.

3. Horticulture

Here's how horticulturists use horticulture:
  • Consulted with and supported other city departments on matters dealing with horticulture and irrigation.
  • Developed a comprehensive educational program in home, commercial, and community horticulture.

4. Grounds Maintenance

Ground maintenance refers to maintaining and ensuring that a particular outdoor area or location is accessible, clean, and presentable to the public.

Here's how horticulturists use grounds maintenance:
  • Landscape design, landscape consultation, floral design, growing, and grounds maintenance.
  • Worked seasonally for two summers gardening, cleaning the Sinnissippi Greenhouse and assisting with grounds maintenance in the Rose Gardens.

5. Mowing

Here's how horticulturists use mowing:
  • Landscape maintenance at President's Home (i.e., mowing, pruning, interior plants, etc.)
  • Maintained gardens through repetitive tasks such as mulching, pruning, mowing, weeding, and planting.

6. Plant Material

Here's how horticulturists use plant material:
  • Participated in the initial installations of plant material with landscape architect interns from Pennsylvania State University.
  • Worked with outside vendors to procure native and ornamental plant material for aesthetically optimal installations.

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7. Ornamental

Here's how horticulturists use ornamental:
  • Designed, installed and maintained raised vegetable and ornamental gardens.
  • Provided professional planning and technical maintenance for 300 acres of native, maintained, restored, and ornamental habitats.

8. Pest Management

Here's how horticulturists use pest management:
  • Established appropriate soil fertility, plant nutrition and integrated pest management programs for a developing farm.
  • Educated and advised customers about integrated pest management principles and sustainable gardening practices.

9. Pest Control

Pest control is the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest, a member of the animal kingdom that impacts human activities adversely. Pest control specialists go to client's homes and businesses to inspect for insects or rodents. They then use the appropriate method to remove or terminate the pest, whether that requires a pesticide, trap, or another technique.

Here's how horticulturists use pest control:
  • Perform all aspects of fine gardening including pruning, irrigation, fertilizing, pest control and general plant care and gardening.
  • General maintenance of tropical and exotic flowers and plants, including watering, pruning, and pest control

10. Flower Beds

Here's how horticulturists use flower beds:
  • Cared for the owner's estate landscape, pruned the rose collection and maintained the annual and perennial flower beds.
  • Assisted in the management of college's gardens, flower beds, and maintaining the operations of areas.

11. Weed Control

Here's how horticulturists use weed control:
  • Plan and supervise infrastructure and collections maintenance functions such as planting, fertilizing, pest and weed control, and landscaping.
  • Maintained clients gardens after installation, watering, fertilizing, pest and weed control, checking irrigation timers.

12. Snow Removal

Snow Removal or clearing is the process of clearing and removing snow from one or more places, whether it be public streets, building private rooftops, gardens, public parks, or bridges. This is usually done with the ultimate goal of making travel and passage easier and safer for vehicles and people alike.

Here's how horticulturists use snow removal:
  • Coordinate and perform snow removal operations.
  • Participate in ice and snow removal in winter weather events to insure public access and safety.

13. Native Plants

Here's how horticulturists use native plants:
  • Create and maintain an outdoor environment that is educational, as well as beneficial to wildlife, utilizing non-toxic native plants.
  • Maintain living collection of native plants.

14. Plant Identification

Here's how horticulturists use plant identification:
  • Created and implemented plant identification system.

15. Planters

Here's how horticulturists use planters:
  • Provide proper upkeep of sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, planters in designated areas.
  • Design, order and budget plants and materials for planters located throughout golf course.
top-skills

What skills help Horticulturists find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on horticulturist resumes?

Bradley Rowe Ph.D.

Professor, Michigan State University

The skills they are looking for are teachable, enthusiastic, and dedicated to the job. Knowledge of landscape design and installation or how to grow a plant is a bonus. There aren’t enough qualified people to fill the needs of the industry. NALP (National Association of Landscaper Professionals) considers it their biggest problem.

What horticulturist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Kamel Didan Ph.D.Kamel Didan Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor, Director - Vegetation Index and Phenology Lab, The University of Arizona

In the engineering field and Ag, in particular, we are moving to a more complex 'sensors and data' driven world where workers (graduates) are expected to manage and work on more than the traditional this is my "specialty and field of expertise." So the recommendation would be to get exposed to and acquire more skills and knowledge around sensors, data, intelligent systems, robotics, etc. These could either be acquired with self-paced open-access learning, via traditional education, but more importantly, through hands-on internships, and summer and research jobs.

What type of skills will young horticulturists need?

Over the last decade or so, the field of soil sciences has gotten really competitive. The good news is that it’s also broadened in its scope, particularly in applied fields. A budding graduate student in the field of soil sciences should constantly be asking the question, “how is my research going to help humanity”? Is it going to improve the environment? is it going to feed millions more? Is it going to mitigate climate change? A young graduate will be improving their chances if they have been able to demonstrate the applied aspect of their research. Another key skill is to graduate with a minor or a specialized certificate in addition to their majors. This often gives an edge to candidates when applying for Ph.D. or postdoctoral positions. Finally, it is important that the student can look at the “big picture;” be able to connect their research and link it to another system. Taking a systems-approach from the start may sometimes help in achieving this. Be prepared to travel, explore, ask the tough questions, and strive to answer them. Don’t be limited by the expertise and resources of your advisor. Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate…
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about horticulturist

List of horticulturist skills to add to your resume

Horticulturist skills

The most important skills for a horticulturist resume and required skills for a horticulturist to have include:

  • GRASS
  • Irrigation Systems
  • Horticulture
  • Grounds Maintenance
  • Mowing
  • Plant Material
  • Ornamental
  • Pest Management
  • Pest Control
  • Flower Beds
  • Weed Control
  • Snow Removal
  • Native Plants
  • Plant Identification
  • Planters
  • Tropical Plants
  • IPM
  • Plant Propagation
  • Nursery Stock
  • Prune
  • Landscape Design
  • MOW
  • Plant Selection
  • Plant Species
  • Mowers
  • Rakes
  • Blowers
  • Plant Care
  • Plant Health
  • Landscape Maintenance
  • Educational Programs
  • Plant Diseases
  • General Maintenance
  • Plant Life
  • Plant Collections
  • Shovels
  • Plant Beds
  • Plant Maintenance
  • Leaf Removal
  • Customer Relations
  • Disease Control
  • Loppers
  • End Loaders
  • Composting
  • Golf Courses
  • Plant Sales

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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