Landscapers construct, maintain and renovate gardens, parks and sports grounds, as well as other outdoor or public areas in business parks, housing estates, national parks and picnic sites. They also do interior landscaping in places like shopping centres, offices and hospitals. They are also known as landscape gardeners or landscape technicians.

The Work

You could be:

• meeting a customer to discuss their design requirements, budget and assessing the area to be designed
• working from plans drawn up by a landscape architect or designer, or sometimes using your own
• preparing the ground, including installing drainage
• deciding what trees, shrubs and flowers to use and ordering them
• building rock or water gardens, laying paving stones or constructing decking
• planting shrubs, flowers or trees, or laying grass turf
• using hand tools like spades, forks, picks and shovels, or using machines such as diggers, rotavators, excavators, tractors, cement mixers, dump trucks or chainsaws
• running, overseeing or organising the project and liaising with customers, consultants or contractors
• advising clients on plant and landscape maintenance.

Pay

The figures below are only a guide. Actual pay rates may vary, depending on:

• where you work
• the size of company or organisation you work for
• the demand for the job.

Starting salaries for qualified landscapers in the UK are around £16,000 to £19,000 a year. Experienced landscapers, leading a team, can earn up to £30,000 a year or more. Many landscapers are self-employed so their earnings will vary, depending on how successful they are.

Conditions

• The work is mostly outdoors and is physical, with lots of bending, lifting and carrying.
• The conditions can be muddy, wet and cold in winter and hot in summer.
• It can sometimes be noisy, dusty and smelly, with fumes from machinery.
• You may have to wear protective clothing such as boots, gloves and a safety helmet.
• Some jobs are seasonal, and hours are longer in summer.
• Work usually involves early starts and some weekend work.
• You may have to travel to different sites.

Getting In

• There are no formal entry requirements, but most entrants have a qualification in garden design, horticulture or landscape design or a similar subject.
• You could take a full time course leading to NC (SCQF Levels 4-6),  HNC (SCQF Level 7) or HND (SCQF Level 8) in one of these subjects before applying for a job.
• Entry requirements for NC courses vary from no qualifications up to 4 or 5 subjects at National 4 or 5. HNC or HND courses require 1 or 2 Highers plus some subjects at National 5, or a relevant National Qualification (NQ).
• You might get in through a Modern Apprenticeship, which usually lead to SVQs.
• Previous experience in horticulture or landscaping is helpful.
• You need a driving licence as you will be travelling around to sites as well as picking up materials from suppliers.
• You must be fit as there is a lot of heavy physical work.
• Depending on where you are working, you might need a CSCS card, for example on a housing development where there is ongoing construction.

Job Outlook Scotland

Job Outlook Scotland and UK

  Scotland

2022

6323

2.3 %

RISE

2027

6471

  United Kingdom

2022

68723

4.2 %

RISE

2027

71642

LMI data powered by EMSI UK

What Does it Take?

You should be able to:

• understand and interpret drawings
• take on client’s ideas
• work quickly and meet deadlines
• use a range of garden tools and machinery
• work alone and also as part of a team.

You should have:

• good communication skills
• knowledge about plants, soil and the environment
• a creative approach and eye for detail
• awareness of health and safety requirements
• good manual and technical skills.

Training

• Training is on the job, along with part time college courses leading to an SVQ, NC or HNC if you do not already have one of these qualifications.
• If doing a Modern Apprenticeship you would work towards a relevant SVQ, such as Horticulture (Landscaping) at SCQF Levels 5 and 6.
• You might do extra training to get certificates in, for example, chainsaw use or driving diggers.

Getting On

• Many landscapers work for landscape contractors and, with experience, you may be able to apply for a supervisory job.
• You could move on to become a contracts manager.
• You could set up your own business.
• You may be able to take up a job overseas.

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Contacts

The following organisations may be able to provide further information.