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Horticultural manager Green Job

A horticultural manager grows plants for use in parks, gardens and public spaces.

Annual Salary

£24,000 to £34,000

Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

44 to 46 a week

You could work: weekends; on a rota

2.2%
Future employment

There will be 2.2% more Horticultural manager jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

On a typical day you might:

  • prepare and update business plans
  • manage staff and budgets, analyse costs and make sure health and safety procedures are followed
  • develop new products and negotiate with suppliers
  • design layouts and develop planting programmes
  • decide when to plant and harvest crops
  • manage pests, disease and weed control

Working environment

You could work in an office or at a garden centre.

Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • a graduate training scheme
University

You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in a subject like:

  • horticulture and management
  • commercial horticulture
  • horticulture and plant science

Work experience during university

Employers value work experience so it's important to get as much as you can during your studies.

You could choose a course that includes a placement or internship. Your university careers service can also help you find work experience.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
For more information
College

You could work towards this role by doing a college course in a relevant subject like:

  • level 3 Diploma in Horticulture
  • level 3 Certificate in Practical Horticulture
  • T Level in Agriculture, Land Management and Production
  • level 4 Diploma in Horticultural Practice

You could also get a qualification from The Royal Horticulture Society.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
  • 1 or 2 A levels, a level 3 diploma or relevant experience for a level 4 or level 5 course
For more information
Apprenticeship

You could do a horticulture supervisor advanced apprenticeship to work towards a management role.

Entry requirements

There are no set entry requirements but it may help you to get in if you have:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
For more information
Work

You could start as a horticultural worker to get experience and work your way up to a management role.

Other routes

Some larger companies have graduate schemes working with fresh food, produce and crops.

More information

Professional and industry bodies

You can find out more about careers in horticulture from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a horticultural careers from The Royal Horticultural Society and The Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture.

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With experience, you could:move into a senior management role; set up your own nursery or garden centre; complete the Master of Horticulture qualification

How does this job help to address the impacts of climate change and protect wildlife and nature in the West of England?

Horticultural Managers are needed to design layouts and develop planting programmes to enhance public parks and gardens in the West of England, helping improve habitats for nature and wildlife.

There are several different routes you can take to get into working in horticulture which you can explore further in the 'Routes into this job' section above. 

Click here for an explanation of the different course and apprenticeship levels.

Examples of post-16 courses you could study at local schools or colleges

  • Level 2 T-level Transition Horticulture at Bridgewater and Taunton College
  • T Level in Agriculture, Land Management and Production at Bridgewater and Taunton College

Click here to find a local provider

Apprenticeships you may be able to take with local employers

  • Level 2 Horticulture or landscape construction operative
  • Level 3 Landscape or horticulture supervisor

Click here to search for a local apprenticeship

Local employers 

As a horticultural manager you could work for a local garden centre or nursery or for the local council parks and gardens. For more local employment opportunities see the 'Live job vacancies by region' section above.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • knowledge of biology
  • knowledge of manufacturing production and processes
  • business management skills
  • analytical thinking skills
  • the ability to motivate and manage staff
  • the ability to sell products and services
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • customer service skills
  • thinking and reasoning skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
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