Horticultural manager
Horticultural managers oversee operations in garden centres, plant nurseries, crop production facilities, parks and gardens.
Also known as: Garden centre manager
- Starter salary£27,000 a year
- Experienced£42,000 a year
- Typical hours42 to 46 a week
What you'll do
As a horticultural manager, you could:
- prepare and update business plans
- manage staff, stock and budgets
- develop new products and planting programmes
- co-ordinate crop planting, irrigation and harvesting in large scale greenhouses
- manage pests, disease and weed control
- negotiate prices with wholesalers and suppliers
- advise garden centre customers on growing methods and plant care
Working environment
You could work in an office, at a garden centre or in parks and gardens.
Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- knowledge of manufacturing production and processes
- knowledge of biology
- 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
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
How to become a horticultural manager
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
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
College
You could work towards this role by doing a college course in a subject like:
- horticulture
- practical horticulture
- T Level in Agriculture, Land Management and Production
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
Apprenticeship
You could apply to do a Horticulture or Landscaping Supervisor Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, with a garden centre or horticultural business.
Entry requirements
To get onto an apprenticeship, you'll find it useful to have:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
Work
You could start as a horticultural worker to get experience and work your way up to an assistant manager then manager role.
Other routes
You could study for qualifications with a professional organisation like The Royal Horticulture Society (RHS).
Some larger companies have graduate schemes , working with fresh food produce and crops.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could:
- move into a senior management role
- set up your own nursery or garden centre
- complete the Master of Horticulture qualification
You might also specialise in a particular branch of horticulture, such as:
- garden design
- plant breeding and research
- tree growing
- polytunnel fruit, vegetable and flower production
- horticultural broadcasting and writing
Guides for this industry
Related roles
- Job roleHorticultural worker
- Job roleHorticultural therapist
- Job roleGardener
- Job roleFarmer
- Job roleLandscaper
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0