A Career as a Nurseryman
Do you love working with plants? Do you love the great outdoors? Do you love to watch things grow? Do you love reaping a good harvest of your hard work? Do you love connecting with nature by giving a helping hand?
If the answer to all of these questions is yes that means nature is calling you to a life of working outdoors. I have spent some time working as a nurseryman and to be honest with you it was really great.
Some of my duties involved watering, fertilizing, potting, and re-potting plants pruning, etc… What gave me such a trill was to take sickly plants and nurse them back to good health, just to watch them bounce back was such a rewarding experience.
The life of a nurseryman can really be busy at times because for me there would be times when shipments of plants had to be dealt with besides carrying out my daily responsibilities.
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A career as a nurseryman
Changing Seasons
As a nurseryman, you must expect to work under many conditions. For example, during summertime, the plant nursery where I worked got really hot and then there were days when I was so thankful because in the midst of all that heat the cool summer breeze would blow making my days a lot easier.
Then there were rainy days when everything got soaked and wet but I guess for the plants this was the right season for them to take advantage of all that heaven-sent water.
Oh boy wintertime, what a time, as a nurseryman you spend most of your days working outdoors so you will get a taste of the elements. When winter came there would be days when I wanted not water though that is important but hot chocolate, something to warm the heart and soothe the soul.
During wintertime when there was downtime, some of that time was spent cleaning and organizing the nursery. There were other things I was called upon to do as well. Oh the life of a nurseryman, how exciting.
Blowing away the customers
Good customer service is what’s it all about. As a nurseryman, you are expected to give customers such a blow-away experience that will keep them coming back as it is with all business.
We want a repeat of customers and for them to spread the word bringing more customers that will be loyal and continue to do business with us throughout the years. Therefore these two things are the most important which are
- Having knowledge of the job
- Giving your customers the best service ever
Having knowledge of the job
Have you ever visited a place of business or probably called on the phone only to be given the runaround or the wrong information? I am sure this has been an experience for all of us. This can be very frustrating.
Don’t ever let that happen to your customers because it can be very frustrating to them. What you don’t want is to drive them away.
When I first started out as a nurseryman I did all that I could to remember the names of plants and how to care for them and to be honest I had my work cut out for me because there were so many species of plants with different requirements as far as care was concerned but what made learning the names and care of these plants worthwhile was being able to share that knowledge and deliver a blow-away experience.
So know your plants and their care, and also have a knowledge of fertilizers, chemicals, and other garden products. Try to know as much as you can. It is true we cannot know everything but it is no excuse not to try to gain as much knowledge as possible.
Be honest with the customer, if they need help and you don’t have the answer then get someone who can further assist them. Customers would rather you do this than be untruthful.
Giving your customers the best service ever
This is a big one that has killed so many businesses and I am sure everyone that is reading this post can agree. It does not matter how knowledgeable of the job you are if good customer service is not displayed all that knowledge will not help.
I had rather walk into a business establishment where the staff might not be that knowledgeable but still assist me along with providing good customer service than to deal with a person that has much knowledge but little or no customer service skills. Remember they are patronizing our place of work and helping us to earn a salary.
Greet your customer with a smile even saying good morning, good afternoon, or good evening depending on the time of the day, asked if they need help if they say yes then go quickly to assist, don’t leave them waiting. If you are delayed by a minute or two then apologize.
If they don’t need your help though you made the offer give them their space but still anticipate them calling for your help and be ready to help if they should call.
If they are not sure then make a suggestion, and show them the benefits of going with this product, some customers are price conscious, while others may be looking for quality and not so much as the price.
Once you have assisted them, let them make the decision. Your job is only to help them not force them to purchase a product they have no interest in buying.
Once they have made the decision ask if they need further help if the answer is no and they proceed to the checkout counter then thank them for their support also wishing them to have a good day.
This method can be repeated with other customers. Talk about a blow-away experience that will not only keep them coming back but will let others know about the good service that is offered at your place of work.
A career as a nurseryman
Nursery job descriptions
There are many areas of working in a plant nursery. Some of these areas are.
- Nursery laborer
- Greenhouse laborer
- Greenhouse specialist
- Grafter
- Florist
- Nursery Assistant
- Nursery harvester
- Supervisor
- Manager
- Sprinkling worker
- Picker
- Packer
- Garden center sales rep
- Propagator laborer
- Orchid Specialist
These are just some of the exciting areas when it comes to choosing a career in the plant nursery and garden center.
Training and level of education
You can start at the entry level which is a nursery laborer or greenhouse laborer. Depending on your state and the establishment that is seeking to employ you a high school diploma may be required along with some experience in these areas or on-the-job training.
For the more skilled position, certification will be required. The good news is there are trade schools, colleges, online courses, and other programs that can provide the kind of training that will allow you to secure these positions. Check with your government state department to see what is available.
Salary
This is the part that we are all interested in no matter the job description. What does the salary look like? Salary depends largely on your work experience, your level of training as far as certification is concerned, and your job performance.
Though salary differs from state to state and depending on which company you are employed with whether large or small you can expect to earn anywhere from $11-$16 per hour and higher depending on your position.
Remember the salary scale depends on the above mention. A good living can be made and there is always room for growth as the opportunity arises and you position yourself to move up higher.
My story
I have been in the landscaping and gardening profession for more than 22 years. Wow, time really does fly but what I want to share here is that this area of work has been very rewarding as I have worked in many areas of this field meeting so many people from around the world.
I have also been involved in many garden projects and have put smiles on so many faces which give such a good feeling. So if nature is calling you then this is the field for you. Go for it and connect with nature by giving nature a helping hand.
A career as a nurseryman
The final word
Plants play an important part in this world. Remember plants provide food, shelter, medicine, flavor our foods, help to promote our health and so much more. Deciding to choose one of these exciting areas can be very rewarding.
So again if the answer was yes to all of the questions that were asked at the beginning of this post then this is the field for you. Consider working with plants while connecting with nature. I am sure that you will love it because nature is calling you.
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About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.