landscape gardener
Role lens
Transform outdoor spaces into beautiful and functional landscapes as a landscape gardener. This role combines creativity, horticultural knowledge, and practical skills to design, build, and maintain parks, gardens, and public areas.
Landscape gardeners are responsible for the design, installation, and upkeep of outdoor environments. Your day might involve meeting with clients to discuss their vision, preparing site plans, planting trees and flowers, constructing hardscape features like patios and walkways, and ensuring the ongoing health and appearance of the landscape. This role requires a blend of practical skills, horticultural knowledge, and an eye for design.
- • Designing landscape plans based on client needs and site conditions.
- • Preparing sites for planting and construction, including soil preparation and grading.
- • Installing plants, trees, shrubs, and turf.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Deeper colour: reported the same way in more consecutive years.
Figures cover Market-oriented skilled agricultural workers — 27 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece and 5 more.
Longest-running shortage: Netherlands, 4 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
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Could landscape gardener fit you?
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Future Outlook for landscape gardener
The outlook for landscape gardener reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could landscape gardener change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How could landscape gardener change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- perform pest control
- work in outdoor conditions
- execute disease and pest control activities
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- transport physical resources within the work area
- prepare the ground
- prune hedges and trees
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Agriculture
A typical day as a landscape gardener
09 09:00 · Morning build fences
10 10:30 · Mid-morning de-limb trees
12 12:00 · Midday execute disease and pest control activities
14 14:00 · Afternoon grow plants
15 15:30 · Late afternoon nurse plants
17 17:00 · Wrap-up maintain ground
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
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horticulture principles
The standard horticultural practices, including but not limited to planting, pruning, corrective pruning, and fertilisation.
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landscaping materials
Field of information which distinguishes certain required materials, such as wood and wood chips, cement, pebbles and soil for landscaping purposes.
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plant disease control
Types and features of diseases in plants and crops. Different kinds control methods, activities using conventional or biological methods taking into account the type of plant or crop, environmental and climate conditions and health and safety regulations. Storage and handling of products.
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plant species
The variety of plants, trees and shrubs and their special characteristics.
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principles of landscape construction
Principles and techniques to prepare ground or site for construction of wooden and brick terraces, fences and ground surfaces. This includes knowlege on how to measure and plan out the site, lay stone and tiles.
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pruning techniques
The techniques of selectively removing parts of trees and plants to foster better growth and regeneration.
- design principles
- ecology
- environmental legislation in agriculture and forestry
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prepare the ground
Prepare the ground for laying turf or seeding by clearing the area, choosing the optimal soil, choosing the ground deepness and the appropriate fertilisers.
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maintain ground
Mow grass, rake leaves, and remove fallen limbs and trash. Remove weeds from landscapes in parks, greenways and other properties. Maintain the grounds and landscapes of private clients and businesses. Perform maintenance such as fertilising; spraying for weed and pest controls; planting, pruning and removing trees and shrubs; mow, trim, edge, cut and clean up uncontrolled weeds.
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nurse plants
Determine the need for nursing activities and carry out nursing by cultivating, maintaining, watering and spraying the plants and trees manually or using appropriate equipment, taking into account the plant species and following safety requirements.
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perform weed control operations
Carry out crop spraying for weeds and plant disease operations in line with National industry and customer requirements.
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grow plants
Carry out plant growing activities. Carry out grow control considering the required terms and conditions for specific plant type.
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maintain landscape site
Maintain the site by mowing, applying fertiliser, controlling weed, aerating, trimming and pruning. Perform clean-ups according to needs and requirements.
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prune hedges and trees
Cut and prune trees and hedges in ornemental forms, considering botanical and esthetical aspects.
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de-limb trees
De-limb trees ensuring that the quality is within specified limits with regard to health and safety regulations. Cut trees or parts of trees to clear the public access and electrical cables.
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propagate plants
Carry out propagation activities by appling appropriate propagation methods such as grafted cutting propagation or generative propagation considering the plant type. Carry out propagation control considering the required terms and conditions for specific plant type.
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plant green plants
Plant seeds manually or by using ground equipment.
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prune plants
Carry out pruning with relevant tools, related to the different purposes like maintenance pruning, pruning for growth, pruning for fruiting, debudding and volume reduction.
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perform pest control
Carry out crop spraying pest and disease operations in line with National industry and customer requirements. Carry out slurry and fertiliser spreading in accordance with local environmental regulations
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execute disease and pest control activities
Execute disease and pest control activities using conventional or biological methods taking into account the climate, plant or crop type, health and safety and environmental regulations. Store and handle pesticides in accordance with recomandation and legislation.
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use gardening equipment
Use gardening equipment such as clippers, sprayers, mowers, chainsaws, complying to health and safety regulations.
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put up signs
Put up signs using a posthole digger, shovel, tamper, and other manual tools.
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work in outdoor conditions
Can cope with the different climate conditions such as heat, rain, cold or in strong wind.
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transport physical resources within the work area
Transport physical resources such as products, equipment, materials, and liquids. Carefully load, transport and unload resources safely and efficiently, keeping the load in good condition.
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operate landscaping equipment
Operate a variety of landscaping equipment and hand tools such as: chain saws, line trimmers, tillers, back hoes, bobcats, chemical sprayer, bed edgers, rake, mowers, blowers, spreader, portable sprinkler system, dump trailers, tillers, sod cutters, weed eaters, plant augers, and drills. Use landscaping service equipment for excavation, roto-tilling, ploughing, lawn fertilisation, flower planting.
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handling chemical products for soil and plants
Handling chemical products for soil and plants includes cleaning the equipment used for spreading and spraying, mixing of chemicals, preparing pesticides and herbicides for spraying, preparing fertilisers for spreading.
Skill DNA
Work personality traits and values that define this role
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Where does landscape gardener fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
Frequently asked questions
- What kind of physical demands are involved in being a landscape gardener?
- This role is physically demanding, requiring prolonged periods of standing, bending, lifting, and working outdoors in various weather conditions. You’ll need good stamina and be comfortable operating equipment.
- Do I need a formal education to become a landscape gardener?
- While a formal degree isn't always required, completing a vocational training program or apprenticeship in horticulture or landscape gardening can significantly enhance your skills and job prospects. On-the-job training is also common.
- Can I work as a landscape gardener and be self-employed?
- Yes, landscape gardening is a profession where employment is the most common work arrangement. However, it's also frequently pursued as a self-business, allowing for greater independence and control over your projects.
- Landscape Gardener — is there a shortage in Europe?
- Yes. In the 2025 ELA/EURES edition, a shortage was reported in 9 of the 16 European countries that assessed this occupation group: Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Finland and 5 more. Netherlands has reported one for 4 consecutive years. These assessments are published per occupation group rather than per job title.
- Landscape Gardener — what does it pay in the United States?
- $79,660 a year at the median, as of 2025-05. State medians run from $50,960 to $101,220. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a United States figure and not a projection for Europe.
- Landscape Gardener — is it a regulated profession?
- It is listed as a regulated profession in 3 European countries: Luxembourg, Iceland, Slovakia. The lowest qualification level required among them is EQF 4. Where a profession is regulated, a qualification earned elsewhere has to be formally recognised before you can practise. Source: EU Regulated Professions Database.