Garden labourer
Also known as: garden worker, landscaping operative, gardening assistant, manual garden labourer, landscaping labourer, landscape labourer
About this occupation
Garden labourers perform simple tasks in cultivating and maintaining flowers, trees and shrubs. This work can take place in either parks or private gardens.
Essential skills and knowledge
- operate turf management equipment
- propagate plants
- work in outdoor conditions
- maintain turf and grass
- maintain plant soil nutrition
- maintain plants' growth
- prune plants
- use gardening equipment
- prune hedges and trees
- handle chemical products for soil and plants
- plant green plants
- plant propagation
Typical tasks and preparation
From the related US occupation profile Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (O*NET 37-3011.00). Linked by an official crosswalk: related, not identical; details vary by country.
- Mow or edge lawns, using power mowers or edgers.
- Operate vehicles or powered equipment, such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, chainsaws, electric clippers, sod cutters, or pruning saws.
- Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers, or axes.
- Prune or trim trees, shrubs, or hedges, using shears, pruners, or chain saws.
- Gather and remove litter.
- Trim or pick flowers and clean flower beds.
- Preparation
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Interests
- Realistic, Conventional, Artistic
Top skills: Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Speaking, Monitoring, Operations Monitoring
US median pay: US$39,150 a year (2025), 952,640 employed. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Preparation needed
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Related occupations
Occupations O*NET links to this one by similar work, skills and knowledge.
- Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
- Tree Trimmers and Pruners
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
- First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
- Agricultural Equipment Operators
- Highway Maintenance Workers
- Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
- Fallers
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.