Landscaper Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a landscaper. Feel free to use our landscaper job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a landscaper.
Who is a Landscaper?
A natural landscape is one in which an area of land and the elements within it are not altered, altered, or moved directly by humans. These are non-living or living elements, which may include rocks, water, plants, or trees. In general, wildlife is not considered to be a part of the landscape because animals can come and go freely.
Although humans cannot alter a landscape for it to remain natural, nature can. Winds can uproot trees, fires can destroy vegetation, and floodwaters can wash away rocks and hills. All of these factors have the potential to alter the area, but it is the human factor that makes the difference. The contours of a shoreline, created by the ocean’s flow, are an excellent example of a natural landscape, even though the land is composed of grains of sand rather than rocks and dirt. Essentially, any type of topographical area that has remained untouched for an extended period is considered natural.
This term, on the other hand, should not be confused with natural landscaping. Humans frequently reposition or rearrange the land and its elements to make them more aesthetically pleasing. In many cases, the landscape has been altered almost completely or the land leveled to accommodate the construction of a house or other structure.
After construction is complete, there may be a desire to restore the land to its pre-altered state. To achieve this look, landscape designers frequently mimic the surrounding area’s topography and may even create artificial hills or slopes to give the land a natural appearance. Additionally, they may choose to enhance it by adding waterfalls or miniature ponds that were not previously present.
A landscaper is someone who designs, maintains, or enhances the natural environment. Typically, a significant portion of the work entails plants, grass, and trees.
A landscaper may work for a company or independently. Often, but not always, the land on which one works is privately owned. Locales may include private residences, schools, and commercial property, and the individual’s work is frequently limited to lawns and gardens, as well as the structures or bodies of water contained within. That is, they typically do not work on or within residences, large buildings, bodies of water, or forests, but they do work on swimming pools, ponds, walls, patios, decks, yards, gardens, driveways, and entryways. While landscape architects and engineers exist, these professionals typically refer to themselves as architects and engineers with a specialty in landscaping. Generally, it is assumed that someone referred to as a “landscaper” lacks expertise in architecture or engineering.
Design is one area in which a landscaper may work or specialize. This can be done at the time a building is constructed or re-conceived if the property owner desires something different. Landscaping is always constrained by several factors, including the climate zone, soil type, and amount of sun available on the property; the level of care the property owners are willing to provide for its maintenance; the cost; the presence of children or animals that may interact with the plantings; and special requests, such as specific color schemes or historical accuracy. Special features such as lighting or running water, as well as fences or walls dividing areas of the property, may be requested. Employers may also have strong feelings about the types of pesticides they are willing to allow on their property in the twenty-first century.
A landscaper may also specialize in caring for properties that have already been established with plants. This may include weekly, seasonal, or yearly tasks, as well as those completed on an as-needed basis. Irrigation, fertilizing, tree stump removal, snow plowing, planting bulbs or annuals, trimming shrubs, shaping trees, and mowing lawns are all examples of such work.
Landscaper Job Description
Below are the landscaper job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a landscaper job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a landscaper include the following:
- Using pesticides to eliminate harmful insects such as mosquitos, wasps, and ticks.
- Conducting general maintenance tasks such as cleaning walkways and repairing fountains.
- Applying fertilizers to aid in growth.
- Eliminating weeds and decaying plants.
- Reducing the height of overgrown limbs, hedges, and leaves.
- Ensuring that the landscaping design is adhered to and that plants grow.
- Adding new decorative bushes, flowers, plants, and shrubs to your landscape.
- Supervising equipment, landscape structures, outdoor furniture, and walkways maintenance repairs.
- Advising clients on proper landscape maintenance.
- Assembling a team of garden designers and landscape architects to ensure that the garden exceeds the client’s expectations.
- Pruning small trees, shrubs, and hedges
- Eliminating undesirable, dead, or damaged trees
- Planting shrubs, flowers, and trees
- Providing irrigation for gardens, lawns, and landscapes
- Monitoring and preserving the health of plants
- Groundskeeping and building maintenance.
- Mowing the lawn manually or with a riding lawnmower.
- Trimming and edge around walks, flower beds, and walls using a hand, power, or riding mower.
- Planting flowers, grass, shrubs, and bushes to create a landscape.
- Applying pesticides to eliminate pests such as mosquitos, wasps, and ticks from the grounds.
- Carrying out routine maintenance duties such as plastering, repairing fountains, and others.
- Removing dangerous tree limbs.
- Pruning shrubs and weeding
- Performing minor repairs and maintenance on groundskeeping equipment.
- Establishing outdoor furniture.
- Installing rock, cement, lighting, and water features, as well as furniture.
- Watering plants and grass as necessary and fertilize as needed.
- Maintaining aesthetically pleasing lawns and plants by using a variety of tools, including rakes, saws, shovels, trimmers, axes, and pruning saws.
- Maintaining an optimal height for the grass by mowing it with edgers and mowers.
- Monitoring the sprinkler system to ensure it waters the lawns regularly and reset it as necessary, as well as water by hand as needed to keep the plants healthy.
- Maintaining clean flower beds and garden areas by removing any dead branches and flowers and trimming or picking the plants as necessary.
- Assisting in the placement of decorative rocks, stones, statues, and other items throughout the lawn to complete the overall aesthetic appearance.
Additional critical tasks include the following:
- Administer Lawn Treatments
Landscapers are lawn doctors. They employ their turf management and horticulture expertise to determine the root cause of an unhealthy lawn and apply the appropriate treatment.
- Mulch Shrubs and Flower Beds Regularly
Landscapers must have an eye for detail to identify when mulch should be replaced or replenished. They require physical strength to lift mulch bags weighing on average around 40 pounds. They use turf management techniques to ensure that mulch is evenly distributed.
- Create an Action Plan Based on the Landscape Layout
This is critical for landscapers who work on a per-client basis. The more quickly they complete each job, the more clients they can accommodate during a workday. The majority of landscaping companies employ at least two landscapers on each job, and they collaborate to efficiently manage the property.
- Keep Weed Growth to a Minimum
Weeds are a common annoyance in any lawn or flower bed. Landscapers employ their knowledge of weed control techniques to establish and adhere to a routine maintenance schedule.
- Plant Trees, Shrubs, and Floral Arrangements
Planting trees, shrubs, and flowers entail more than simply digging a hole and seeding. Landscapers must understand the optimal planting conditions and proper care for each plant.
Qualifications
- Diploma from a high school or an equivalent qualification.
- At least two years of experience working in landscaping or groundskeeping.
- Must be able to operate lawnmowers, leaf blowers, and hedge trimmers.
- Possess an in-depth understanding of pest management and basic lawn maintenance.
- Excellent attention to detail and organizational abilities.
- Excellent physical stamina and health.
Essential Skills
- Lawn maintenance
Oftentimes, people seek out a landscaper to assist them in maintaining their lawn. This is why you should be able to mow, seed, and install sod. Depending on the location of your client, you may also need experience with lawn aeration and landscape design.
- Soil and irrigation management
Understanding how to treat the soil in your area optimally will assist you in maintaining your grass work. The location plays a significant role in determining which aspects of soil management and irrigation to prioritize. In areas that experience all four seasons, you’ll need to understand fertilizing, mulching, amending soil, and winterizing.
- Detail-oriented
A successful landscaper requires more than technical ability. There are also numerous critical and beneficial soft skills, such as attention to detail. Gardening, lawn care, and flower care all require a high level of precision. Being able to identify a single wilted flower or encroaching weed will assist you in preventing small problems from becoming large ones. Additionally, you should be able to take precise measurements to ensure the accuracy of designs and blueprints when presenting options to clients, which is critical for developing and maintaining clientele.
- Control of pests
Frequently, a client will have pest-related issues with their lawn. Having a working knowledge of the common landscaping issues caused by small animals, insects, and invasive plant species will enable you to respond appropriately.
- Hardscaping
Hardscaping is any hard surface that is incorporated into an exterior design plan. Hardscaping skills typically include installing stone tiles, erecting a stone wall, or constructing a wooden structure. Hardscaping can occasionally include walkways, a fire pit, or even benches. While the majority of landscapers are skilled in softscaping, which involves natural elements such as grass and plants, not everyone is skilled in hardscaping. Having a strong set of hardscaping skills enables you to contribute significantly to any team.
How to Become a Landscaper
A person interested in pursuing a career as a landscaper can do so by learning about plants and horticultural design and gaining hands-on experience. While attending college is not required to become a landscaper, some find that having a degree in landscaping is advantageous when pursuing this career. Finding an entry-level or volunteer position that provides hands-on experience for prospective landscapers is typically the most reliable way to get started in this business.
A person interested in pursuing a career as a landscaper should gain as much knowledge about plants as possible. He’ll need to understand how to properly plant outdoor plants and lawns, as well as how to maintain their health. He’ll also need a broad range of gardening skills to work as a landscaper. Numerous books and Web sites are available that provide information on a wide variety of plants. To avoid becoming overwhelmed by the sheer volume of available information, an individual may choose to focus on the plants and trees that are most prevalent in his area, gradually expanding his knowledge of other plant life.
With a strong foundation in plant knowledge, a prospective landscaper may find work with a landscape or gardening business. He may secure a paid position or even volunteer to gain valuable hands-on experience. Horticultural organizations, for example, maintain public gardens and offer volunteer and internship opportunities. An aspiring landscaper may put what he learns into practice on his property or offer to help friends and family members maintain the land surrounding their homes.
Some individuals may find it advantageous to attend landscaping school. For instance, an individual could pursue a college degree in landscape architecture or design to gain knowledge of the numerous design and planning aspects of landscaping. If a prospective landscaper wishes to start his own business, he may wish to pursue a business management degree instead. In this case, he may acquire knowledge about design through books or hands-on experience.
After gaining significant experience and in-depth knowledge of plant life and landscaping, an individual may find work as a landscape crew member, performing tasks assigned by the crew leader or landscape designer. Alternatively, he could pursue a career as a landscape designer, creating designs and overseeing the execution of landscaping projects. Landscape designers frequently design the grounds surrounding residences and small businesses. A person may even pursue a career as a landscape architect, designing and planning landscapes for larger businesses, organizations, and public spaces.
Where to Work as a Landscaper
Landscape designers and contractors, lawn service businesses, golf courses, nurseries, and greenhouses, as well as municipal, provincial, and national parks, employ landscapers. Additionally, they may be self-employed.
Landscaper Salary Scale
In the United States, the national average salary for a Landscaping is $33,545 per year.