This seems very appropriate piece to re-publish now, given that we have just lost our gardener at Veddw. See here.
I have never wanted a professionally trained gardener at Veddw. I find the ways that gardeners are supposed to do things unnecessarily labour intensive and time consuming, so I prefer to have someone who is happy to adapt to my ways without feeling offended at having their expertise ignored. All this is apart from needing a very skilled hedge cutter – but I think that apart from experience there is an inborn talent which informs Jeff’s ability to cut to an amazingly straight line.
But you may not agree. Ben has his own case to put.
Anne Wareham, editor
Ben Probert:
Let me introduce myself; I’m Ben, and I’m a gardener.
Not a horticulturist, a gardener.
I love what I do. I’m passionate about what I do. I’m not ‘passionate’ like some companies are ‘passionate about your photocopying needs’ or ‘passionate about personal finance’. I’m passionate in that I love my work, do gardening at home, read about plants and gardens, write about plants and gardens, learn about plants, gardens, pests etc… I live and breathe what I do.
I’m also not qualified. I like to joke that I went to Pershore College, but only for a one day conference run by the Alpine Garden Society. I should add that I spent two and a half days at an agricultural college doing my PA1/PA6 spraying tickets, just in case that matters. Apart from that I haven’t set foot on the campus of any college since I left sixth form many years ago. I can’t really say what happened to me – whether it was a ‘meltdown’ or a ‘moment of clarity’ that made me realise that the whole ‘college’ thing wasn’t for me.
I don’t have anything against ‘formal education’; learning about the world around us is an important part of life and is an important part of a successful career. Passing exams is not the same as learning though. Awkwardly I realised this during my A-levels. Don’t get me wrong, I did OK at A-levels (well enough to go to horticultural college anyway), but going out to work was a much more attractive prospect. Roll on 15+ years and I’m now working as a freelance gardener, maintaining and developing some absolutely beautiful gardens around Devon and Cornwall. I’m happy, and my customers like what I’m doing.
My personal story is unique to me, but I know that there are many other unqualified but good gardeners out there. Gardening can become an all encompassing passion, and others can teach themselves as I have done and become expert at elements of horticulture (nobody can be expert at everything; horticulture is so broad that to study it all in any depth would take much longer than a human lifespan would allow!).
I will concede that there are plenty of dreadful ‘gardeners’ out there, hacking and slashing their way around the gardens of the UK, but not all unqualified gardeners are bad and, here’s something controversial, not all qualified gardeners are particularly competent.
The question of how to differentiate between a ‘jobbing gardener’ (gardener with a small ‘g’) and a skilled Gardener (with a big ‘G’) has been rumbling around the horticulture industry like a distant thunderstorm for many years; nobody has found a satisfactory answer. Because gardeners are as diverse as the gardens they maintain I don’t think there could ever be a ‘one size fits all’ approach, but there is arguably a need to be able to distinguish between the various levels of skills. The word ‘gardener’ has a very broad meaning.
Professional gardeners can of course put the word ‘professional’ in front of ‘gardener’ and distinguish themselves from the handyman-types who offer painting, carpentry, window cleaning and gardening (to give a plausible example): the use of the word ‘professional’ at least says to prospective customers that this is someone who spends all of their time doing this job. But, but, there’s a snag: the word ‘professional’ only really means someone who earns their living doing that job, so anyone can buy a few tools and call themselves a ‘professional’. I don’t doubt for a moment that using the word ‘professional’ would make some impact on customers though.
Then we have the word ‘expert’. This is a word with gravitas; it says ‘take notice of me’. The problem here is that like the word ‘professional’ its meaning is rather open. There’s an ‘in joke’ in horticulture (and I expect many other industries too) that to be an ‘expert’ you only have to know more than your customer. I guess this is true and would work for some, but there’s always that risk that you will come across someone more expert than you…
I can, to my embarrassment, give you an example. I did some work for a friend’s nursery a while ago and met a customer who was looking for roses. He asked about feeding roses, and I answered with what I thought was vaguely accurate science. Bugger! The customer was a technical advisor to a company making horticultural feeds.
At the other end of the scale there is an ‘expert gardener’ operating in my area. I was at a nursery when she was recommending Hylotelephiums (you know, used to be Sedums) to brighten a dry spot under trees, and openly admitted to her customer that (even as an ‘expert’) that she had no grasp of botanical names or what many of the plants she was looking at actually did. Would you hire a gardening expert who relied on the labels to tell you what even common plants do? I’m always reluctant to use the word ‘expert’ too much, and would discourage others from doing so; ‘expert’ is all well and good until something crops up you don’t know and you look daft.
The word ‘horticulturist’ is appearing more and more at the moment. It tends to refer to those of a more academic leaning, but as with previous examples it’s a word that has a meaning so broad as to be useless. Essentially a ‘horticulturist’ is someone involved in horticulture, so would apply to anyone from fruit growers to turf management, from head gardeners (‘head horticulturist’ hasn’t appeared as a term just yet) to ordinary gardeners, and from teams in prestigious gardens to sole traders maintaining domestic gardens. It implies a level of education but in truth can be used by anyone.
So what should I call myself? I’ve worked tirelessly to learn as much as I can about horticulture since I started work, and I believe that I am sufficiently competent to do my job (a view that seems to be shared by my loyal customers). I’m still keen to learn new techniques and information, which is key to being a good gardener, but I don’t have the paperwork that some in the industry say that I need. My customers are very happy with my work, and am making progress in my career. Am I a horticulturist? Am I an expert? Lacking formal qualifications should I not be in the industry at all, relegated to calling myself an ‘outdoor technician’ or similar?
No, I’m a gardener, and I’m thoroughly proud to be.
Ben Probert website – Pen and Trowel
(P.S. If you’re interested in a career in horticulture and you’re weighing up your options, this is an industry where you can have a career without going to college but, and this is very important, it’s not easy. To do well you must have the drive and commitment to push yourself and to keep pushing; you don’t have the piece of paper to fall back on so you will spend your career proving yourself to those who doubt you, both employers or other gardeners. Every good job (and rubbish ones too actually!) asks for qualifications so when you apply you will be starting at a disadvantage, so you will really have to be tenacious and able to prove yourself if you want the job. Once you get in with good employers your cv will look a bit more attractive, but I’m just warning you that formal qualifications will make opportunities easier for you to take up. What they won’t do is make you a good gardener; this comes from continued learning and the ability to apply that knowledge in the real world, and that is up to you.)
Your words were a great validation for me, Ben! I’ve been working at this (urban midwest U.S.) nursery for 13 years and have become a better gardener (and better human being!) through the experience. I have an undergraduate Anthropology degree but it still rankles that another employee was referred to as “resident horticulturist” because of his 2 year degree from a community college – more so because he had to ask ME the growing requirements for the five different hydrangeas we sell! Meanwhile, I’ve spent every down time reading, researching and preparing to teach (formally and informally) my customers – who are MY teachers as well! Bless them, they always tell me I know so much! so I am quick to assure them “I learned on the job, and you can too!”
Maybe what we need is to be able to say the capital “G” to make it Gardener. People in books always seem to have this ability, though I’ve never met it in real life.
At any rate, thank you, and thanks Anne for keeping the conversations going!
I used to have a tiny nursery, where I propagated nearly everything we offered, whether by seed or cutting. I learned to do all this by trial and error, talking to other gardeners, and constant reading of both books and websites. I did take the Master Gardener course offered by the Extension service; that was my only certification.
Once we (the Master Gardeners) had a booth at the Home and Garden Show, and I and another woman were answering questions and giving presentations. She owned a somewhat larger nursery. At a lull in the crowds, we started talking, and she asked where I got my diploma. I said I didn’t have one. She gave me this look like I was something she found on the sole of her shoe after walking in a barnyard. “I just don’t understand how you people without any education think you can have a nursery!” she sneered. My jaw dropped.
Well, she was right. Our business eventually crashed and burned, but it was several years after *hers* did.
Now I do garden maintenance. People see what I do and ask for my number and that’s that.
I have gardened for the past 25 years. It’s my passion. I read almost everything I can get my hands on regarding gardening. I also take non-credit classes related to gardening, and more recently became a Master Gardener.
Do I know everything about gardening? Absolutely not, but I’ve found that without credentials, people won’t always listen. Case in point – I often walk my dogs beside a private park. Last year, I saw that someone installed a row of small trees in the park and had mounded mulch high up against each trunk (referred to as volcano mulching in the US). Mulch piled against tree trunks can eventually cause the trunk to decay and/or damage or kill the tree.
Because I care about trees, I contacted the park’s owner to let him know about the issue. I figured he would want to know since trees aren’t cheap. However, his response was that a landscape architect (8 yrs of education) had installed those trees and that the landscape architect knew what he was doing. Well, okay. (Actually it was the landscape architect’s uneducated crew who installed the trees, but it was also obvious that the landscape architect never followed up on his crew’s work.) Those trees still have lots of mulch on their trunk, and I simply look the other way every time I walk by them..
Ouch… wince…
Sneak out at night and fix it!
I have met people who earn their living at gardening whose understanding was transformed by studying for RHS certs even though, in the case of one gifted person, he failed the exam. OTOH I have met many who appear to have the RHS certs but really only want to do Maintenance – clearing and lawnmowing – and building garden furniture such as raised beds. I am lucky enough currently to have someone who loves what he does and who can call upon knowledgeable colleagues to assist with larger jobs but it takes an age to find the right person and then you are lucky if they have the spare capacity, as a good gardener’s worth is beyond rubies, whatever job description he or she gives themself.
All true…..!
I read this article with considerable interest. Although I am on the West Coast of the US, Ben’s experience and comments could certainly apply here, too. I know more from the experience of gardening (for 50 years!) than I could ever learn in a classroom. That said, I attend as many lectures and workshops as I have time and money to do so. I always learn something new that I likely would never have learned from gardening on my own. I also treasure my conversations with horticulturists, nursery people, and other gardeners. I endorse combining all of these to become the best gardener you can be. And it certainly doesn’t hurt a garden designer either!
I finished reading this with considerable respect for the writer. And with a question that has been touched on about the creative nature of gardening. I don’t think that I am a good gardener or an expert in anything garden related. What makes me excited about a garden is never how well the plants are looked after but how they have been put together. More than that, by far, is how the space that is the garden has been used. And how it sits within its surroundings. I think to make a great garden you need to have a vision and imagination and a willingness to change and adapt. But I don’t see how this can be achieved if the gardener doesn’t have control/ authority over how the garden looks as a whole.
Well said.
Let’s not fool ourselves into believing this issue is unique to gardening. Wherever there is an occupation which blends creativity and knowledge that is borne of both education and experience we have such situations where titles seem inadequate. Professional Chefs vs. Home Cooks – there are those who create brilliant meals with or without kitchens loaded with fine equipment. The proof is in the proverbial pudding.
Likewise, great gardens can be established and developed by garden-makers without any particular training or credentials.
Excellent article Ben and your not alone in this popular misconception but I share your sentiments.
Very well put Ben. Thank you. I agree there is an identity crisis. Experience and passion are much more important than qualifications.
I have learnt more from the great gardeners I have been lucky enough to work with during the last 20 years, plus from the books and magazines I have read, than any of the courses I have done. In fact, nobody has ever asked me for my qualifications. I get all of my work through word of mouth.
Whilst working in a garden you are able to make changes and grow ideas, so it can be a very creative process, when clients trust you.
The most useful new skills that are talking for me are Photoshop, Indesign and sketchup, which I learnt with the help of a friend. Being able to present my ideas more clearly is very exciting.
To raise the perception of what gardening means; we need to stop using the “M”- word , because I think that it devalues the craft and artistic skill involved.
I prefer to use the word “development” rather than “maintenance” when describing how we care for gardens. Gardening is a creative process, not just a cleaning service, so I think that the “M” word devalues the art and craft involved. “Maintenance” implies a state of preservation and perpetuation, whereas “development” gives a sense of progress, blossoming and evolution.
As discussed in my recent blog 😉
http://www.juliawylie.com/the-m-word/
Master gardener?
I don’t know about the UK but around here “Master Gardener” means you took an expensive course at the botanical garden and can boast about it. The bane of sales associates in retail nurseries!
Sounds lethal!
Ok then how about ‘Gardener’ and advertise as a Specialist in XYZ? That way hopefully the work you enjoy/want to do comes your way?
I did day release. This is a happy balance of paid practical work four days a week and an enjoyable college day, which was just as valuable for meeting other gardeners and tutors with encyclopaedic knowledge as for the formal teaching and the bit of paper at the end.
I don’t know how many colleges do this now.