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Re: gardenwriters Digest, Vol 25, Issue 18

I can tell you what puts out the fire. The attitude of many large garden centers that the people who work for them belong in the category "agricultural workers" and entitled only to the low-pay, no bennies that such a category has traditionally been associated with.

I give an example from my last employment for other than myself:

One of my jobs was as a "horticulturist" at a public help desk in a large garden center. I had to answer questions from "what is it?" (animal, vegetable, mineral) to "what's wrong with it" (anything that grows indoors or out - tropical or temperate) and all manner of advice on how to use products sold by the company to achieve their goal. As I gave advice on toxic products daily, the company's product liability issues were dependent on what advice I gave. I was making just over $9/hr after 5 years with them (stellar job reviews every year).

One October a memo from HR went around outlining jobs that were available in the company. One was for an "executive secretary" - requirements: type 35 words per minute, be familiar with wordprocessing software and able to "assist" the executives of the company. Starting salary $10.40/hour.

I took myself to the HR person and said I wanted to know why they would start a secretary at that rate while horticulturists made so much less in spite of the responsibility of the job. His answer to me was "We must compete with Pillsbury and General Mills for these executive secretaries and I don't know of anyone who is looking for horticulturists."

The entry level jobs (without a hort degree) are so seasonal and so low-paying that the fire has to come from a mentor or some other way of developing an innate passion for plants. Young people develop a curiosity about and interest in things they are exposed to during their formative years. One develops gardeners by raising them with gardeners - the schools don't, as a rule, offer anything that would do the job - especially in today's "Cut the budget" world. For every school "Plant a Row" program sponsored by the a GWA member or school "grow lab" sponsored by the National Gardening Association there are 50 (or more) schools where there is NO program at all to excite anyone about growing things.

Mary Henry
Minneapolis

On Feb 18, 2005, at 11:00 AM, gardenwriters-request@lists.ibiblio.org wrote:
Dan Clost wrote, "What is happening in your parts of the country to make horticulture an attractive vocation for our young people?"

Perennial Plant Association offers scholarships, helps place interns, and awards a "Young Grower of the Year" award annually.
Ball Publishing recently stopped accepting nominations for a similar award, Outstanding Young Grower (under 35).
GPN magazine and Nexus sponsor an internship program.
Many Universities and public gardens, even zoos, offer or participate in internships.
But this doesn't really answer the question, does it? An intern has to come to one of these programs already fired with the desire to go into a hort career of some sort. What starts that fire? 
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