Summer job for college student.

Jay Pentatonic

Hey,
I've nearly finished my 1st year in Landscape design, & a lecture of mine is encouraging us all to get a summer job in order to become more familiar with plants (something a lot of us are lacking, since the course is more design based).

Anyway, I was hoping to go to Woodies & was also suggested Mount Venus (probably won't get payed there, but I still want to go, for the learning & experience).

But, realistically, I don't know if either will actually employ me, because of my rather unimpressive knowledge of plants.

so does anyone have any suggestions? I really want to do this & improve.

looksee

Could you do the voluntary work for the experience and also maybe put the word around that you are willing to do basic garden work for people, even if its only mowing the lawn.

You would have to get one or two people onside to give you references, and put some ads in local supermarkets and post offices. If people find you are reasonable and reliable you should find that word of mouth will get you work.

Sonnenblumen

Jay1989 wrote: »

Hey,
I've nearly finished my 1st year in Landscape design, & a lecture of mine is encouraging us all to get a summer job in order to become more familiar with plants (something a lot of us are lacking, since the course is more design based).

Anyway, I was hoping to go to Woodies & was also suggested Mount Venus (probably won't get payed there, but I still want to go, for the learning & experience).

But, realistically, I don't know if either will actually employ me, because of my rather unimpressive knowledge of plants.

so does anyone have any suggestions? I really want to do this & improve.

Going off topic here. What's going on, where are you studying? How in the hell can anyone teach/learn garden design or design any garden without any fundamental knowledge of plants? It's a similar issue with horticulturalists, most know nothing about hard landscaping! Can you imagine an architect with no knowledge of building construction, designing a house?

What's the point in churning out 'graduate designers' with significant knowledge gaps.

And before anyone asks, we do not hire students - too much bad experience.

Sorry, but I doubt if you will learn in anything in any DIY store? Better to target the nurseries. Why not ask your lecturer for a talk on industry structure and go from there!

looksee

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Going off topic here. What's going on, where are you studying? How in the hell can anyone teach/learn garden design or design any garden without any fundamental knowledge of plants? It's a similar issue with horticulturalists, most know nothing about hard landscaping! Can you imagine an architect with no knowledge of building construction, designing a house?

What's the point in churning out 'graduate designers' with significant knowledge gaps.

And before anyone asks, we do not hire students - too much bad experience.

Sorry, but I doubt if you will learn in anything in any DIY store? Better to target the nurseries. Why not ask your lecturer for a talk on industry structure and go from there!

Agreed its off topic, but garden skills (as against academic skills) like plant identification and knowledge are best learned in a practical environment, and from people with practical experience.

Unfortunately the people with years of hands-on experience whose knowledge and expertise used to be valued in such as technical colleges are now being pushed aside in favour of people with a degree but little of the knowledge and skill that comes from actually doing the job.

I have seen so many garden design programmes on tv and the experts use the same 20 or so plants with little regard for how they will look in winter, or when they get overcrowded from too many being pushed in for instant effect. Or more likely, the owner, given an instant garden and no experience is not going to know what needs to be pruned or cut back or divided or whatever.

OP, don't just accept that you do not have plant knowledge, get some books, talk to people, go to public parks and read labels. Confidence in discussing plants will go a long way to convincing people that you can be trusted to redesign their garden.

foxinsox

Jay1989 wrote: »

Hey,
I've nearly finished my 1st year in Landscape design, & a lecture of mine is encouraging us all to get a summer job in order to become more familiar with plants (something a lot of us are lacking, since the course is more design based).

Anyway, I was hoping to go to Woodies & was also suggested Mount Venus (probably won't get payed there, but I still want to go, for the learning & experience).

But, realistically, I don't know if either will actually employ me, because of my rather unimpressive knowledge of plants.

so does anyone have any suggestions? I really want to do this & improve.

books, books and more books, then you can use what you've read and use the knowledge to see if you can identify the plants/trees around you. Start with your own garden and be able to identify all plants.

It does take time and defnitely working with plants will help you identify them. It comes naturally when you are around them all the time.

You could offer your services for free if you can afford to do that. Even three weeks in a nursery you would learn loads. If I was you I would avoid the big garden centres for work experience because it could end up more like packing shelves. But the big garden centres are handy to use for visits to test your plant knowledge and identification.

I would recommend a vist to The Botanical Gardens after you've done a bit of reading and then you'll be suprised how many plants you'll recognise.

Great book I would recommend is
RHS Garden Plants and Flowers ISBN 0-7513 -3869- 9

Also use your local library it's great for getting books.

Bloom is on June weekend, as far as I know garden builds start around May 14, you could try getting work there? I think the web is bloom.ie

Best of luck

paddy147

All you will learn in woodies is how to wheel in and out bag after bag of manure and compost and gardening stuff for customers and put it in the back of their cars for them,without no such mention of a thankyou.

A general dogs body in other words.

Jay Pentatonic

Hey thanks guys for your feedback!

foxinsox, I actually am going to be working in Bloom in a few weeks, one of my classmates got his design accepted & I'll be helping building it up, CAN'T WAIT!!!:) Hopefully I'll learn loads there as well.

As regards to books, the main one I'm using is reader's digest to creative gardening, I think it's really good, but just reading endless amount of pages on plants I find very hard, & little actually sticks in, so that's where working with plants comes in.

I've also been to the Botanic gardens twice, nice place. I suppose I should just go there more (It's been about 7 months now since my last visit).

In terms of nurseries, anyone know of any that are willing to have students to learn about plants etc???
I'm NOT looking for payment now, I don't care about that anymore, I just don't want any knowledge gaps!!!!!

P.S. still looking at Mount venus:D

Beruthiel

I like to work in my garden. It's fun and it interests me. Hence I've learned X amount over the years.
Everything I've learned has been from books, other people interested in gardening and trial and error.
I honestly think, the best thing you could do is offer to do peoples gardens from free and use books to explain how best to take of each plant.
You will pick up feck all by just watering plants in Woodies on a daily basis.
If you intend to do this for a living, you need to expand your library of gardening books.

Sonnenblumen

looksee wrote: »

Agreed its off topic, but garden skills (as against academic skills) like plant identification and knowledge are best learned in a practical environment, and from people with practical experience.

Unfortunately the people with years of hands-on experience whose knowledge and expertise used to be valued in such as technical colleges are now being pushed aside in favour of people with a degree but little of the knowledge and skill that comes from actually doing the job.

I have seen so many garden design programmes on tv and the experts use the same 20 or so plants with little regard for how they will look in winter, or when they get overcrowded from too many being pushed in for instant effect. Or more likely, the owner, given an instant garden and no experience is not going to know what needs to be pruned or cut back or divided or whatever.

OP, don't just accept that you do not have plant knowledge, get some books, talk to people, go to public parks and read labels. Confidence in discussing plants will go a long way to convincing people that you can be trusted to redesign their garden.

There are various ways to acquire knowledge, IMO the best is a combination of academic and practical. Learning by mistakes is another, but not recommended. I would have thought any designer should at the very least have a fundamental understanding/knowledge of all critical elements. How can a garden designer design a garden with no knowledge of plants/trees and associated maintenance requirements. Books may provide useful info, but local climate & growing conditions can also largely influence eventual plant growth performance. Here is where practical knowledge can be put to good use.

Ultimately the route to knowledge demands a degree of initiative
and a desire to learn. Degrees or experiential are only two routes each with their own merits/shortcomings. In reality but especially in the garden world there are many and easy opportunities and sources for learning and aquiring plant skills and knowledge.

fryup

Jay1989 wrote: »

Hey thanks guys for your feedback!

foxinsox, I actually am going to be working in Bloom in a few weeks, one of my classmates got his design accepted & I'll be helping building it up, now since my last visit).

what is Bloom a shop?

Jay Pentatonic

fryup wrote: »

what is Bloom a shop?

http://bloominthepark.com/

fodda

Be a "woofer" http://www.wwoof.ie/

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