22114 Landscape and horticulture technicians and specialists

What this occupation covers

Landscape and horticulture technicians and specialists survey and assess landscapes; draw sketches and build models of landscape designs; construct and maintain gardens, parks, golf courses and other landscaped environments; advise clients on issues related to horticulture such as irrigation; breed, cultivate and study plants; and treat injured and diseased trees and plants. They are employed by landscape designers and contractors, lawn service and tree care establishments, golf courses, nurseries and greenhouses, and municipal, provincial and national parks, or they may be self-employed.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 7 main duties for this code.

• Examine trees and shrubs to diagnose problems and disease, and apply various treatments such as pruning, spraying, repairing damaged areas and injecting with treatment solutions.
• Direct crews who maintain the health and appearance of golf courses and their surrounding landscapes, plant and move trees, and apply fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides.
• Plan and coordinate the growth and use of plants for landscaping, ornamental uses and other purposes.
• Survey and assess sites, prepare drawings, sketches and reports and perform other duties to assist landscape architects in designing landscaped environments.
• Plant and maintain private and public lawns and gardens.
• Plan and construct landscaped environments which may include trees, shrubberies, lawns, fences, decks, patios and other landscape structures.
• Visit clients, assess the health of lawns, and apply fertilizer, pesticides and other lawn care products.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 7 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 22110 Biological technologists and technicians
• 21110 Biologists and related scientists
• 82031 Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services
• 22112 Forestry technologists and technicians
• 21201 Landscape architects
• 80021 Managers in horticulture
• 85103 Nursery and greenhouse labourers

Excluded from this code

• Biological technologists and technicians (See 22110 Biological technologists and technicians)
• Botanist (See 21110 Biologists and related scientists)
• Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services (See 82031 Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services)
• Forestry technologists and technicians (See 22112 Forestry technologists and technicians)
• Landscape architects (See 21201 Landscape architects)
• Managers in horticulture (See 80021 Managers in horticulture)
• Nursery and greenhouse labourers (See 85103 Nursery and greenhouse labourers)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

arboriculturist · arborist · cloning technician - cannabis · cultivation technician · floriculturist · gardener · golf course superintendent · greens superintendent · greenskeeper · horticultural technician · horticultural technologist · horticulture specialist · horticulture technician · horticulture technologist · horticulturist · hydroponics technician · interior plantscape specialist · irrigation technician (except agriculture) · landscape architectural technician · landscape architectural technologist · landscape designer · landscape gardener · landscape horticulturist · landscape technician

Employment requirements

• Completion of a two-to-three year college program in agronomy, arboriculture, horticulture, landscaping, landscape design or landscape technology is usually required.
• Experience as a landscape and grounds maintenance labourer may be required for golf course superintendents, landscape gardeners and landscapers.
• An apprenticeship program is available for horticulturists, arboriculturists and landscape gardeners.
• Trade certification for landscape horticulturists is available, but voluntary, in all provinces.
• A provincial licence to apply chemical fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides may be required.
• In Quebec, membership in the regulatory body is required to use the title of Professional Technologist.
• Red Seal endorsement is also available to qualified landscape horticulturists upon successful completion of the interprovincial Red Seal examination.