Working at a Local Garden Centre

Posted by Amy Urquhart Mar 21, 2008

Five years ago, I found myself really in the depths of gardens and gardening for the first time. I had grown annual flowers in pots and planters, but had recently begun to grow edibles and the gardening bug had hit me hard.

I thought maybe there was a way I could make a living handling plants, so that spring I started to apply to garden centres in and around the City of Toronto, where I lived. The day I got hired at a large garden centre, I was thrilled. The interview was informal; the owner was an Italian woman whose family had been operating the business for many years. We walked together around the beautiful, bright greenhouse, and she pointed out various species of plants, asking me to identify them. She quickly realized that I knew something about perennials and hired me to be a perennial plant salesperson.

Going to work every day at the garden centre in early spring was a wonderful experience. Daily tasks consisted of watering plants, moving flats around and keeping them organized, and talking to customers about the habits of various perennial plants. I learned most of my common knowledge of perennials from that job, and often still reflect on it when I'm trying to remember something about growing a certain kind of perennial.

The best part of working at the garden centre, however, was the discount offered to its employees. When it was time for vegetables and herbs to be sold, I took full advantage of this employee discount! I selected peppers and tomatoes, lettuce greens and herbs to grow in my small back yard plot.

This season I am hoping to return to the horticultural industry part-time. For garden enthusiasts, it's a wonderful way to earn a little money while surrounding yoruself with the plants you love!