The image of the gardener in the past, present, and future – a qualitative study on how people from the horticultural sector see their profession

In times of demographic change, there is an increasing shortage of skilled workers in the German horticulture sector.
An appropriate and attractive job image of a gardener could help to compete for young talent.
The aim of this study was to explore how persons in German horticulture describe a gardener’s job image with respect to different periods.
We conducted an online survey at the beginning of 2023 with 156 managers and 132 employees in the German horticulture sector.
The participants verbalized their ideas about the image of a gardener for the past, present, and future.
The statements were qualitatively evaluated using inductive coding.
A total of 1026 codes were generated, resulting in 16 categories.
The most often mentioned categories were physical work, machines, technology, and producing plants.
The importance of physical work for the image of the gardening profession is decreasing over time, while the importance of technology is increasing.
Producing plants is a constantly important topic.
Digitalization is an important topic for the future.
Overall, there is a shift in the content of the job image away from clichés and a closer connection to nature toward a stronger emphasis on technological issues, environmental protection, and economic aspects.
Our study can serve as a basis for presenting the profession of gardening to the outside world in an appropriate way, without discarding clichés and instead highlighting its attractive elements.
Additionally, the presentation of the future image of gardeners could provide suggestions for revising training content.

EHC2024: International Symposium on the History of Horticulture in Europe

K. Sparke, A.-K. Kleih, M. Lehberger

gardener, job image, professional profile, German horticulture, qualitative investigation

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2025.1438.11