SUBTOPIC: Landscape maintenance tasks
– Annual plantings and harvestings
– Periodic weeding and fertilizing
– Lawn care
– Shrub pruning and topiary
– Irrigation and runoff drainage
SUBTOPIC: Groundskeeper responsibilities
– Deal with local animals
– Create means to attract or repel animals
– Provide habitat for wild animals
– Swimming pool care
– Driveway and path maintenance
SUBTOPIC: Landscape maintenance industry statistics
– Worth $98.8 billion
– Annual growth of 4.4% from 2014-2019
– Estimated decrease to 1.5% annual growth from 2019-2024
– 1.2% growth in the number of businesses
– High competition for new businesses
SUBTOPIC: Landscape and Groundskeeping Workers
– 912,360 workers in the US
– Average annual pay of $29,700
– Mean hourly wage of $14.28
– Job tasks include sod laying, mowing, trimming, planting, etc.
– Excludes Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
SUBTOPIC: Impact of COVID-19 on landscape maintenance
– Increased demand for landscaping and pool installation work
– Due to remote workers spending more time at home
– Opportunities for growth in the industry
– Adapting to changing customer needs
– Potential for continued growth in the future
Landscape maintenance (or groundskeeping) is the art and vocation of keeping a landscape healthy, clean, safe and attractive, typically in a garden, yard, park, institutional setting or estate. Using tools, supplies, knowledge, physical exertion and skills, a groundskeeper may plan or carry out annual plantings and harvestings, periodic weeding and fertilizing, other gardening, lawn care, snow removal, driveway and path maintenance, shrub pruning, topiary, lighting, fencing, swimming pool care, runoff drainage, and irrigation, and other jobs for protecting and improving the topsoil, plants, and garden accessories.
Groundskeepers may also deal with local animals (including birds, rodents, reptiles, insects, and domestic animals or pets), and create means to attract or repel them, as desired or necessary. A garden may also be designed to include exotic animals, such as a koi pond. In larger estates, groundskeepers may be responsible for providing and maintaining habitat for wild animals.