Horticulture Technician

Learn how to build and maintain landscapes, gardens and indoor spaces, and study arboriculture, landscape design, plant identification, plant production and business management. This program offers a unique emphasis on the practical aspects of horticulture, where you will gain work experiences during two co-op work terms, the on-campus greenhouse designed exclusively for students, as well as in the world-class Fanshawe College Botanical Gardens. This includes the hundred acre ‘living lab’ that is Fanshawe’s London Campus and the A.M. Cuddy Garden near Strathroy, which houses a remarkable collection of rare and endangered plants, and is recognized as a botanical garden by Botanic Gardens Conservation International. 

The Horticulture Technician program is well-respected and supported in the industry, and students participate in national events such as Skills Canada, achieving medals provincially and nationally in the Landscape Gardening Skills Competition. You’ll also have professional opportunities such as building the entrance garden in Landscape Congress in Toronto, volunteering in building and maintaining gardens at Canada Blooms in Toronto, and networking through a membership to the Student Chapter of Landscape Ontario. 

The Horticulture Technician diploma program develops students’ academic and practical skill level that allows them to easily match a growing need in the green profession. With over 1,600 horticulture positions available in Ontario annually (according to Landscape Ontario), all graduates can be fully employed in their field.

The first year of study is academic-centred, while the emphasis in the second year is on hands-on practical training. Approximately 80% of the scheduled class time in the senior year is spent outside the classroom in courses such as Landscape Field Construction, Greenhouse Plant Production, Arboriculture and Garden and Landscape Maintenance. 

Students and faculty participate in practical lab sessions while maintaining and redeveloping the grounds of the campus in real-time situations. Students will spend both class and independent practical periods at both the London Campus and The A.M. (Mac) Cuddy Gardens in Strathroy. Ten Horticulture Technician students maintain the gardens during summer under the supervision of two staff horticulturists. 

During the program, students may choose to complete optional training in chainsaw use and the provincial pesticide license. Fanshawe College is the first institution in North America to integrate the CLT (Certified Landscape Technician) national standard of proficiency into the program. Students will complete practical and written tests during their senior year and if successful gain the CLT designation.

The College maintains active industry partnerships in areas such as: lawn and garden equipment and suppliers, greenhouse service suppliers, landscape suppliers and services, as well as professional associations such as the Landscape Ontario, Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Royal Horticultural Society, Scottish Rock Garden Society, the North American Rock Garden Society, the Hardy Plant Society, the American Public Gardens Association and the Ontario Rock Garden Association. Industry support and corporate sponsorship of over $100,000 annually allows the program to use the latest technology, tools and equipment in the teaching labs.

Students are expected to provide their own transportation to and from the London Campus and the A.M. (Mac) Cuddy Gardens in Strathroy as well as occasionally at other sites in the London and Middlesex area as required. Many practical labs in the program occur outdoors in all weather and require lifting, bending, climbing and other physical work.