Grounds Managers

Landscaping formal gardens and cultivating flowers is artistic work. The hanging gardens of Babylon, the landscaped areas of Persia and India, and the smaller formal gardens of Athens are early examples of this art. In the 18th century, gardens became more informal and natural, as exemplified by the plantings around George Washington's Mount Vernon home.

The first large landscaped public area in the United States was New York's Central Park, created in the 1860s. While landscaped parks and gardens have not been as widespread in the United States as they have elsewhere, enthusiasm for them is growing as the population increases and people realize the importance of seeing natural beauty in their everyday surroundings. The profession of grounds manager has evolved in the years since to be one that offers a variety of career development opportunities. Many professional associations have also been established to provide grounds managers with education and certification. The Professional Grounds Management Society, for example, was established in 1911 with a mission to unite and educate grounds managers and provide a high standard of business ethics. Today, grounds managers work for colleges and universities, municipalities, park and recreation facilities, office parks, apartment complexes, hotels and motels, cemeteries, theme parks, among numerous other organizations and institutions.