Diploma of Horticulture Technician
London, Canada
Diploma
DURATION
60 weeks
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
Are you interested in a career that will take you outside and connect you with the earth we live in and protect? Fanshawe’s two-year Horticulture Technician diploma program will give you the practical skills and knowledge for a career nurturing the natural world around us. Get hands-on practical and technical experience in this exceptional program through national events and associations, our exclusive student-run greenhouse, two working co-op semesters, and the world-class Fanshawe College Botanical Gardens.
Your Learning Experience
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, and 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 at the Landscape Congress in Toronto, volunteering to build and maintain 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 levels, allowing 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 allow the program to use the latest technology, tools, and equipment in the teaching labs.
Students are expected to provide their 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.
CIP Code: 01.0601
Level 1
Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:
- Reason & Writing 1-Art & Design
- Landscape & Garden Design
- Landscape Maintenance 1
- Horticulture & Soils
- Botanical Garden
- Woody Deciduous Plant Identification
- Co-operative Education Employment Prep
Level 2
General Education - Take a 3-credit General Education elective course.
Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:
- Communications for Design
- Plant Health Care
- Equipment Maintenance
- Trade Calculations for Hort Tech
- Arboriculture 1
- Landscape Construction 1
- Greenhouse Plant Production 1
- Woody Evergreen Plant Identification
Level 3
General Education - Take a 3-credit General Education elective course.
Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:
Group 1
- Integrated Pest Management
- Landscape Maintenance 2
- Landscape Construction 2
- Greenhouse Plant Production 2
- Herbaceous Plant Identification
Group 2
Take 2 of the following courses:
- Dynascape for Garden Design
- Arboriculture 2
- Turf Management
Level 4
Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:
Group 1
- Trends in Sustainable Horticulture
- The Business of Landscaping
- Annual & Tropical Plant Identification
Group 2
Take 2 of the following courses:
- Landscape Maintenance 3
- Landscape Construction 3
- Greenhouse Plant Production 3
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to
- Apply the principles of plant and soil sciences to complete work in horticulture.
- Apply practical horticulture skills to the production of plant materials, including herbaceous plants, woody plants, and turf.
- Apply the principles of design to horticulture.
- Apply basic installation and construction principles and practical skills to horticulture.
- Implement maintenance procedures for plants, property, and equipment.
- Utilize knowledge of plant identification, usage, and maintenance criteria.
- Recognize the potential environmental effects of projects and the need to avoid environmental damage and promote healthier ecosystems.
- Apply the principles and practical skills of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to indoor and outdoor plants.
- Contribute to the effective planning, implementation, and conclusion of projects.
- Use safe working practices.
- Use business practices appropriate to the horticulture industry.
- Act professionally, maintain professional relationships, and communicate effectively with clients, co-workers, supervisors, and others.
- Develop strategies for ongoing personal and professional development to enhance work performance and career opportunities and to keep pace with industry changes.
Fanshawe's Horticulture Technician program is held in high regard throughout the industry. Demand for graduates of the program is very high across all facets of the industry including landscape and garden construction and maintenance, plant production in greenhouses and nurseries, golf course development and construction, arboriculture and garden center, and horticulture sales.
Here are some examples of career opportunities for graduates of Fanshawe’s Horticulture Technician program:
Horticulturalist
Develop, grow, and harvest fruits, vegetables, and decorative plants.
Landscape Technician
Design and implement hardscape and softscape installations.
Horticulture Technician
Transplant, ship, pot, maintain, prune, and diagnose problems to maximize yield in a people-oriented retail environment.
Co-op Opportunities
The Horticulture Technician program offers a Cooperative education component, which provides students the opportunity to gain invaluable first-hand workplace experience within their chosen field. Here are some co-op jobs that have kick-started the careers of some Horticulture Technician students before even graduating!
Horticulturalists's Assistant
Assist horticulturalists with greenhouse operations related to the care and maintenance of trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials and turf grass.
Horticultural Property Maintenance Crew Member
Maintain lawn and garden landscapes by operating push and riding mowers, trimmers and blowers, mulching, planting, etc.
Landscape Gardener
Assist with the design, installation and maintenance of high-end residential projects including natural stonework, deck and wood construction, landscape plantings, Interlock work, gardening and lawn care.