How to hire a Landscaper

How to hire a landscaper, step by step

Here's a step-by-step landscaper hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a landscaper job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new landscaper
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Landscaper do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The landscaper hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A landscaper's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, landscapers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of landscapers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type Of Landscaper	Description	Hourly Rate
   Landscaper	Grounds maintenance workers ensure that the grounds of houses, businesses, and parks are attractive, orderly, and healthy in order to provide a pleasant outdoor environment.	$11-17
   Irrigation Technician	An irrigation technician is responsible for installing, testing, and maintaining irrigation equipment such as sprinklers, suction valves, and pumps. Typical duties for this position include operating heavy machinery for trenching, installing wiring systems for irrigation timers, and inspecting equipment for a day's work... Show More	$12-21
   Groundskeeping Maintenance	A Groundskeeping Maintenance Worker performs several skilled and semi-skilled tasks in grounds keeping and building trade areas. They maintain turf places, including weed control and Integrated Pest Management... Show More	$11-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Mowing
   • Taking Care
   • GRASS
   • Power Saws
   • Prune
   • Golf Courses
   • Mowers
   • Water Lawns
   • Landscape Maintenance
   • Snow Removal
   • Blowers
   • Power Mowers
   • Lawn Care
   • Rakes

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage clients and run all landscape operations including groundskeeping, seasonal cleaning, and pressure washing
   • Manage hardscape installation team and project
   • Operate powered equipment such as mowers, tractors, snow blowers, chainsaws, sod cutters, pruning saws and edgers.
   • Install plants, landscape lighting, and hardscape features (including retaining walls, paving stones and ponds).
   • Used various tools to cut grass, prune small trees and shrubbery, paint, and perform other landscaping duties.
   • Operate weed-whacker, leaf blower, lawn mower, and use of handsaw, shovels, and clippers as needed.

   More Landscaper duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your landscaper job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A landscaper salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a landscaper in South Carolina may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level landscaper usually earns less than a senior-level landscaper. Additionally, a landscaper with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average landscaper salary

   $13.92hourly

   $28,952 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level landscaper salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated March 31, 2025

   Average landscaper salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$35,512	$17
   2	New York	$35,041	$17
   3	Minnesota	$33,506	$16
   4	Illinois	$31,040	$15
   5	Utah	$29,845	$14
   6	Ohio	$29,491	$14
   7	Arkansas	$29,442	$14
   8	Pennsylvania	$29,258	$14
   9	Colorado	$29,176	$14
   10	Michigan	$29,172	$14
   11	Missouri	$28,570	$14
   12	Texas	$27,584	$13
   13	Georgia	$27,247	$13
   14	Arizona	$27,237	$13
   15	North Carolina	$26,688	$13
   16	Indiana	$26,372	$13
   17	Florida	$24,677	$12
   18	Oklahoma	$23,253	$11

   Average landscaper salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Princeton University	$34,725	$16.69	1
   2	AEG	$34,632	$16.65
   3	WeatherTech	$34,187	$16.44	2
   4	Progressive	$33,449	$16.08
   5	Thomas Keller	$33,352	$16.03
   6	Tri Cities	$33,210	$15.97
   7	Hyatt Hotels	$33,134	$15.93	1
   8	MTD Products	$32,915	$15.82
   9	Sycuan Casino Resort	$32,419	$15.59	1
   10	Legacy Traditional Schools	$32,391	$15.57	4
   11	Tucson Electric Power	$32,389	$15.57	2
   12	Zoo New England	$32,256	$15.51
   13	Emerald Downs	$32,245	$15.50
   14	Lasko Products	$32,059	$15.41
   15	Simon Property Group	$31,957	$15.36	2
   16	Wintergreen	$31,841	$15.31
   17	A Safe Haven	$31,793	$15.29	1
   18	DATTCO	$31,765	$15.27	1
   19	Perkins&Will	$31,666	$15.22
   20	Akorn	$31,377	$15.09

4. Writing a Landscaper Job Description

   A job description for a landscaper role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a landscaper job description:

   Landscaper job description example

   PeopleReady of Lake County, FL is now hiring Landscapers / Lawn Services! As a Landscaper / Lawn Service, you maintain a property's lawn orderly, prune bushes, remove weeds, lay mulch, and create layouts as needed.
   
   Apply today and you could start as soon as tomorrow. No resume or interview required – yep, you read that right.
   As a PeopleReady associate you'll benefit from:
   
   * The freedom to work where you want, when you want and as often as you want.
   
   * Next-day pay* for many of our open positions.
   
   * The ability to choose long-term positions for steady work or short-term positions if you just want some extra cash.
   
   * The ability to sign up for jobs right from our mobile app, JobStack!
   
   Pay Rate:
   
   The pay rate for this job is $17 / hour.
   
   What you'll be doing as a Landscaper / Lawn Service:
   
   * Use hand tools and powered equipment to mow
   
   * Attend to lawns by mowing, mulching, aerating, weeding, grubbing
   
   * Trim and edge around flower beds, sidewalks, and walls
   
   * Mix and spray fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides
   
   * Upkeep sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, fountains, planters, or other grounds features
   
   Available shifts:
   
   Shift timings - All Available
   
   Job requirements:
   
   * Basic operating knowledge of landscaping tools
   
   * Strong attention to detail and work ethic
   
   * Ability to lift 40 pounds
   
   * Ability to work outdoors in all temperatures
   
   * Background Check and Drug Test required
   
   Ready to take control of the way you work?
   
   Complete our application to join the PeopleReady team today. In case you missed it, no resumes or interviews are required!
   
   \#TIER1
   
   PeopleReady is an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religious affiliation, color, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or any other basis protected by law. We will get to know you and connect you with jobs that match your skills, experience and preferences. We work hard every single day to find jobs so each employee has opportunity and variety in their work.

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find landscapers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your landscaper job on Zippia to find and recruit landscaper candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit landscapers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new landscaper

   Once you've selected the best landscaper candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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