Gardener Ausbildung: 7 Specialisations
Short answer: Gardener Ausbildung (Gärtner/-in) takes three years, and you choose one of seven specialisations, such as landscaping, ornamental plants or vegetable growing. You learn plant care, soils, machines and business basics, and you take an intermediate exam and a final exam. The work is physical and often outdoors.
“Gardener” sounds like one job, but the training splits into seven different paths with different daily work. This guide explains each specialisation in English, shows how the exams work and tells you what to check before you choose. You can compare the green sector with other areas in our Ausbildung fields guide.
What does a gardener do?
According to BIBB, gardeners grow and care for plants, including fruit, vegetables, ornamental plants and trees. They also design and maintain gardens, parks and graves. The job combines practical skills with knowledge of plants, soils, nutrients and natural landscaping, and technologies such as drones, sensors and irrigation systems are used more and more. Typical workplaces are nurseries, parks, fruit plantations, cemeteries, greenhouses, open fields and garden centres.
Gardener Ausbildung: the seven specialisations
The training regulation (GärtnAusbV) lets you choose one specialisation (Fachrichtung), and it is added to your job title. The regulation requires different practical tasks in the final exam for each one:
| Fachrichtung | In English | Practical exam focus |
|---|---|---|
| Baumschule | Tree nursery | Plant production, harvest and marketing |
| Friedhofsgärtnerei | Cemetery gardening | Grave design, plant production, funeral floristry and decoration |
| Garten- und Landschaftsbau | Landscape gardening | Site management and construction, vegetation technology |
| Gemüsebau | Vegetable growing | Plant production, harvest and processing |
| Obstbau | Fruit growing | Production, harvest and processing |
| Staudengärtnerei | Perennial nursery | Plant production, processing and marketing |
| Zierpflanzenbau | Ornamental plant growing | Plant production, plant use |
Not all paths are equally common. In 2023 there were 4,728 new training contracts, and 3,528 of them (74.6 percent) were in landscape gardening. Fruit growing had the fewest, with 54. That means landscape gardening offers the most places, but the other paths exist if you search for them by their German names.
How long is the training and what do you learn?
The regulation says training lasts three years. Everyone learns the same basics first: labour law and safety at work, nature and environmental protection, business processes, soils and substrates, plant cultivation and use, and machinery and materials. Your company must prepare a training plan, and you keep a training record.
How the exams work
The regulation of 1996 uses an intermediate exam and a final exam. See our exam guide for the general picture.
| Exam | When | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Intermediate exam | Before the end of year 2 | Practical part of up to 3 hours with three tasks, each followed by a discussion, and a written part of up to 90 minutes. |
| Final exam, practical part (60 percent) | End of training | Up to 5 hours with five complex tasks, each followed by a discussion. |
| Final exam, written and oral part (40 percent) | End of training | Four subjects: the specialist subject (60 minutes, usually oral), plant knowledge (60 minutes), business context (90 minutes) and economics and social studies (60 minutes). |
You need at least “sufficient” overall and in each part. According to the regulation, you fail if a practical task or a subject is rated “insufficient”, or if two components are rated “poor”. In some cases you can ask for an oral supplementary exam of about 15 minutes.
Is it right for you?
BIBB mentions manual skill, physical stamina, interest in plants and the environment, and willingness to work outdoors in all seasons. The page lists no formal entry requirement, so school and language expectations come from the company. Ask each company what it expects. The official sources used here give no pay figures, so compare offers using our salary guide and ask each employer.
How to apply: 4 steps
- Pick a specialisation. Use the table above and look at the daily work.
- Search with the German name. For example “Gärtner Fachrichtung Zierpflanzenbau Ausbildung”.
- Check the workplace. A nursery, a cemetery and a landscaping firm are very different places to work.
- Apply early. Follow our application guide.
Common mistakes
- Thinking all gardeners do landscaping. Seven different paths exist.
- Searching only in English. Adverts use the German names.
- Ignoring the outdoor work. Weather and seasons are part of the job.
- Not asking what the company grows or builds. The specialisation decides your exam tasks.
Frequently asked questions
How long is gardener Ausbildung in Germany?
Three years, according to the training regulation and BIBB.
What are the Gärtner specialisations?
Baumschule, Friedhofsgärtnerei, Garten- und Landschaftsbau, Gemüsebau, Obstbau, Staudengärtnerei and Zierpflanzenbau.
Which specialisation has the most training places?
Landscape gardening. It had 74.6 percent of new contracts in 2023, according to BIBB.
What can I do after gardener Ausbildung?
BIBB lists further training such as Gärtnermeister, Fachagrarwirt and Natur- und Landschaftspfleger. See our guide on what to do after Ausbildung.
Are the training rules still the 1996 ones?
BIBB’s profile from 2025 says the occupation was last reorganised in 1996. Ask your chamber whether anything has changed since.
Sources
- Verordnung über die Berufsausbildung zum Gärtner/zur Gärtnerin (GärtnAusbV), gesetze-im-internet.de
- BIBB, Berufe-Steckbrief Gärtner/-in (BWP 3/2025)
Last updated: 2 Nov 2026. Rules and figures can change, so confirm details with the official source before you decide.