Because while nature has always been able to create from the land, it requires experts in all forms of horticulture to tame it so that it behaves just the way that we want it to.

There has always been a scientific element to horticulture, and especially within our agrarian society, there has always been a need for those to apply those sciences to get the best out of the Earth. But while horticulture has, in the past, usually had a strong focus on food production (hence it has traditionally been offered as a specialism within an Agricultural Science degree), modern times have witnessed a shift towards the amenity side of the science, whether that is in the areas of ornamental garden plants, landscaping or turfgrass (golf courses, football pitches, etc).

As the focus of horticulture has shifted over the years, so too has the knowledge required to function at the highest level. This does not mean that those working in the past lacked knowhow (landscape gardener Lancelot "Capability" Brown is known as arguably England's greatest ever gardener, and he was working in the mid-1700s) . . . it is just that, as with almost every form of science, there is more technology involved, and more techniques which have been imported from other parts of the world.

Other areas have also become a significant part of education in horticulture, none more so than business education. While there has always been a strong level of horticultural training in Ireland, the addition of business and IT modules to the courses has allowed for fully fledged Bachelor of Science in Horticulture degrees to be awarded in recent years.

This development was created when some Institutes of Technology joined forces with some horticultural colleges to being a more rounded course to those interested in the science of cultivation. For example, IT Blanchardstown is offering a BSc in Horticulture in association with Salesian College of Horticulture in Warrenstown, while Waterford IT is offering a similar programme in association with Teagasc at Kildalton College.

These degree courses are offered alongside the National Certificate programmes which are available at the Horticultural Colleges (which themselves offer a path into the degree courses).

"Horticulture is now a bigger industry than it ever has been in the past, " explained Colm Dockrell, vice principal at Warrenstown. "Now that it is studied on its own as an area of expertise, it is becoming more attractive to a wider audience, especially in the areas of amenity horticulture such as landscaping, ornamental crop production and general nursery stock production, not to mention turfgrass."

Indeed, the area of turfgrass is one which demonstrates very well the new pressures on the industry in general. It has been estimated that there are about 450 golf courses in Ireland, with about 4,000 people involved in the management of the courses.

However, only a small percentage of these would have specialist training in Turfgrass . . . even though they are managing multi-million euro assets. But now that people can specialise in turfgrass through a degree programme, already high standards of maintenance should be enhanced throughout the sector.

It is this ability to specialise which is the key, in that the degree programmes all offer a definite career path for those embarking on the horticultural journey. For example, Turfgrass will lead onto the golf course or the stadium, Nursery and Ornamental Plants will lead onto primary propagation or the garden centre, while Landscaping can lead into a person's own business, into design with an architecture practice, or on to the local authority parks.

Still, if it is the horticulture colleges that train people in getting their hands dirty, it is the Institutes of Technology that add value and give the quality assurance framework within HETAC which allows for accredited qualifications.

In order to compete successfully in business (even horticulture), areas such as IT, business management, marketing and accounting need to be addressed . . . and these are precisely what the ITs can offer.

"Some areas of the BSc in Horticulture had been covered in the horticultural college's diploma programmes, but the partnership allows us to tap into the Institute's business background in presenting some of the implications of running a business, " said Una McDermott, course leader in Horticulture at Waterford IT.

"But in terms of the qualification itself, while there was always a requirement for a professional qualification for those working in local authority jobs, bringing it into the CAO process has helped to mainstream horticulture as a science. Because when people used to apply directly to the colleges themselves, they had to be somewhat in the know regarding the sector.

But now people see horticulture as an option within the CAO, it has opened the whole area up to a wider audience."

To facilitate best practice, WIT even offers a number of international placements, and has contacts in the UK, Europe and the US, where students can continue their training in an international setting . . . thereby ensuring that Ireland remains at the cutting edge of horticulture into the future.

Of course, while all of this is very important to those undertaking a degree ab initio, there are many people already working in the trade for whom dropping out of work to complete a three year degree is simply not an option. This is why IT Blanchardstown is in the process of kicking off a work-based version of its degree, which offers blended learning (a mix of classroom, on-line and project work) and allows people to undertake project that are directly relevant to their work, and which even fits in with the needs of their employers. The ab initio programme kicked off in January, while those looking to upgrade a Certificate or Diploma will start in September of this year.