If you get excited when you see a rhododendron shrub, a career as a gardener, landscape designer or horticulturist could be on the cards. Of course, having the correct qualifications will make the world of difference when it comes to carving out a successful career. Keen gardeners may also take up courses in horticulture simply to know the difference between a forsythia and a camellia.

"We have people of all ages and from all backgrounds, from people in IT and banking to housewives, " says Carl Dacus, co-founder of the Dublin School of Horticulture, which offers part-time and night classes to those interested in the craft.

The school runs several examination courses, with students getting certificates from the renowned Royal Horticultural Society upon completion. Courses focus purely on the flowers and gardening side of horticulture, rather than on business aspects.

"The aim is that students get involved in commercial horticulture upon completion, " says Dacus. "However, we try to make the course enjoyable and not too heavy.

Even if you're not going into it on a business scale, you will never look at your garden and plants in the same way again."

Dacus says graduates can expect to earn higher salaries when they have a qualification. However, some are leaving high-powered careers to take to the outdoors.

"There are a lot of people in IT or accountancy who can't wait to get out of their sector because the responsibilities are huge, " he says. "A lot of people are taking early retirement."

Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) offers an ordinary degree in horticulture.

Una McDermott, course leader in horticulture at the institute, says about a third of the course's intake consists of mature students. Last year, 205 points were required for admission.

"It's a mixed group, but horticulture has always attracted mature students, " she says. "We also have a tendency to attract students who left school, worked for two or three years and then decided to go back and get a degree in horticulture. It's not something they do because they can't think of anything else, but because they have an interest in it."

The BSc in horticulture at WIT is a three-year full-time course, run in conjunction with Teagasc at Kildalton College in Piltown. It consists of lectures, integrated practicals, projects and work experience. In year one, the focus is on core horticultural science, which gives students a sound knowledge of plant cultivation. Year two sees students specialise in a particular area and go on work placements in Ireland or abroad. In year three, the focus is on business subjects.

"Horticulture is an unusual discipline in that you need a whole range of skills. You have to be a scientist , , aesthetically aware and skillful, " notes McDermott.

There are various courses at different levels in colleges and universities throughout the country. The Institute of Technology Blanchardstown offers two BSc programmes in horticulture in association with the Salesian College of Horticulture in Warrenstown and the College of Amenity Horticulture at the National Botanic Gardens. University College Dublin offers a fouryear honours degree in horticulture, landscape and sportsturf management.

McDermott says more and more people are becoming interested in horticulture. "My numbers are up 20pc on last year. In some respects horticulture has a fairly high profile.

You have the Diarmuid Gavins of this world and people see themselves as becoming landscapers or designers working in the business."

Graduates should expect employment, according to McDermott. About 80pc of last year's graduates at WIT are working in the sector, she says, and many set up businesses while in college.