Here's my two cents worth (my Master's degree thesis in Landscape Architecture was in creating an edible landscape). First of all, evaluate your community for demand for this type of work. Then evaluate your ability to market yourself, and to create a solid business plan. Although it sounds like nice job, getting paid for doing something you love, and creating beautiful spaces for people, the real trick is getting clients who are willing to pay for your services and then the biggest issue of actually getting paid. Everyone thinks that if they watch HGTV they can design and install their dream garden in a weekend. If people love a beautiful garden they probably already work on it and don't want design work. If people don't love their garden, they probably aren't willing to pay someone to design a garden or install it. People will spend much more money on their houses than the garden (understandably), and if budget cuts need to be made the landscape is the first to go. You have to find clients who like a beautiful garden, have the income to pay a designer/installer. That can be tricky, depending on your location. That could be a business professional who likes to use their outdoor space for relaxation, or hosting parties. Put it this way: would YOU hire a garden designer? How much would you pay? How many people do you know who have hired garden designers? How many people have asked you if you know a good garden designer? People also don't just want design, they want the project installed. Finding clients who are willing to find their own labor to install your designs will be challenging. So you might consider either working into your business a ground crew to install your designs, or work with an installation company (and keep an eagle eye on them that they actually install what you design instead of making it an easier and cheaper install). Most of the landscape construction company bosses/managers that I've met speak Spanish fluently. You have to be able to really target and market your business. If you are confident that you can do this, go for it! You could also try to find a job with an architecture firm or big landscaping firm to do design. Most architecture firms will want a landscape architect. Do a job search and see what is out there. I could go on, but that's enough.

Oh boy, this really is a tough subject area... First thing I wanted to state is that I never wanted to be a plumber or whatever, if that's what I wanted to be, I would have went to school for that. Second, I feel the working at McDonalds reference was a bit extreme, I know for sure I can find better than that. I did have the ability to go to college for whatever I wanted, but the two things I wanted to do is horticulture and cabinet making, which are both considered dead end career paths. Anything else I would be going to school just for money, and not every money making career will necessarily make you money either; my cousin went to college for eight years to be a lawyer, and he's 30 making minimum money as a magazine writer because he can't find a job. The issue with the way I go in the career path is that it may be heavily influenced by future lifestyle changes. Right now, I don't even have a wife and kids in mind (don't even have a girlfriend), and all I need is four wheels, clothes on back, a place to live, and food to keep me happy, I don't need a lot of fancy toys. However though, later on I may care more about supporting a family than I do my job. I may also decide later in a few years that there's a better paying industry I'm into. Right now I'm going to college completely free so it's not a huge loss if I chose to go to college for something else. However, if I stay in the field, I do have some stuff in mind. Right now, it's still early, but I've been the best in my class, and I will make deans list easily at this pace. The ideal realistic careers I want to get into are campus groundskeeper and possibly landscape/garden design. Campus groundskeeper usually doesn't pay well, but it offers great benefits like housing, healthcare, steady employment, and money towards degrees. Landscape design is similar to the cabinet industry; if you are determined to do what you do and make a name for yourself, you will be alright, otherwise though, no. I may actually have an advantage there because I am into that and do it as a hobby currently.

Hello, i'm new to this, but felt i really needed to reach out because i feel i'm at my darkest hour and i really need someone to tell me i'm not alone. I have two children, ages 19 (daughter) and 16(son), their father and i divorced 6 years ago, and under special circumstances, he was the primary guardian and i the secondary one. In 2007 i made the worst decision of my life, i had gotten remarried to someone in Jordan, i was only supposed to be there for three months. 1 year and a half later, i finally managed to escape and come back home. My ordeal in Jordan was severely traumatic, i was severely abused, tortured, and left for dead. I remember calling my ex-husband here in canada to help me because i knew i would die there if someone didn't get me out, what i got was 'you made your bed, you can lie in it, as for the children, if you ever want to see them again, you'll have to go through family court'. When i heard the dial tone i felt all was lost. Somehow, i made it back, the only thing keeping me alive everyday i was tortured was the thought of seeing my children again ( my children and i were extremely close before i left, and i never foresaw that my passport and all my ID would be taken,,). Once i came back i was in for a huge shock. In the time that i was gone, it didn't take long for my ex-husband to tell the children that i had chosen to stay and didn't want anything to do with them. They were so young, and he broke their hearts, i never knew any of this until i had come back. I came back in 2009 and i have tried everything, i was patient and i loved them without bounds, and over and over again i tried to prove myself to them, but the damage has been done. With all of this, i moved back with my parents and my children are with their father on a military base. They are only 4 hours away, but i am not to call, write, or even visit. My daughter has told me she wants nothing to do with me, as for my son, his father has told him he wants nothing to do with me, but that if he wants to he can. What child would ever go against their parent if they're the one with the money and house, etc.? I'm in school and am graduating in about 2 weeks. Once i get a salary, i'll be saving money to get my own place, etc. Not a night goes by where i don't cry or miss my children so much that the pain is killing me everyday, i really feel i have no purpose in life anymore, my children were my world, and they don't want to have anything to do with me, it's been like this since i left, but even worse since 2009. My daughter has openly admitted that she could not care if i lived or died and wants no communication from me, as for my son, he will not communicate at all, they have my phone number and email,,but nothing,,,i feel this pain will completely crush me and i have no idea what to do,,,the oeverwhelming hatred i feel for my ex is also wearing me out,,,i just want to know if things do get better as time goes by, and if it doesn't, how do i go on living when i hear their voices in my head from when they were young children all the time?

I thought I would give a little update and share my experience for those like me who are new to horticultural oil and defoliating. I defoliated all my roses on Jan 13ish and now, about 6 weeks later, the roses are all leafing out nicely. Some even have buds. None of my old garden roses have buds yet, but that's probabaly because they were all brand new babies. Here's some that do have buds now, 6 weeks later... Don Juan Barbra Streisand The weaker solution of oil didn't seem to damage anything, but when I mixed and sprayed the stronger "dormant" oil solution, some of the roses didn't seem to like it. No real damage, but some canes have a little tan, or maybe even a little sunburn. Even though I was trying to be careful, some of my newer bands got oil on them. The weaker "summer" solution didn't seem to bother them, but they didn't like it when they got some of the stronger "dormant" solution on them. Again, no catastrophic damage, but just not happy, killed some of their new growth, and they are a little set back. I'm going to imagine that it only got rid of the weaker growth, allowing for a stronger plant in the long run, so I don't feel guilty. ;) All in all, I think I will stick with the weaker "summer" solution in the future if I have little bands or other sensitive plants nearby where I'm spraying. That's about it for the update! :)