Plants are the vocabulary of the designed landscape. The huge diversity of plants once used by landscape designers and cultivated by craftsmen is no longer used by conservationists. Learning this vocabulary by heart, and applying the years of time and effort necessary to learn the skills of cultivation, requires a strong work ethic. Over the past 100 years, the much-esteemed work ethic and skills of the Victorian gardener largely have been lost, and with that the know-how with which to cultivate the plants necessary for the conservation of our designed landscapes. However, this lack of a horticultural skills base is being addressed. School gardens are being revived, and apprenticeships and the skills of the craftsman are being heavily promoted. But, with the exception of the Army, appears to be teaching apprentices the traditional work ethic.
