Cemetery gardener: Why young talents choose this profession!

Cemetery gardener: Why young talents choose this profession!

On August 13, 2025, an extraordinary event took place at the cemetery in Frankfurt-Höchst that focused on the arts of cemetery gardening. Around 20 young men and women took the practical final exam and demonstrated their skills in designing and maintaining gravesites. The examinees worked under the supervision of Oliver Müller, the coordinator of the cemetery gardener training, and were tested in various examination subjects, including the care of real gravesites, plant protection and funeral floristry.

As part of the test, the aspiring cemetery gardeners designed eight identical graves, each individually and creatively. Emelie Zahn (22) particularly stood out and passionately explained her choice of plants and the symbolic design of her grave, which shows how strong the connection to nature is in the cemetery gardening profession. The job is more than just caring for plants; it combines various gardening areas and offers a creative platform for the design of memorial sites.

Training to become a cemetery gardener

The training to become a cemetery gardener usually lasts three years and is carried out on a dual basis, which means that both practical and theoretical content is taught. Most of these take place outdoors, so that the aspiring gardeners have a lot of direct contact with nature. The main tasks include not only the care of the cemeteries and the design of the graves, but also the preparation of burials and advising relatives, as bildung.de points out.

The examinees not only learn how to deal with long-lasting plants, but also the necessary technical skills to design grave sites creatively and sensitively. The curriculum also includes subjects such as funeral floristry and business organization. Anyone who would like to continue learning after their training has numerous opportunities for further training, for example to become a master in gardening and landscaping or in funeral floristry.

The need for offspring

The demand for well-trained cemetery gardeners remains high despite the decline in trainees in Hesse, where only eight new trainees were taken on this year. The need for specialists in cemetery gardening will potentially increase as the population ages, as individual grave designs are increasingly desired. At berufsbild.com and faz.net the urgency of attracting and training young people for this important profession is therefore emphasized.

The training content is varied: from the creative design of graves to the maintenance of the entire cemetery complex to pruning of trees and bushes. The salary after training is also attractive, with starting salaries of 1,800 to 2,200 euros gross per month, which can increase to up to 3,000 euros with experience.

Anyone interested in this profession should have good physical fitness, creativity and sensitivity in dealing with mourners. A secondary school diploma or an intermediate level of education is required, as well as a strong interest in nature and plants.

The future of cemetery gardeners is therefore not only promising, but also necessary to meet the need for individual grave design and well-maintained cemetery facilities. With the right commitment and a love of nature, this career can become a fulfilling life's work.