Of course there are classes that you can take, they even have degrees. I know that most community colleges have a Landscape Design degree, and folks that get those degrees can make the plans (design), but also get their hands dirty and get in there and have fun. The universities have Landscape Architecture, pays more, and it is just pretty much designing. I began classes at Columbus State here in Ohio for Landscape Design. The 2 year associate's degree probably pays more if you go into business for yourself rather than someone else. Hope this helps.

Are you a memeber of a gardening club? Their could be some one who already has a job there for you. How hard do you want to work. It can be very demanding. My perfect job would be a personal shopper. I would love to take out couples on a Saturday morning to the garden center and help them shop. Take the stuff back home, help them place it and then let them do all the real work. It would be all about saving them money so they could afford me.

Another idea, but maybe not so lucrative, is to be a horticultural therapist. I'm looking into that to see what I would need to do.

Could this sustain my family (married w/2 kids) if I pursued it as a career change? Or is it better as a part-time interest?

I think it depends on how well you want to sustain your family.

I got my horticulture degree in 1978 and a masters in a related field some years later. I work for a large State university as the head of the branch that maintains, replants and oversees the campus landscape. I also teach hort part time and have a side business. With all that and 30+ years of experience, I would be hard pressed to be the sole support for a family of four.

My niece graduated from the same school and was quickly outpacing me in terms of salary.

Everything in life, IMHO, involves weighing the good with the not-so-good and making the best decision you can with the information you have. If you love gardening, you can find ways to make it more profitable but go into it with your eyes wide open. In my current situation, I'm working for an organization whose (?) primary purpose is something other than landscaping and gardening so I'm on the periphery of what the primary mission of the organization is all about. You can't be rewarded well if you're a tangential entity.

If you go to work for someone else, explore your opportunities for advancement and reward well in advance. If you go to work for yourself, learn how to run a business as well as you know how to garden/landscape... perhaps better! The term "escalating commitment" means that, the longer you go down a particular path, the harder it is to change paths so be clear about where you are heading before you go too far.

Thats all I do in the summer,mow lawns,plant and weed gardens. Plant trees, flowers,plants. Fert.lawns. Kill weeds in beds and lawns.