Women in Landscaping: Inspiring Growth The landscaping industry has always been dominated by males, but times are changing. Women comprise more and more of the landscaping industry workforce every year. According to data compiled by Data USA, women made up 10.1 percent of the landscaping workforce in 2019, up from 8.23 percent in 2014. From landscape design to environmental construction to pest control, and a myriad of other specialty areas, women are establishing their place in the landscaping arena. Groundwork spoke with three females from LCA member companies who work in various disciplines within the industry. We discussed how they got into the industry, challenges to being a woman working in a male-dominated industry, favorite projects, and other interesting aspects of their work.
Jennifer Connoley studied horticulture and landscape management at the University of Maryland Institute of Applied Agriculture and Landscape Design at George Washington University. She has worked in the landscape industry for over 40 years. For the past 15 years, Jennifer has been living in Easton, Maryland, designing, installing, and maintaining sustainable landscapes for her clients on the Eastern Shore. She has worked in environmental construction, designing and managing the installation of wetlands, ponds, bioretention facilities, and stream and shoreline restoration projects.
“Empire State” of New York), joined together on a journey to establish and build Empire Landscape, LLC, focusing on installing and maintaining environmental restoration construction projects using sound natural resource management techniques. During her free time, Lynette loves to spend time with her family and friends and enjoys hiking, playing soccer, woodworking, and gardening. Heather Zindash is a Professional Integrated Pest Management Scout & Consu lt a nt, a Cer t i fie d P rofe s siona l Horticulturalist, and an ISA Certified Arborist. Her company, The Soulful Gardener, helps growers, landscape professionals, and commercial and residential property owners protect their plants by properly identifying pests and diseases and providing environmentally conscience management solutions.
Lynette Hallgren Scaffidi is an experienced professional with compassion for the natural world and extensive education and experience in environmental construction. She graduated from the University of Maryland with an M.S. in animal science–wildlife habitat management and a B.S. in natural resource management, and she posesses numerous professional accreditations.
Heather is a popular regional speaker who has lectured at numerous professional organizations, businesses, and special interest groups. She entertains and educates audiences with original photos, videos, and stories based on personal experience, formal education, and specialized training. She is also the president of the Maryland Bluebird Society and Ladies in the Landscape, which supports women working in horticulture and related professions.
Lynette is retired from a career with Montgomery County Parks, where she worked as a park naturalist and natural resources manager involved with invasive species management and reforestation programs in local parks. After retiring, Lynette and her two business partners, Eric Goodrich and William “Bill” Dowling (all born in the GROUNDWORK
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