Introduction to the
Horticulture Industry
What is Horticulture?
• Horticulture is the culture
of plants for food, comfort,
and beautification
• In Latin, horticulture means
“garden culture.”
• The field of science that
deals with the cultivation of
horticultural plants is
known as horticulture
science.
What is Horticulture?
• Botany is the study of
plants and their processes.
• As in other areas of
agriculture, technology has
found its way into
horticulture.
• Horticulture technology is
the application of science to
horticulture.
What is horticulture?
• The horticulture industry is the
combination of scientific,
technological, and production
activities that ensure the satisfaction
of the consumer.
Why is the horticulture
industry popular?
• increase in jobs
• increase in food for humans and animals
• increase in aesthetic pleasure
Jobs
Food
aesthetic
pleasure
What are the three major segments
of the horticulture industry?
• The horticulture industry can be divided
into three areas:
– ornamental horticulture
– olericulture
– pomology.
• .
Landscape Design
Wholesale Growers
Turf Maintenance
Landscape Maintenance
Forestry
Fruit and Vegetable Production
Landscape Architecture
Interiorscape
Turf Management
Business and Financial Management
Retail Industry
Landscape Construction
Floral
What are the three major segments
of the horticulture industry?
• The growth and use of plants for their
beauty is the area of horticulture known as
ornamental horticulture.
• Ornamental horticulture involves the
production and use of plants used both
indoors and outdoors.
What are the three major segments
of the horticulture industry?
• Because of the use of green plants, the
ornamental horticulture industry is often
referred to as the “green industry.”
• Examples of crops within ornamental
horticulture are poinsettias, red maple
trees, carnations, forsythia shrubs, and
petunias.
Review/Summary
• What is horticulture and how does it
relate to science and technology?
•What are the three major segments of the
horticulture industry?
•How do the segments of the ornamental
horticulture industry differ?
Olericulture – Don’t forget to eat
your veggies!
• Olericulture includes the
planting, harvesting,
storing, processing, and
marketing of vegetable
crops.
• Sweet corn, tomatoes, and
lettuce are examples of
vegetable crops.
Why is the olericulture industry
important?
• Olericulture is the area of
horticulture that involves the
production of vegetable food crops.
• Vegetables are not only important to
our daily nutrition, but they are also
important to the U.S. agricultural
economy.
Why is the olericulture industry
important?
• Vegetables are not only important to our
daily nutrition, but they are also important
to the U.S. agricultural economy
• In 2004, vegetables made up over $10
billion of U.S. farm receipts.
• California is the leader in both fresh and
processed vegetables in the United States.
Why is the olericulture industry
important?
• Vegetables are grown on 1 percent of
the total cropland in the US.
• This amount has been relatively stable
for the past 25 years. However, the
production of vegetables has increased.
• The increase in production on virtually
the same amount of land is the result of
increased technology and more efficient
production practices.
Why is the olericulture industry
important?
Pomology – The fruits of our labor
• Pomology is the planting,
harvesting, storing,
processing, and marketing
of fruit and nut crops.
• Examples of fruit and nut
crops include peaches,
strawberries, and walnuts.
Why is the pomology industry
important?
• Fruits and nuts, like vegetables, are also
important to our daily nutrition and the U.S.
economy.
• In 2004, the value of U.S. non-citrus fruit
amounted to $9.01 billion. Citrus production in
2005 totaled $2.39 billion.
• The value for U.S. nut production in 2004 was
$3.25 billion.
• Fruit growing is a popular but labor-intensive
industry.
Why is the pomology industry
important?
• The United States is
one of the world’s top
producers of fruits and
nuts.
• 10% percent of the
world’s apples, pears,
plums, and prunes
• 20 % of the world’s
peaches
• 25 % percent of the
world’s citrus fruit
Segments of the ornamental
horticulture industry
• Ornamental horticulture can itself be divided
into two categories.
• floriculture and landscape horticulture
• Both involve the use of flowering and foliage
plants.
• Foliage plants are those used for their colorful
greenery or leaves.
Floriculture – Don’t forget to stop
and smell the roses.
• Floriculture is the area of horticulture
associated with cut flowers, potted plants,
and annual bedding plants.
• Producing, transporting, and using flowering
and foliage plants is known as floriculture.
• Poinsettias, carnations, philodendrons, and
petunias are names of common plants
associated with floriculture.
How do the segments of the
ornamental horticulture industry
differ?
• The production and use of
plants to beautify the
outdoor environment is
landscape horticulture.
• Landscape horticulture
includes designing plans
for landscapes, installing
landscapes as specified in
the plans, and maintaining
the landscapes.
How do the segments of the
ornamental horticulture industry
differ?
• A nursery is a place that specializes in starting
plants and growing them until they are ready to
be transplanted to landscapes.
• Nurseries produce groundcover plants,
herbaceous perennials, flowering shrubs,
evergreens, deciduous shade trees, and
ornamental trees for retail and wholesale sales.
• Other nurseries, sometimes called sod farms,
grow grass that is moved to landscape projects.
How do the segments of the
ornamental horticulture industry
differ?
• Garden centers are retail outlets that
sell plants grown in nurseries, along with
garden supplies.
• Garden centers frequently have a
greenhouse range and floral services.
How do the segments of the
ornamental horticulture industry
differ?
• Arboriculture is a segment of the
horticulture industry that deals with the care
of trees.
• Some technical skills required of an arborist
include planting, pruning, fertilizing, and
diagnosing and treating diseases and pest
infestations.
Why is the ornamental horticulture
industry important?
• Floral production is the growing of
flowering or foliage crops to maturity.
• Floriculture is an international, multibillion
dollar industry.
• Mature plants can be sold as cut flowers
or foliage, potted flowering plants, foliage
plants, or bedding plants.
Why is the ornamental horticulture
industry important?
• The National Agricultural Statistics
Service reports that in 2004
floriculture crops were worth $5.2
billion on the wholesale market.
• California, Florida, Michigan, Texas,
and New York led the nation in
wholesale floriculture production.
Why is the ornamental horticulture
industry important?
Why is the ornamental horticulture
industry important?
• Landscape horticulture is a billion-dollar
industry in the United States.
• Homeowners spent $50.9 billion in 1999
to improve, and maintain their landscapes
and gardens.
Why is the ornamental horticulture
industry important?
• In 2000, nursery production
was measured at $3.3 billion
nationally.
• deciduous shrubs accounted for
23% of total sales
• broadleaf evergreens, 18 %
• deciduous trees, 12 percent.
What are skills you need in order to be
successful in a horticulture career?
• Horticulture careers require an
understanding of both science and
business.
• Opportunities in the horticulture industry
are plentiful, but in order to be successful
a person must be skilled in a number of
areas.
What are skills you need in order to be
successful in a horticulture career?
• have an understanding of plant needs
and plant growth
• Understand fertilization, growing
schedules, cutting schedules, irrigation,
and temperature
• Understand plant insects and diseases.
What are skills you need in order to be
successful in a horticulture career?
• Mechanical skills are also important in
horticulture careers.
• Irrigation systems
=plumbing,
•Greenhouses = heating
and ventilation
•Basic construction
What are skills you need in order to be
successful in a horticulture career?
• Maintenance and repair of hand tools,
power tools, and equipment is essential.
What are skills you need in order to be
successful in a horticulture career?
• Marketing skills
• It is important to know both the wholesale
and retail worth of the product being sold.
• Administrative skills are necessary for
anyone who has employees working for
them.
What are skills you need in order to be
successful in a horticulture career?
• It is also very important for people in
horticulture careers to be familiar with the
legal aspects of business.
• Local, state, and national laws must be
understood and followed to reduce the risk
of legal problems.
• Laws regarding the proper use of chemicals
are especially critical to horticulture
employees.
Career vs. Job vs. Occupation
• A career is the direction a person’s life
takes as related to his or her choice of
work.
• Before choosing a career in horticulture, a
person should be involved in horticulture
related jobs or occupations to see if that
career is the best choice.
• A job is the work a person performs for
wages and benefits.
• An occupation is work that has a title and
specified duties.
How can a person prepare for a
horticulture career?
• To be successful in a career, a person must
be productive and have the necessary
personal skills.
• Personal skills are a person’s abilities to
relate to others productively.
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
• Jobs and careers in horticulture can be in
the position of an employee or as an
entrepreneur.
• An employee is someone who works for
someone else, while entrepreneurs work for
themselves.
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
• Jobs and careers can be in the following
industries:
–
–
–
–
–
landscape horticulture
floriculture
olericulture and pomology
turfgrass,
and other general areas
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
• Education and training is also important in
preparing for a horticulture career.
• A person can receive horticulture training in
high school, community or junior college,
and college.
• Education should be related to plant and soil
science and to plant structures and
functions.
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
Landscape horticulture
• Nursery production involves growing
plants in containers or fields.
• Plants can be grown from seeds, cuttings,
or grafts.
• Jobs and occupations
in nursery production
supervisor include
propagator, inventory manager, field
supervisor, manager, salesperson,
sales manager, and shipping.
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
• The landscape nursery industry prepares
sites for landscaping and purchases the
items needed for a landscape design.
• Jobs and occupations in the landscape
nursery industry include construction
supervisor, designer, and salesperson.
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
• Landscape maintenance work involves
caring for already established landscapes.
• Mowing, pruning, weed control, and
fertilization are all examples of landscape
maintenance work.
• Jobs and occupations in
the landscape maintenance
industry include crew
supervisor, superintendent
of operations, salesperson,
and manager.
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
• The plants and seeds used by commercial
growers come from large operations.
• These large operations are able to mass
produce seeds and plants.
• Examples of jobs and
occupations related to
this industry include
plant breeder,
propagator,
independent grower,
sales manager, and
salesperson.
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
• The heart of the retail nursery industry is
the garden center.
• A garden center offers consumers plant
materials and supplies needed to maintain a
garden or landscape.
• Jobs and occupations
related to the retail
nursery industry
include buyer,
landscape designer,
plant technician, and
manager.
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
• Arboretums and botanical gardens offer
both job and educational opportunities for
people interested in horticulture.
• An arboretum is a natural setting of trees,
shrubs, and vines.
• A botanical garden is a plant collection
habitat.
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
•
•
•
•
Floriculture
Grower
production superintendent
marketing manager
inventory controller.
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
• Wholesale florists sell both floral products
and materials used in floral designs.
• Jobs and occupations related to the
wholesale floral industry include manager,
buyer, and salesperson.
• A retail florist shop is a business in which
people can find floral products.
• Jobs and occupations
related to the retail floral
industry include store
manager, sales clerk, and
designer.
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
•
•
•
•
Pomology and olericulture
Production varies according to the crop
being raised and where it is being raised.
Examples of jobs and occupations in food
crop production include manager and field
technician.
Marketing is also important in the food crop
production industry.
Examples of jobs and occupations in the
food crop marketing industry include sales
agent and broker.
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
Turfgrass
• Sod production is the mass production of
turfgrass.
• Jobs and occupations related to the sod
production industry include farm manager,
assistant farm manager, spray technician,
and staff leader.
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
• Turfgrass establishment involves a site
where turfgrass has already been installed
and requires maintenance.
• Examples of jobs and occupations in the
turfgrass establishment industry include
construction superintendent and planting
superintendent.
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
• Golf course design and maintenance involves
workers designing and caring for golf course
landscapes.
•golf course architect
• superintendent
•assistant superintendent
• irrigation technician
• spray technician
•landscape technician
•equipment operator.
What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Other career areas
horticulture therapist
cooperative extension agent
horticultural specialist
consultant, teacher
research scientist.
Review/Summary
•Why is the horticulture industry
popular?
•Why is the ornamental horticulture
industry important?
•Why is the olericulture industry
important?
•Why is the pomology industry
important?
Review/Summary
•What are skills you need in order to
be successful in a horticulture career?
•How can a person prepare for a
horticulture career?
•What are examples of jobs and
careers in the horticulture field?