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Floriculture is a branch of horticulture that deals with the cultivation and commercialization of flowers and decorative plants, as well as flower arrangements. Floriculture is typically thought of as a greenhouse sector because flowers and potted plants are largely produced in plant-growing structures in temperate regions, while many flowers are farmed outdoors in nurseries or crop fields. Floriculture includes both the production of bedding plants and the production of cuttings for growing in greenhouses or for use as houseplants indoors.
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Key Takeaways: Horticulture, Floriculture, Nursery, Greenhouse, Bedding Plants, Herbaceous Ornamental Perennial, Cut Flowers, Flower, Plants
What is Horticulture?
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Horticulture is a branch of plant cultivation that focuses on fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants for use in gardens. The Latin words hortus, which means ‘garden’, and colere, which means ‘to grow’; are used to create the name. It's a broad term that refers to a variety of garden management practices, but it is mainly used to refer to high-volume commercial production. Horticulture stands between residential gardening and field agriculture in terms of scale, however all forms of cultivation are organically linked.
Horticulture
Plants for food (pomology and olericulture) and ornamental plants (floriculture and landscape horticulture) are the two types of horticulture. Fruit and nut crops are the focus of pomology.
Carrots (edible root), asparagus (edible stem), lettuce (edible leaf), cauliflower (edible flower buds), tomatoes (edible fruit), and peas are examples of edible herbaceous plants for the kitchen. Floriculture is the business of growing flowers and ornamental plants, such as cut flowers, potted plants, and greenery. Landscape horticulture is a broad term that encompasses plants for the landscape, such as lawn turf and nursery crops including shrubs, trees, and vines.
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Types of Flowers Grown for Floriculture
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Annual flowers can be planted in the spring, summer, or fall, depending on the species, while others can bloom all year.
Here are some examples of plants grown for floriculture:
- Petunia
- Busy Lizzie (sassy little flower)
- Geranium
- Lobelia
- Antirrhinum
- Rudbeckia
- Impatiens
Background of Floriculture
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The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were the first to cultivate the seeds of floriculture in Babylonian times. The Hanging Gardens were regarded as one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, a far cry from modern floriculture, which involves greenhouses and the care of flowers and other potted plants. Around the year 30 A.D., the first greenhouse was constructed for Roman Emperor Tiberius. From there, floriculture's history has developed.
Hanging garden
Andrew Faneuil, a wealthy Boston businessman, built the first greenhouse in the United States in 1737. By 1825, however, greenhouses were becoming more prevalent, with many being heated by furnaces or built into earthen pits with south-facing windows, a style that is still quite practical today. In 1800, there was only one known commercial florist in the United States. Between 1810 and 1820, three more were built. Between 1820 and 1830, eight more commercial florists opened, followed by 25 more in the following decade. Greenhouses were no longer exclusive to the privileged. It became fashionable to grow attractive plants and flowers.
Types of Floriculture
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The different types of floriculture are:
Bedding Plants
Bedding plants are grown for use in flower beds and outdoor containers during the season. The majority are annual blooming plants, with some foliage and vegetable plants thrown in for good measure. This is considered to be the floriculture industry's major segment. They do, however, have a limited production and sales season. Productions take place from January to June, with sales taking place in May and June for most marketplaces.
Here are some examples of these plants:
- Petunia
- Busy Lizzie (sassy little flower)
- Geranium
- Lobelia
- Antirrhinum (that’s a mouthful)
- Rudbeckia
- Impatiens
Bedding Plants
Read More: Aestivation in Plants
Herbaceous Ornamental Perennials
Perennials are non-woody plants that grow back year after year as portions of the original plant such as bulbs, tubers, rhizomes and crowns, or as seeds. To be completely developed and ready for sale, most of these crops are propagated in greenhouses and then moved outside for the remainder of the production cycle. The hardiness of a perennial determines whether or not it will survive. It means they are winter-sensitive, and if exposed to harsh winter climates and low temperatures, they will wither.
Herbaceous perennials includes the following plants:
- Coneflower
- Columbine
- Hostas
- Phlox
- Bleeding Hearts
Herbaceous Ornamental Perennials
Potted Crops
Potted crops are flowering plants that have reached maturity and are grown and marketed in pots and containers. After bedding plants, they are the second-largest segment of the floriculture industry. They can be made all year or only during certain seasons, depending on the plants' environmental conditions and the season. Also, because of the time it takes for them to reach a mature stage of flowering and growth, they are more expensive than several other types of floricultural crops.
Some examples of potted plants are:
- Poinsettias
- Mums
- Easter lilies
- Shamrocks
- Cyclamen
Potted Crops
Indoor Foliage
Indoor foliage crops are plants grown for their colourful or unusually shaped leaves, and they are frequently of tropical or subtropical origin. It's no surprise that the majority of them are grown in hot, humid areas. However, depending on cultural and environmental conditions, some species can be grown all year in the landscape. They are used for seasonal outdoor displays in temperate zones and are presented in homes, workplaces, internal escapes, and atriums in temperate climates.
Here are a few examples:
- Bromeliads
- Ferns
- Philodendrons
- Pothos
- Devil’s Ivy
- Wandering Jew Plant
Indoor foliage
Cut Flowers
Clipped flowers are flowers that are grown solely for the purpose of being sold. They are not the complete flower but rather are cut to fit into a bouquet or other floral arrangement. Floral arrangements, croissants, and boutonnieres are just a few of the ways they can be used. They are used for more formal occasions such as weddings, birthdays, funerals, and other ceremonial occasions.
Cut flower crops include the following in addition to roses:
- Baby’s Breath
- Carnations
- Lilies
- Alstroemeria
- Chrysanthemums
Cut Flowers
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Floriculture Plants
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Here is a list of plants used for the purpose of floriculture:
- Gerbera
- Mucuna
- Centella Asiatica
- Ashwagandha
- Rose
- Marigold
- Gladiolus
- Crossandra
- Tuberose
- Asteroids
- Chrysanthemum
Importance of Floriculture
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Floriculture is one of the Horticulture Industry's most promising sectors, with aesthetic, social, and economic ramifications. It has the potential to provide year-round employment as well as foreign exchange earnings.
Special components of floriculture are used in flower and foliage farming, such as plant spacing, training, and pruning for best flower harvest; and post-harvest treatment, such as chemical treatments, storage, preservation and packaging.
Things to Remember
- Floriculture is an ornamental horticulture branch that deals with the cultivation and commerce of flowers and attractive plants, as well as flower arrangements.
- Horticulture is a subset of plant agriculture concerned with fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants. The name is derived from the Latin words hortus, which means "garden," and colere, which means "to grow."
- In Babylonian antiquity, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were the first to nurture the seeds of floriculture.
- Floriculture is one of the most promising industries in the Horticulture Industry with aesthetic, social, and economic implications.
- In flower and foliage farming, special components of floriculture are employed, such as plant spacing, training, and pruning for the best flower harvest; and post-harvest treatment, such as chemical treatments, storage, preservation, and packaging for the best flower harvest.
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Sample Questions
Ques. Who is a Floriculturist? (2 marks)
Ans. A floriculturist is a person who grows flowering and attractive plants for use in gardens and the floral business. Floriculturists with advanced degrees are frequently found in universities and the horticulture sector, where they discover and breed new flower kinds in research and teaching jobs.
Ques. What are some benefits of horticulture? (3 marks)
Ans. The main benefits of Horticulture are:
- Horticulture contributes to environmental cleanup by returning dead plants to the soil.
- Horticulture has numerous applications for humans, as well as a wide range of foods and plants.
- Horticulture is beneficial to the environment since it can assist in the recycling of materials and the maintenance of a clean environment.
- They are also beneficial to humans since they provide a variety of food and plants that can be used for various purposes, allowing humans to have a better life.
Ques. What are the benefits of floriculture crops to humans? (5 marks)
Ans. The benefits of floriculture crops are given below:
- Flowers can be found for practically any reason, including celebrating an anniversary, apologizing for something they did, or simply because it's Monday.
- Floriculture crops provide a wide variety of flowers that make people happy and remind them that there is still beauty in their otherwise difficult lives.
- They are also beneficial to humans because more flowers are available for purchase, which can brighten someone's day.
- Floriculture crops make people happy since they produce a variety of flowers and make more flowers available for purchase.
- They are also beneficial to people because their flower availability helps to brighten someone's day.
Ques. Why is floriculture an important part of agriculture? (2 marks)
Ans. It has the potential to provide year-round employment as well as foreign exchange earnings. Different floricultural value-added goods are the principal agricultural export items in many countries.
Ques. What is the difference between floriculture and horticulture? (3 marks)
Ans. The major distinction between floriculture and horticulture is that floriculture is concerned with flowering and foliage plants, whilst horticulture is concerned with various garden crops.
Horticulture refers to the cultivation of fruits and vegetables, as well as flowers and ornamental plants. Floriculture is primarily concerned with the cultivation of decorative plants.
Ques. What are the plants used in floriculture? (2 marks)
Ans. Annual (seasonal), biennial, and perennial ornamentals include cacti and other succulents, bromeliads, trees, shrubs, climbers, bulbous plants, lawn and ornamental grasses, bamboos, orchids, palms, cycads, foliage, bedding, pot and house plants, cut and loose flowers, fillers, ferns, seed, and bulb.
Ques. What is Floriculture? (2 marks)
Ans. Floriculture is a branch of horticulture that deals with cut or loose flowers, ornamental plants such as trees, shrubs, climbers, palms, bamboo, cactus and succulents, dried flowers, essential oils, and landscape gardening.
Ques. How does floriculture work? (2 marks)
Ans. Floriculture is the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for use as raw materials in the perfume and pharmaceutical industries. Bedding plants, houseplants, flowering garden and pot plants, cut produced greens, and cut flowers are all crops that fall within the floriculture category.
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