horticulture

noun

hor·ti·cul·ture ˈhȯr-tə-ˌkəl-chər

Synonyms of horticulture next

: the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants

horticultural

ˌhȯr-tə-ˈkəl-chə-rəl

adjective

horticulturally

ˌhȯr-tə-ˈkəl-chə-rə-lē

adverb

Did you know?

Hortus is Latin for "garden", and the first gardens were planted about 10,000 years ago in what is often called the Fertile Crescent—the crescent-shaped area stretching from Israel north through Syria and down Iraq's two great rivers to the Persian Gulf. Probably more fertile in previous centuries than it is today, it was the original home of such food plants as wheat, barley, peas, and lentils or their ancient ancestors (not to mention the ancestors of cows, pigs, sheep, and goats as well). Many horticulturists today work as researchers or plant breeders or tend orchards and greenhouses—but most American households contain at least one amateur horticulturist.

Examples of horticulture in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Many people in the plant world know the early 20th century as the golden age of horticulture when thousands of new plants were hitting the market year after year. —

Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 5 Apr. 2024 Ross Shrigley, executive director of Plant Select, is the go-to horticulture professional for knowing plants that every garden should be growing. —

Betty Cahill, The Denver Post, 3 Apr. 2024 Throughout the long and varied history of horticulture, there have been and continue to be practices and products that catch on with the gardening public that in reality have no place in the garden. —

Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 22 Mar. 2024 Complementing the horticulture throughout the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park are a series of sculptures from international artists, including works by Auguste Rodin, Michele Oka Doner, and Ai Weiwei. —

Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2024 Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden. —

Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2024 There are people in the world of horticulture that feel one of the greatest sins in life is planting a non-native plant. —

Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 27 Jan. 2024 Aaron Steil, a consumer horticulture extension specialist for the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University, says that a 3 x 3 x 3-foot compost setup is a good place to start in order to maintain the ideal balance of moisture and heat. —

Paige Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Feb. 2024 Dennis Patton is a horticulture agent with the Kansas State University Research and Extension. —

Dennis Patton, Kansas City Star, 1 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'horticulture.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.