Introduction to Horticulture

Learn more about horticulture with the help of Penn State Extension’s resources. Learn about soil management, plant diseases, pests, growing plants from seeds and seedlings, ornamentals, and how to landscape your garden.

What is Horticulture?

Horticulture is a branch of plant agriculture that deals with growing garden crops such as fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants. Horticultural crops also include trees and shrubs and turf and lawns. A horticulturist is a person with the knowledge, skills, and technologies to grow plants for food and non-food uses.

Growing Plants

The production of high-quality fruits and vegetables allows us to maintain a healthy balanced diet. At the same time, flowers and ornamental plants help to make our surroundings beautiful.

If you want to grow plants in your backyard, farm, or homestead, you need to learn and understand quite a few things about plant growth and health. First, to grow productive and beautiful plants you have to provide the right conditions. Maximize your garden space and you can increase your yield. This applies whether you’re growing vegetables, fruit, or ornamentals.

Healthy plants require light, water, nutrients, oxygen, and a physical medium that allows seeds to germinate, shoots to emerge, and roots to anchor the plant. The best medium for this is good quality soil. If you’re struggling to provide the right conditions for growth, a raised bed could be the answer.

Choosing the right seed is also important. If, for example, you intend to be a certified organic farmer, you must use certified organic seeds and seedlings. Stand establishment is a critical step in producing a successful crop of vegetables. You have to create optimum conditions for your seeds or seedlings to become established and grow.

Plant pests and diseases can decimate a garden. If you learn how to diagnose plant health problems, you can solve them before the plant is lost.

If you’re considering tree fruit production on a commercial scale, planning and research are critical to your success. Essential factors include site plannng and preparation, climate conditions, marketing, and financing your operation.

To create and maintain a healthy landscape, you have to choose your plants wisely. Plants that have the right conditions will thrive without a lot of attention. You can grow, for example, almost any plant in a container garden. There are, however, some that will grow better than others. When it comes to growing turf and ornamentals, consider the climate, soil texture and drainage, and their specific needs before you make a purchase.

Landscape Horticulture

Landscape horticulture includes the production, marketing, and maintenance of landscape plants. Professional landscape horticulturists possess a vast range of skills and extensive knowledge that includes how trees and shrubs grow and when and how to prune them. When a tree is pruned correctly, it improves its structural strength, maintains its health, enhances its beauty, and increases its value.

Planning a garden landscape involves also assessing the site, the amount of sunlight and water the plants will get, and how they would work together. Penn State Extension resources are available for planting in various conditions – see advice for heat and drought tolerant plants, for suitable plants for shade, planting in moist soils, and more.

If you plan to start a green industry business, employee landscape training is available for new and seasonal employees. Basic training covers pruning, planting, watering, mulching, and the latest landscape updates.