floriculture

An immigrant worker tending a ranunculus field at a flower farm in Carlsbad, Calif., in April 2006. Jobs in American agriculture have long been filled by migrants from Mexico and Central America.

1 of 2

2 of 2

floriculture, branch of ornamental horticulture concerned with growing and marketing flowers and ornamental plants as well as with flower arrangement. Because flowers and potted plants are largely produced in plant-growing structures in temperate climates, floriculture is largely thought of as a greenhouse industry, though many flowers are cultivated outdoors in nurseries or crop fields. Both the production of bedding plants and the production of cuttings to be grown in greenhouses or for indoor use as houseplants are usually considered part of floriculture.