Horticulture

Horticulture is the art and science of growing plants. This definition is seen in the etymology of "horticulture", which is derived from the latin words hortus, which means "garden" and cultura which means "to cultivate". Horticulture is very broad and encompasses many areas, which means that there are many different types of horticulturists. In anthropology, horticulture refers to a subsistence strategy characterized by the small-scale, non-industrial cultivation of plants for food. Horticulture is normally small-scale or ornamental, as compared to the larger-scale cultivation of crops that is seen in agriculture.

The beginning of horticulture came with the domestication of plants. At first, only plants for sustenance were grown and maintained, but eventually as humanity became more and more sedentary, plants were grown for their ornamental value. Horticulture diverged from agriculture when people started growing plants for pleasure, rather than just for sustenance.

There are many disciplines or areas within horticulture that require highly specialized skills and knowledge of the horticulturist. For each of these, there are various job-positions, tools used and associated challenges.