horticulture

Word family

• horticultural
  adjectiveB2
• horticulturist
  nounC1
• horticulturally
  adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Gardening is the everyday term for tending a home garden — practical, small-scale, and usually a hobby. Agriculture covers all food and crop production including large farms, field crops, and animal raising. Horticulture sits between these two: it is the science-based cultivation of garden plants, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamental plants, often on a smaller scale than agriculture but with more systematic knowledge than casual gardening. Botany is the pure scientific study of plant biology — it does not involve growing or cultivating plants at all. For example, a university horticulture student learns both plant science and hands-on growing techniques, while a botanist might study plant cells under a microscope without ever planting a seed.

Common collocations

Etymology

From Latin 'hortus' (garden) and 'cultura' (growing, tending, cultivation). The term 'hortus cultura' (garden cultivation) was used in Latin and entered English in the 1600s as 'horticulture', referring to the art and science of garden-based plant growing.