Horticulture is the agriculture of plants, mainly for food, materials, comfort and beauty for decoration. Horticulturists apply knowledge, skills, and technologies to grow intensively produced plants for human food and non-food uses and for personal or social needs. Their work involves plant propagation and cultivation with the aim of improving plant growth, yields, quality, nutritional value and resistance to insects, diseases and environmental stresses. They work as gardeners, growers, therapists, designers, and technical advisors in the food and non-food  sectors of horticulture.

Horticulture is the practical botany of gardens. It includes both decorative and vegetable aspects of gardens. A horticulturist is a person who works and conducts research in the science and skill of growing flowers, fruits, vegetables or ornamental plants. Plant breeding is an important part of horticulture.

The major areas of horticulture include:

• Arboriculture is the study of, and the selection, plant, care, and removal of, individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants.
• Turf management includes all aspects of the production and maintenance of turf grass for sports, leisure use or amenity use.
• Floriculture includes the production and marketing of floral crops. Study of flower cultivation.
• Landscape horticulture includes the production, marketing and maintenance of landscape plants.
• Floriculture includes the production and marketing of vegetables.
• Pomology includes the production, processing and marketing of fruits or cultivation of fruits
• Viticulture includes the production and marketing of grapes.
• Oenology includes all aspects of wine and winemaking.
• Postharvest physiology involves maintaining the quality of and preventing the spoilage of plants and animals.