Grow a Career in Floriculture

“Flowers are the music of the ground from earth’s lips spoken without a sound” – Edwin Curran. Floriculture is known as the art of flower farming. It is a branch of ornamental horticulture which is concerned with the production, cultivation and marketing of flowering and decorative plants. With the continuous innovations in greenhouse technology and plant biotechnology, floriculture is rapidly increasing in more than 90 countries including countries like Japan, the Netherlands, the USA and India. Find out everything that you need to know about floriculture, career scope and a lot more. 

Did you know: There are more than 4,00,000 varieties of flowers around the world. 

What is Floriculture?

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Floriculture is one of the many sub-fields of horticulture that focuses on the cultivation, management and commercial production of flowering and ornamental plants. Some even describe it as ‘the art and knowledge of growing flowers to perfection’. The main goal of floriculture is to nurture a variety of flowers and plants such as cut flowers, loose flowers, bulbs and landscape plants and market them for commercial and decorative purposes. Moreover, floriculture is also largely viewed as a greenhouse industry because the flowers and potted plants are mainly grown in plant-growing structures in temperate climates. However, many flowers are also cultivated outdoors in nurseries and crop fields. 

Individuals who work in the field of floriculture are known as floriculturists. They are mainly responsible for studying, growing and nurturing flowering plants, developing new varieties, and managing the post-harvest treatment to ensure the continuous growth of flowering plants. 

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Did you know: Saffron, an expensive spice, is cultivated and grown in the floriculture industry from a type of crocus flower. 

Role of a Floriculturist 

Floriculturists are people who work with plants to grow them into beautiful flowers. They specialise in ornamental plants growing for gardens, the flower industry, and export. They also develop new plant kinds through plant breeding. They also perform various tasks such as wild harvesting and commercial flower production, flower seed production, leaf and essential oil crop production, and plant product manufacture. The following is a list of various roles that a floriculturist or horticulture performs:

Government Sector	In the government sector, a floriculturist or horticulturist can apply for work in the Indian government’s Forest, Agriculture, and Fertilizer departments. In general, the teaching profession in the public sector is more favourable.
Private Sector	There are numerous agriculture enterprises, fertiliser products, and nurseries that care for rare plants in the private sector. These include, among other things, private herbal medicine firms. A floriculturist or horticulturist can also work as a landscape and interior designer, as well as terraformers who can rebuild and terraform the area.
Personal Sector	A floriculturist or horticulturalists can open a private business, such as a flower and plant shop or nurseries, in the private sector.

Skills Required for a Career in Floriculture

So, now that you have a better understanding of the floriculture industry, you must be wondering about the basic skills that are quite essential in the field of floriculture. Therefore, let’s explore the various skills that are required to enter the vast field of floriculture:

• You should have a thorough knowledge of demography, geography, climatic conditions and other areas related to the production and commercialisation of flowering plants. 
• Ability to work in any weather conditions
• Due to different schedules and routines, you should have the capability to adapt and adjust to any routine changes. 
• Innovation and creativity for researching and developing new varieties or species of flowers.
• The willingness to work as a group with people who come from diverse backgrounds
• Careful attention to detail
• Good organisational skills 
• The ability to remain calm under pressure
• Effectively deal with stressful situations or failures 
• Good communication skills 
• Negotiation skills 

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Popular Courses in Floriculture

Mentioned below is the list of all the famous courses that aspirants can pursue if they want to kick start their career in floriculture: 

Certificate and Diploma Courses (3 – 12 Months) 

• Certificate in Floriculture Technology
• Certificate course in Floriculture
• Diploma in Horticulture
• Diploma in Floriculture
• Postgraduate Diploma in Horticulture and Landscape Gardening

Undergraduate Courses (3 – 4 Years)

• B.Sc (Floriculture and Landscaping)
• B.Sc in Floriculture

Postgraduate Courses (1 – 2 Years)

• M.Sc (Floriculture and Landscaping)
• M.Sc (Floriculture Business Management)
• Ph.D in Floriculture

Did you know: The United States is the biggest consumer of cut flowers globally spending $1.83 billion annually. 

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for candidates interested in pursuing a career in floriculture are stated below:

• Must have completed 10+2 from a recognised board with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Maths/Agriculture as compulsory subjects with a minimum of 50% aggregate mark.
• Must hold a bachelor’s degree in the relevant field to be considered for admission to the Master’s programme.
• Certain universities or institutions hold their own entrance exams.
• For those who want to pursue higher studies abroad, a competitive GRE score or any other exam score (as specified by the university) is a must. 
• English Language Proficiency like IELTS/TOEFL/PTE.
• Essays, SOP and LORs according to the university eligibility criteria.

Did you know: 77% of all flower bulbs worldwide come from the Netherlands. 

Popular Universities Abroad to Study Floriculture 

Floriculture is a booming field of study, with several prestigious universities across the world offering top-notch Floriculture/Horticulture programmes. Tabulated below are some of the top horticulture universities from across the world.

Horticulture Universities	Location	QS World University Rankings 2022
ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology	Switzerland	=8
Cornell University	USA	21
University of British Columbia	Canada	46
University of Wisconsin – Madison	USA	=75
Wageningen University & Research	Netherlands	123
Nanjing Agricultural University	China	–
Ghent University	Belgium	141
Aarhus University	Denmark	155
Michigan State University	USA	157
University of Reading	UK	202
Norwegian University of Science And Technology	Norway	=369

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Did you know: Several centuries ago in Holland, tulips, a spring-blooming perennial flowering plant was worth more than gold. 

Popular Colleges in India

Some of the popular Indian institutes that are providing aspirants with a course in Floriculture and Horticulture are mentioned down below: 

1. Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi
2. Kerala Agriculture University, Kerala
3. University of Agricultural Science, Bengaluru
4. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
5. Calcutta University, Kolkata
6. University of Agricultural Science, Bangalore
7. Allahabad School of Agriculture, UP
8. Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra
9. College of Horticulture, Kerala
10. Horticulture College and Research Institute, Periyakulam
11. Faculty of Horticulture, TNAU, Coimbatore
12. Punjab Agriculture University, Punjab

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Pros of becoming a Floriculturist

• Floriculture is a fascinating occupation that allows a person to fully utilise his or her creative abilities.
• People who work in the floriculture industry have more work freedom and are exposed to current market realities.

Cons of becoming a Floriculturist

• A very competitive employment market is one of the primary disadvantages for floriculturists in India. People without a background in floriculture are already starting their own businesses and offering floral arrangements for weddings and other events.

Books & Study Material to Become Floriculturist

• Introduction to Floriculture by Roy A Larson
• Floriculture in India by GS Randhawa
• Commercial Floriculture by S. Prasad
• Objective Floriculture, Desh Raj
• Floriculture and Landscaping by TK Bose
• Floriculture at Glance, Desh Raj
• Indian Floriculture, Role of CSIR by Subhodh Kumar Datta
• Commercial Floriculture by S. K. Chattopadhyay
• Commercial Flower Cultivation by Dr. V. Shanmugam
• Landscaping, Irrigation and Floriculture Terminology by Neeraj Pratap Singh

Career Scope in Floriculture 

Graduates with a degree in Floriculture can begin their careers in this field. Floral designers, production managers, and sales representatives are all positions in the floral industry that work for florists, garden shops, and nurseries in the design, production, and sale of flowers. Those with extensive knowledge in plant cutting and breeding can find work in both the private and public sectors. Under the broad category of horticulture, you can find a variety of professional employment ranging from entry-level work at garden centres to highly specialised jobs in research. 

Students who want to pursue a higher level of study after completing this course can begin a PhD programme in this discipline to pursue a career as a Floriculture scientist in the industry. Anyone who has recently completed their higher education in Floriculture has a lot of opportunities in this field.

Did you know: 77% of all flower bulbs worldwide come from the Netherlands. 

Job Prospects

The career opportunities in the floriculture industry are growing at an impressive rate. Therefore, you can find below a list of prospective career fields and job roles that you can consider:

• Landscape Technician
• Floral Wholesaler
• Retail Florist
• Floricultural Production Manager
• Floricultural Supervisor
• Floricultural Tradesperson
• Botanic Garden Curator
• Floral Designers
• Interior Decorator
• Sales Representatives
• Landscape Technician
• Cultivator
• Wholesale Florist
• Lecturer

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Did you know: Not all flowers smell good, One of the world’s rarest, smelliest, and strangest looking flowers is the titan arum or the corpse flower. It is called the corpse flower because it smells like a rotting dead body.

Top Recruiters 

The following are some of the greatest companies that hire graduates in the field of Floriculture.

• Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR)
• National Botanical Research Institute
• Turbo Industries Ltd, Punjab
• Nagarjuna Agritech Ltd, Bangalore
• Century Flowers, Pune
• Eden Park Agro Products Ltd, Pune
• Indus Floritech Ltd, Hyderabad
• Defense Institute of Bio-energy Research
• Indian Agricultural Research Institute
• Birla Floriculture, Pune
• Interior Plantscapes
• SHORB Landscaping
• Sun Valley Landscaping
• ER&M Ecological Restoration and Management
• Casa Verde Growers
• Greater Texas Landscape Services
• Iffco Kisan Sanchar Ltd
• Green Decor

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Salary Trends 

The salary of floriculturists is entirely dependent on the candidate’s job profile, the type of their work, and their experience. A Floriculturist’s initial income ranges from Rs 1.5 to 3 lakhs per year, while an Interior Decorator’s salary ranges from Rs 2 to 5 lakhs per year. A researcher’s or an academician’s salary is determined by government regulations. Salary estimates are determined by your qualifications, experience, region, and job role.

Did you know: 90% of the international floriculture trade is currently duty-free worldwide. Most commerce takes place under free-trade agreements or preferential trading schemes with developing countries in Africa and South America.

If you’re planning to pursue a career in Floriculture abroad, then connect with our Leverage Edu experts at 1800 57 2000 for their expert counselling and guidance that will make you land at your dream university.