horticulturist

noun

hor·​ti·​cul·​tur·​ist ˌhȯr-tə-ˈkəl-chə-rist 

variants or less commonly horticulturalist

ˌhȯr-tə-ˈkəl-ch(ə-)rə-list 

plural horticulturists also horticulturalists

: a person whose work involves growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants

As the city horticulturist for the past six years, Burton has made the parks and city areas of O'Fallon bloom.

—Lynn Venhaus

The finest hot chili pepper in Peter's test garden is 'Riot', which does double duty as an ornamental and in salads; it is a graduate of horticulturist Jim Baggett's breeding program at Oregon State University.

—Jim McCausland

I prefer buying plants from a nursery to buying at a garden center, and both are vastly preferable to the garden section of a discount store. Plant quality and accuracy of labeling are usually best at a nursery, where the staff is most likely to include professional horticulturists.

—Jeff Whitehead

De Witt Clinton was a man of parts—a patron of schools, charities, and the arts, a founder of the New York Historical Society, an amateur scientist and horticulturalist.

—James MacGregor Burns

Examples of horticulturist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Edgerton plays Narvel Roth, a horticulturist for a wealthy woman played by Weaver. —Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 6 June 2024

Part of the funding from the Castle Campaign will be used to fund a new entrance to the gardens and provide a full-time horticulturist for its staff. —Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, The Courier-Journal, 18 Apr. 2024

Jennifer Reynolds, a horticulturist, former editor in chief of the lifestyle magazine Harrowsmith, and a fifth-generation Torontonian, is as smitten with her Riverdale neighborhood—a few blocks north of Leslieville—as Wahba is with hers. —Heather Greenwood Davis, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2024

Among the many highlights is their Tulip Immersion Garden, where Dutch horticulturist Ibo Gulsen tells the story of how the flower made its way from Turkey to the Netherlands to Michigan using more than 65,000 tulips. —Catherine Garcia, theweek, 15 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

horticulturist

noun

hor·​ti·​cul·​tur·​ist

ˌhȯrt-ə-ˈkəlch(-ə)-rəst

variants also horticulturalist

-ˈkəlch(-ə)-rə-list

: a person who specializes in horticulture