Research Introduction

In order to determine how to prevent newly introduced ornamentals from invading the ecosystems of the United States, I decided to study the group of businesses who deal with the issue first hand – nurseries. Most exotic invasive plants were introduced for landscaping or horticultural purposes, so the nursery industry must be a major component of any invasive species prevention plan (Reichard 1996).

The purpose of my survey was to determine how nurseries perceive invasive plants and the attempts to control them. I set out to first determine if the nurseries were aware of the issue, and whether the issue was important to them. I also wanted to know if they sold invasive plants and whether they sold plants that they considered invasive. In addition to determining their perception of the issue I was interested in determining what actions the nurseries themselves were willing to take in order to control the spread of invasive plants. I hope to pass this information onto nursery trade organizations so that they might design effective policies and educational programs for their members.

Nursery industry profile

“Trade in floriculture and environmental horticulture is becoming increasingly important in world markets.” – USDA, ERS, 1999

The Floriculture and Environmental Horticulture industry, commonly referred to as the nursery industry, is the fastest growing segment of the United States’ agriculture industry (USDA, ERS, 1999). In 1996, it was the seventh most important commodity group within agriculture (USDA, ERS, 1999), which means…. In 1990, the average net farm income was $53,589, which ranked nurseries as having the highest net income for production specialties in the agriculture industry (USDA, ERS, 1999)

Types of businesses included

Environmental horticulture is the segment of the industry which includes growing trees, shrubs, ground covers, vines, fruit and nut plants, cuttings, and seedlings. It also includes trees for conservation reforestation, seedlings for Christmas trees, and nursery stock grown for transplants of fruits and vegetables. It does not include seeds, food crops grown in greenhouses, and cut Christmas trees (USDA, ERS, 1999).

The floriculture sector includes cut flowers, cut greens such as those that would be put in a floral arrangement, potted flowering plants and cut foliage plants (including houseplants), and bedding and garden plants such as flowering and vegetable plants in flats or pots. While Europe spends the most per capita on floral products, the United States spends the most, with an estimated total expenditure of $12 billion in 1994 (USDA, ERS, 1999).