By Sarah Fuller
Texas ornamental horticulture remains a national leader with positive prospects for both industry producers and consumers despite increased input costs and intermittent supply chain disruptions, according to Texas A&M AgriLife experts.
Also referred to as the “green industry,” the ornamental horticulture industry in Texas is diverse and far-reaching, encompassing sectors ranging from farm and garden equipment wholesalers and landscaping services to turfgrass, nursery/greenhouse plant and tree producers and retailers.
Texas green industry sales topped $39 billion in 2025, a 4.5% increase from the previous year, according to an economic report produced by Texas A&M AgriLife for the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association.
“If you consider Texas’ economic contributions to the green industry as a whole, we’re one of the top three contributors in the nation, alongside California and Florida,” said Charlie Hall, Ph.D., professor and Ellison Chair in the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
Hall is a co-author of the 2025 economic report, along with Marco Palma, Ph.D., professor in the Texas A&M Department of Agricultural Economics and interim associate director of Responsive Agriculture at the Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture.
Industry finds ‘new normal’ in elevated growth
Nationally, the ornamental horticulture industry saw an unprecedented spike in production and sales during the height of the COVID pandemic, when many social activities were limited and people spent more time at home.
Texas alone saw a 43% increase in total industry gross sales between 2019 and 2024. Hall said severe freezes during the winter of 2021 also stimulated purchases of plants to replace those that were lost.
While this expansion has since leveled out, industry sales remain higher than pre-COVID levels, he said.
Source : tamu.edu