14: 05: 2026
The latest 2025 Ornamental Plant Survey from Germany paints a clear picture of an industry under sustained structural pressure, with both the number of farms and the area under cultivation continuing to contract.
Compared to 2021, the sector recorded a 10% decline in the
number of horticultural holdings and an 8% reduction in production area. In total, Germany now has 2,821 farms engaged in ornamental plant production, cultivating approximately 57,600 hectares. Since 2017, the sector has lost 23.1% of its farms—equivalent to 847 businesses—while cultivated area has fallen by 12.6% or around 830 hectares.
Industry representatives describe the trend as a stark confirmation of long-standing concerns. Rising energy costs, tightening market conditions, and increasing production pressures have steadily eroded margins across the value chain, accelerating the exit of growers from production.
Houseplants Under the Greatest Pressure
Among production segments, houseplants have experienced the most significant contraction, declining by 21.1%. The trend reflects heightened sensitivity to energy-intensive production environments, particularly in greenhouse systems where heating and lighting costs have surged.
Despite the downturn, poinsettias remain the leading houseplant crop in Germany. However, even this category has not been immune, with production volumes dropping by more than 14% since 2021.
Bedding Plants and Perennials Remain Core Segment
Bedding and balcony plants, alongside perennials, continue to form the backbone of Germany’s ornamental plant industry. Between July 2024 and June 2025, 1,939 farms produced more than 866 million finished plants. Within this category, viola and calluna remain dominant products, reflecting steady consumer demand for seasonal and hardy ornamental varieties.
Cut Flowers Continue to Contract
The cut flower sector has also faced continued decline, with production area shrinking by 14%. Notably, outdoor cultivation still accounts for approximately 93% of the total cut flower area, underscoring the sector’s reliance on open-field systems despite increasing climatic and economic uncertainty.
Regional Concentration Remains Unchanged
Despite the contraction, the geographic distribution of production has remained stable. North Rhine-Westphalia continues to lead as Germany’s primary ornamental plant production region, followed by Lower Saxony, Bavaria, and Baden-Württemberg.
Data as a Policy and Industry Tool
The Ornamental Plant Survey remains the most comprehensive source of structural data for Germany’s ornamental horticulture sector, providing critical insight beyond general horticultural statistics.
Industry stakeholders emphasize that such data is essential for understanding the sector’s trajectory and informing policy responses. In a period marked by financial strain and structural adjustment, reliable statistics are seen as a key tool for guiding decisions on competitiveness, support mechanisms, and long-term sustainability.
As the figures show, Germany’s ornamental plant sector is not only contracting—it is reshaping itself under economic pressure, with fewer farms producing more intensively on reduced land, and with clear signals that structural change is likely to continue.