Gardening & Horticulture | Gale OneFile Dig deep into the topic of gardening and horticulture, which involves the cultivation of plants in public and domestic gardens. Ornamental plants, such as flowers and decorative grasses, are cultivated for their beauty, while useful plants and trees, like those that produce fruits and vegetables or are used as herbs, are grown for consumption, to use as dyes, or for medicinal purposes. Gardening tends to be distinguished from farming by the scale of operation—gardens usually involve smaller plots requiring individual attention, and farms operate on a larger scale, with the intent of growing crops as goods for sale.