The U.S. bedding plant industry recorded $4.027 billion in bedding and garden plant sales in 2024, across 8,739 horticultural operations. Annual bedding and garden plants accounted for $2.667 billion of that total, with flowering, foliar, and vegetable-type plants moving through several distinct sales formats. The figures below come from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Table 1, unless another table is identified.
Contents
- U.S. production and sales scale
- Wholesale and retail channels
- Flowering and foliar crops
- Vegetable-type bedding plants
- Flats, pots, and hanging baskets
- State-level production
U.S. production and sales scale
The 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties reported 8,739 operations selling bedding or garden plants. Annual bedding and garden plants were sold by 7,066 operations, and those annual plants generated $2.667 billion in sales. For comparison, annual bedding and garden plant sales involved 6,687 operations and totaled $2.244 billion in 2019.
The 2024 and 2019 figures describe different measurement periods in the same USDA NASS table. The increase in reported annual sales is therefore a comparison between the two census years, not a monthly or seasonal production estimate. The source labels the table “Value of Horticultural Products by Type: 2024 and 2019”.
A separate, broader Census of Agriculture table gives additional context for protected production. In 2022, 13,086 farms had annual bedding or garden plants under glass or other protection. Those operations covered 384,236,932 square feet. These 2022 measurements belong to the Census of Agriculture Table 39, rather than the 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties universe. The two counts should not be treated as interchangeable: USDA NASS uses different universes in the tables.
Wholesale and retail channels
Annual bedding and garden plant sales in 2024 were reported separately by channel. Wholesale sales totaled $2.041 billion, while retail sales totaled $625.838 million. These are channel figures from USDA NASS Table 3, and the all-sales total is not created by adding channel figures across unrelated categories.
Selected state channel figures show how different market profiles can be. California recorded $190.289 million in wholesale annual bedding and garden plant sales and $6.865 million in retail sales in 2024. Florida recorded $172.390 million wholesale and $4.058 million retail. The state figures use the same 2024 measurement period and the same Table 3 source.
The channel distinction matters when reading production statistics for floral design and garden retail. A wholesale value describes sales moving through wholesale channels; a retail value describes sales through retail channels. They are not a count of plants, and they do not describe consumer spending beyond the reported sales category.
Flowering and foliar crops
The 2024 species-level figures in USDA NASS Table 4 report both the number of operations and the sales value for individual annual bedding and garden plant categories.
| Crop or category | Operations | 2024 sales |
|---|---|---|
| Begonias | 4,326 | $180.931 million |
| Calibrachoa | 2,093 | $82.266 million |
| Combination planters and color bowls | 1,140 | $105.495 million |
| Coleus | 1,799 | $32.115 million |
| Dahlia | 1,288 | $20.135 million |
| Celosia | 1,044 | $16.975 million |
| Dianthus | 945 | $13.723 million |
| Sweet alyssum | 1,183 | $12.187 million |
| Fuchsia | 1,033 | $12.077 million |
| Caladium | 297 | $10.799 million |
Begonias were produced and sold by 4,326 operations, the largest operation count among the listed flowering and foliar categories, with $180.931 million in sales. Calibrachoa involved 2,093 operations and $82.266 million. Combination planters and color bowls were reported by 1,140 operations and generated $105.495 million, making that category distinct from a single plant type.
Several additional crops were reported at smaller sales values or operation counts. Ageratum involved 793 operations and $6.709 million. Sweet alyssum involved 1,183 operations and $12.187 million, while angelonia involved 780 operations and $8.838 million. Bacopa was reported by 974 operations at $6.641 million.
The same table reported black-eyed Susan vine from 691 operations at $1.605 million; canna from 614 operations at $7.201 million; calendula from 333 operations at $0.549 million; and cleome from 424 operations at $1.449 million. Cosmos involved 679 operations and $1.787 million.
Other reported flowering and foliar figures included dusty miller from 1,152 operations at $4.459 million, euphorbia from 447 operations at $9.399 million, flowering cabbage or kale from 433 operations at $5.144 million, and fuchsia from 1,033 operations at $12.077 million. These are reported sales values for 2024, not forecasts or estimates of future demand.
Vegetable-type bedding plants
Vegetable-type bedding plants represented a substantial segment of the 2024 annual bedding and garden plant market. They were produced and sold by 3,742 operations for $326.248 million, according to USDA NASS Table 4.
| Vegetable-type category | Operations | 2024 sales |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato bedding plants | 3,103 | $90.223 million |
| Culinary herb bedding plants | 2,285 | $90.867 million |
| Other vegetable-type bedding plants | 1,802 | $69.678 million |
| Non-ornamental pepper bedding plants | 2,736 | $53.961 million |
| Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and other crucifers | 1,701 | $21.519 million |
Tomato bedding plants were produced and sold by 3,103 operations for $90.223 million. Culinary herb bedding plants involved 2,285 operations and $90.867 million. Non-ornamental pepper bedding plants were reported by 2,736 operations at $53.961 million.
Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and other crucifer bedding plants came from 1,701 operations and generated $21.519 million. The “other vegetable-type” category involved 1,802 operations and $69.678 million. These categories describe bedding plants sold as plants; the figures do not measure the later harvest of vegetables or herbs.
Flats, pots, and hanging baskets
Sales format changes the way bedding plant production is measured. In 2024, 5,269 operations sold annual bedding and garden plants as flats. The volume was 66.011 million flats, with flat sales totaling $731.281 million. Flowering and foliar annuals accounted for 4,898 operations, 57.598 million flats, and $606.159 million in flat sales. These figures come from USDA NASS Table 5.
Potted plants were reported by 6,131 operations. Potted annual bedding and garden plants totaled 458.296 million units and $1.469 billion in sales. The unit is a pot or plant unit as reported in the table, not a flat. The source is USDA NASS Table 6.
Hanging baskets were sold by 4,571 operations in 2024. Annual bedding and garden plants sold in hanging baskets totaled 38.846 million units, with sales of $467.131 million. These figures come from USDA NASS Table 7.
The format figures are best read as separate reported measures. A plant operation can sell more than one format, and the tables do not establish that operation counts are mutually exclusive. Flats, pots, and hanging baskets also use different units, so their quantities should not be combined as if they represented the same package.
State-level production
Selected state totals show the range of operation counts and sales values in 2024. The figures below are all-sales values from USDA NASS Table 3.
| State | Operations | All-sales value |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 770 | $346.657 million |
| California | 188 | $197.153 million |
| Florida | 181 | $176.448 million |
| Colorado | 78 | $72.659 million |
Michigan had 770 annual bedding and garden plant operations and $346.657 million in all-sales value. California had 188 operations and $197.153 million, while Florida had 181 operations and $176.448 million. Colorado had 78 operations and $72.659 million.
The state figures should be kept separate from the channel figures above. For example, California’s $197.153 million all-sales value is a state total in Table 3, while its $190.289 million wholesale and $6.865 million retail values identify reported channels. The period is 2024 in each case, but the measures answer different questions: one describes all-sales value for the state, and the others describe channel values.
For floral designers, the production picture is therefore broad rather than limited to one crop or package. The 2024 USDA NASS data includes flowering and foliar species, vegetable-type starts, combination planters, flats, pots, and hanging baskets, with state totals and channel values reported in their respective tables.