Ornamental plants

The ornamental plants or ornamentals, are not a type or a specific family within the genus
of plants. It is any plant that we grow and take care of with the purpose of beautifying or
making a certain place or space more aesthetic. That is, when they are used
as a decoration element. Historically, the first to use plants in this way were the Persians,
who embellished their palaces and buildings with plants, both indoors and in elaborate
gardens.

What is Ornamental Plants? Ornamental plants include all plants, whether they are in the
form of herbs, vines, shrubs, or trees, which people deliberately plant as components of
gardens, home gardens, room decorations, ceremonies, components of make-up or
clothing, and as components of flower garlands.
In a general context, ornamental plants are one of the groupings based on the function of
horticultural plants. The part that is used is not only flowers, but the impression of
beauty that is generated by this plant.

Apart from flowers (color and fragrant), leaves, fruit, stems, and even trees can be used
as components.For example, some plant branches that give off a fresh fragrance can be
placed in the room to scent the room, making them an ornamental plant.

In landscape architecture, the shape and placement of ornamental plants is an important

consideration. Another important issue in ornamental plants is the natural habitat they
prefer and the shape of their canopy.In this sense, ornamental plants can also include
roadside plants and shade plants (in open spaces).

Because ornamental plants are grouped based on their function, it is possible that a
vegetable, medicinal plant, or fruit plant becomes an ornamental plant, or vice versa.

Types of ornamental plants based on its types

The following are several types of ornamental plants that are often planted around us;

Ornamental plants flowers

Flower ornamental plants are the most popular among the public, because flowers are
very identical to be used as decoration, flower ornamental plants certainly have various
shapes and colors depending on the type of plant.

This type of plant is usually planted outdoors on the ground directly or using a pot as the
place, various examples such as roses, jasmine flowers, sunflowers, daisies, orchids,
hibiscus flowers, frangipani flowers and so on.

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Ornamental plants leaves
Leaf ornamental plants are plants that have beauty in terms of their leaves, usually in
ornamental plants the leaves are not flowering, this type of ornamental plant is certainly
durable and does not easily wither or fall like flower ornamental plants.

Ornamental plants of this type are very suitable to be placed outside or indoors, various
examples such as Anthurium, elephant ears, aglaonema, yellow palm and so on.

Ornamental tree plants

Namely an attractive tree that can be used as an ornamental plant, usually a tree whose
size is not too large and has beauty in terms of its trunk / stem.

Ornamental tree plants are generally placed outside the room such as a home or garden,
trees that are often used as decoration, for example, banyan, Japanese bamboo, and
yellow bamboo and so on.

Ornamental fruit plants

Some people often make plants that produce fruit as decoration too, because the
combination of beautiful stalks, leaves and fruit is suitable to be used as an ornamental
plant, various examples such as rainbow chilies, lemons, nagami and so on.

Root ornamental plant

Is a plant that has beauty in terms of its roots, usually so that the roots of these plants look
more beautiful it must be arranged, of course with special skills, for example, such as
adenium and banyan trees.

Benefits of ornamental plants

Some of the benefits obtained from ornamental plants are;

Economics benefits
From an economic point of view, there is no doubt about ornamental plants. Ornamental
plants can provide jobs for those who open an ornamental plant cultivation business. For
rare plants, which can contribute a very large economic value.

Field of education
Because ornamental plants are also included in the scope of Biology, students can use
them as material for exploration. Able to increase students’ love for science lessons. And
also, ornamental plants can develop creativity.

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Health & Environment
One of the big impacts that we can feel when we care for ornamental plants, is the mind
becomes more relaxed.

Then, the surrounding air can also become cleaner and better for breathing. For certain
types, it can be used as herbal medicine.

Arts & Socio-Culture Sector

By caring for ornamental plants, that is, the appearance of our porch will change to be
more beautiful. You can also use it for parcels or birthday gifts for relatives. Even in
traditional ceremonies, ornamental plants can also often be used.

Apart from beauty, ornamental vegetable plants will be of benefit to you because you
don’t need to shop at the market because you already have vegetables in your home.

Some fruits are also often used as an ornamental plant, some of which are often used as
ornamental plants, including water guava, sapodilla, guava, mango and many other types
of fruit plants that are often used as ornamental plants to decorate a home garden. .

Several other types of ornamental plants are useful for filters and air conditioning.

There are various types of ornamental plants that we can choose depending on our
desires, but what is clear is that the first thing that can usually be used as a benchmark for
ornamental plants is beauty.

Examples of ornamental plants

Examples of ornamental plants that are easy to find are;

Lavender

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Lavender flowers, Lavandula afficinalis syn.L. angustifolia (Lamiaceae), small and
purple, that’s what lavender looks like. This plant comes from Europe, precisely in
France.

It is used as a perfume. Religious ceremonial equipment and medicinal plants since

ancient Rome. The term lavender for the Romans is lavare, which means refreshing.
The method of planting lavender flowers is very easy and cheap, just scatter the old
seeds, then they will grow.

Zodia

Zodia (Evodia suaveolens). Zodia are plants from the citrus tribe (Rutaceae) which are
endemic to Indonesia which originated from Papua.
This plant has been used by indigenous Papuans to repel insects and mosquitoes by
rubbing zodia leaves all over the body.

At present, many people have started to plant zodia (Evodia suaveolens) in pots and
placed indoors.

The aroma that comes out of this tree, especially when the zodia leaves rub together, can
repel mosquitoes (mosquito repellent). Zodia plants, by ornamental plant sellers are often
known as Mosquito Trees.

Madagascar periwinkle

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Tapak dara is an annual shrub originating from Madagascar, but has spread to various
other tropical regions. The scientific name is Catharanthus roseus (L.) Don.

In Indonesia, these ornamental plants are known by various names, such as sindapor
(Sulawesi), copper flower (Sundanese), and kembang tapak dårå (Javanese).

Malaysians are more familiar with it as kemunting cina, staple grass, staple flower, or
staple rose beach.

In the Philippines it is known as Tsitsirika, in Vietnam as hoa hai dang, in China as

Chang chun Hua, in England as Rose Periwinkle, and in Holland as soldaten bloem.

Rosemary

Rosemary is a plant that comes from the Mediterranean, is an herbal plant with a
distinctive aroma. Shaped like thorns with bluish purple flowers.

Currently, rosemary plants are often used as indoor plants, in addition to repelling insects,
especially mosquitoes, their unique shape makes the room more decorative.

In some countries the rosemary plant is used as a complement to cooking spices.

The ornamental plants, as well as be pleasant sight, can provide other benefits to

your garden or home. Many of them have the ability to improve the quality of the air we
breathe, filtering unwanted substances in it. Others provide a pleasant aroma with their
flowers and leaves, and in gardens and terraces, many flowers
attract beneficial pollinating insects.

Types of ornamental plants

Since it is not a family of plants or scientific classification, there are many ways
to group ornamental plants according to the characteristics we look at. We have
developed a simple classification based on its most differentiated types. Thus, we find the
following groups of ornamental plants:

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Trees and shrubs

They are one of the most common and popular, especially due to their large size and
impact on the aesthetic impression of gardens and natural spaces. Some shrubs are as
large as small trees.

Lawn and upholstery

Grass is considered to be plants of the Poaceae family that, when growing, form a dense
cover that completely covers the ground. They are often used to homogenize the
landscape and give a more natural feel. Instead, upholstery plants can also be used, which
are creepers that fulfill the same function but offer different aspects and characteristics.

Annuals

Annual plants complete their entire life cycle in a single year. They tend to

be ornamental plants with very showy and colorful flowers, although, as we have said,
they wither in a single season.

Bulbous

This type of plant has an underground organ that serves as a reserve of nutrients, and

from it they can grow back every year when the conditions are
right. Flowering bulb plants of this type are very common, drying their aerial part in
winter to regrow in the warm months.

Palms

Palm trees are available in all kinds of sizes and shapes, but they stand out for being
tropical plants that are very easy to care for that give an exotic touch to both indoor and
outdoor spaces. 

Ferns

Ferns are very primitive flowerless plants, but therefore also exotic. They stand out for
their dense and abundant foliage, which makes them very suitable as hanging plants in
some of their species. 

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Climbing plants

Climbers are plants with the ability to grow supported or attached to surfaces of all kinds
such as walls, facades, trees or structures such as pergolas. There are many types, and
they are very popular to cover green surfaces that would not normally be green.

Aquatic

In aquariums, ponds or ornaments with water of any kind, aquatic plants are very
valuable to give a natural touch, as well as algae.

Types of ornamental indoor plants – names

Next, we leave a list with some names of ornamental indoor plants (in the links you can
learn about the characteristics and care of each plant):

 Trunk of Brazil – Dracaena fragrans

 Dracena – Dracaena marginata
 Umbrella plant – Cyperus alternifolius
 Bromeliad – Bromeliad aechmea, Bromeliad guzmania
 Diefembaquia – Dieffenbachia ssp.
 Prayer plant – Maranta leuconeura
 Cyclamen – Cyclamen

Types of ornamental outdoor plants – names

These are some examples of outdoor ornamental plants (in the links you can learn more
about the characteristics and care of each plant):

 Fern – Filicopsida, Pterophyta
 Carnation – Dianthus cayophyllus
 Rose – Rosa spp.
 Begonia – Begoniaceae
 Japanese Maple – Acer palmatum
 Water lily – Zantedeschia aethiopica
 Petunia – Petunia hybrida
 Coleus – Coleus blumei

Types of ornamental sun plants

Although most plants appreciate receiving as much sun as possible, not all plants feel
good to receive a large amount of direct light, especially in hot climates or with very

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intense sun. Some of the names of ornamental plants that will resist a lot of sun very well
are:

 Bamboo
 Echeveria
 Gerbera
 Aster
 Dahlia
 Hibiscus
 Viola or thought

Types of ornamental shade plants

If, on the other hand, you have little natural light or some shade in your garden, you will
do well to opt for one of these other ornamental species of shade or semi-shade:

 Diefembaquia maculata
 Hydrangea
 Potus or potus
 Azalea
 Christmas cactus

In addition, here below you can see images of outdoor ornamental plants, in the same
order that they have mentioned in these lists.

Importance of ornamental plants

After knowing all these kinds of ornamental plants, we continue talking about their great
importance. The decorative or ornamental plants that we use both for inside houses or
buildings and for their outdoor areas, such as gardens or terraces, as well as for public
areas, such as walks and parks, have many benefits for us, others animals and the
environment. These are the main benefits of ornamental plants :

 They offer a landscape that makes the area more attractive and enrich the spaces.
 They improve concentration and help reduce stress.
 They increase happiness and the feeling of well-being by facilitating contact with
nature.
 They are part of the culture of different parts of the world.
 Some are food and natural remedies.
 They help purify the air.
 Planted directly in the ground, they prevent its erosion.

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References

1.  "Ornamental Plants: Home page". www.ndsu.edu. Retrieved 2022-

04-06.
2. "Ornamentals - an overview | ScienceDirect
Topics". www.ScienceDirect.com. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
3.  "Landscape Ornamentals - MREC - UF/IFAS - the University of
Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences -
UF/IFAS". mrec.ifas.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
4.  "Lavender: History, Taxonomy, and Production". New crops
organics.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
5.  "What are Ornamental Plants? (with pictures)". Home Questions
Answered. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
6.  "Growing Ornamental Plants - A Beginners Guide | Agri
Farming". www.Agri farming.in. 2018-07-02. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
7.  "Ornamental Grasses and Grass-like Plants". Home & Garden
Information Center | Clemson University, South Carolina. August 27,
2017. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
8. https://florgeous.com/ornamental-plants/
9. https://natgeos.com/what-is-ornamental-plants/