Sierkunde

Sierkunde is a historical term used in Dutch-speaking contexts to denote the study of ornamental plants and related decorative horticulture. The word combines sier (decoration, ornament) with kunde (knowledge, science), and historically referred to the branch of botany concerned with ornamental rather than general plant biology.

Scope of sierkunde includes the selection, cultivation, breeding, naming and classification of ornamental plants, as well as the design and management of gardens and parks. In this sense, sierkunde overlaps with floriculture and ornamental horticulture, but traditionally emphasizes aesthetics and display value of plants, including arrangements, varieties, and cultivar novelty.

Historical development of sierkunde occurred mainly from the 18th to the early 20th century in the Netherlands and surrounding regions. It appeared in botanical and horticultural literature as a subfield of natural history, with practitioners studying species prized for showy flowers, foliage, or form and producing manuals on cultivation, propagation, and garden design.

Relation to other disciplines: sierkunde is distinct from agronomy and general crop science, and is often closely linked to landscape gardening and garden design. In German-speaking contexts a cognate term Zierkunde more often referred to ornament in art and architecture rather than plant science, though overlaps existed in certain periods.

Contemporary usage: in modern Dutch, sierkunde as a formal discipline is largely historical, with current terms such as ornamental horticulture, floriculture, or landscape design taking precedence. Some museums, historical texts, or horticultural writings may still use the term when describing past practices and classifications.