What Horticopia does

Horticopia, Inc. is a privately-held, Maryland-domiciled software company founded in 1991 that publishes plant reference software for the "Green Industry." Its flagship product, HORTICOPIA Professional (currently Version 5.4, released May 2023), is a Windows desktop application backed by Microsoft SQL Server for networked installations. The core product provides access to a curated database of 16,870+ photographs covering 4,700+ ornamental plants, with structured botanical data, name pronunciations, and search/print capabilities. The platform is modular: customers can expand their library through add-on Libraries (Woody Plus, Herbaceous Plus, Interior Plants, Aquatics, Japanese Maples) and Portfolios (Armitage Herbaceous Selections, Herbaceous, Woody), and extend functionality through Authoring (custom plant data), Networking (LAN multi-user), and Garden Studio (custom signs and labels) modules. Content is contributed by named horticulturists including Dr. Allan M. Armitage, Dr. Edward F. Gilman, Dr. Robert E. Lyons, and Keith Folsom.

Name

Horticopia

Legal name

Horticopia, Inc.

Website

https://horticopia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Horticopia is a privately-held, US-based software company founded in 1991 that sells HORTICOPIA Professional, a desktop plant reference application with curated photographic and botanical data, to landscape professionals, garden centers, nursery growers, educators, and researchers via direct-to-consumer e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Harwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses: One-time perpetual license sales for HORTICOPIA Professional software in multiple tiers (Essentials, Plus, Studio) with varying plant library sizes and features
2. Add-on Modules: Additional purchases for add-on modules including Authoring, Networking, Garden Studio, and additional plant libraries/portfolios
3. Plant Libraries and Portfolios: Expandable plant collections available as separate purchases: Woody Plus, Herbaceous Plus, Interior Plants, Aquatics, Japanese Maples libraries and various portfolios
4. Installation and Support Services: Remote installation support, data transfer services, and training offered for additional fees
5. Stock Photography: Stock photography dollars available for purchase for individual photo licensing

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Horticopia develops, publishes, and sells HORTICOPIA Professional, a Windows desktop plant reference and design software application that combines a curated image and botanical data library (16,870+ pictures covering 4,700+ ornamental plants) with tools for searching, printing, and producing custom plant lists, picture sheets, signs, labels, and tags. The core offering is sold as a one-time perpetual license and is expandable through separately purchased add-on Libraries, Portfolios, and modules (Authoring, Networking, Garden Studio), with optional paid installation, data transfer, and remote support services.

Product overview

HORTICOPIA is a plant reference software company offering a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on HORTICOPIA Professional V5.4. The core product provides access to over 4,700 ornamental plants with 16,870 pictures and comprehensive data. Users can expand their collection through add-on Libraries (Woody Plus, Herbaceous Plus, Interior Plants, Aquatic and Marginal Plants, Japanese Maples) that include both pictures and data, or through Portfolios (Armitage Herbaceous Selections, Herbaceous Plants, Woody Plants) that contain pictures with limited nomenclature data. Additional capabilities include the Authoring Module for adding custom plants and data, Networking Module for multi-user LAN access, and Garden Studio Module for designing and printing custom signs and labels. The company has been serving the Green Industry since 1991, targeting landscape architects, designers, contractors, garden centers, nursery growers, educators, and landscape management professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Garden Studio®: Module add-on for designing and printing custom plant signs, labels, tags, and pot stickers for HORTICOPIA Professional users.

Products and services

• HORTICOPIA Professional V5.4 Windows desktop plant reference and design software providing a searchable database of 16,870+ pictures covering 4,700+ ornamental plants with complete botanical data and name pronunciations, used by landscape professionals, garden centers, nurseries, educators, and researchers to search, view, print, and produce custom plant materials. Sold in tiered packages (Essentials, Plus, Studio) under one-time perpetual licensing.
• Woody Plus Library Add-on plant library adding 6,590 pictures covering 3,010 woody plants including trees, shrubs, and groundcovers, with full data, for use with HORTICOPIA Professional.
• Herbaceous Plus Library Add-on plant library adding 3,710 pictures covering 2,450 herbaceous plants including perennials, annuals, grasses, ferns, and succulents, with full data, for use with HORTICOPIA Professional.
• Interior Plants Library Add-on plant library containing 450 interior plants with 800 photographs including ferns, grasses, and succulents with indoor plant cultural data, for use with HORTICOPIA Professional.
• Aquatic and Marginal Plants Library Add-on plant library containing 800+ photographs for 450+ floating, submerged, and marginal/bog plants including water lilies, lotuses, grasses, and ferns, for use with HORTICOPIA Professional.
• Japanese Maples by Francie Schroeder Add-on plant library of 431 common and rare Japanese maples with 1,500 pictures and data curated by horticulturist Francie Schroeder, for use with HORTICOPIA Professional.
• Armitage Herbaceous Selections Portfolio Photo portfolio by Dr. Allan M. Armitage containing 5,500 photographs for 3,500+ annual, perennial, and biennial plants, for use with HORTICOPIA Professional.
• Portfolio of Herbaceous Plants Photo portfolio containing 2,500 photographs for 1,600+ perennials, annuals, grasses, ferns, succulents, and cultivars including Fleuroselect and AAS award winners, for use with HORTICOPIA Professional.
• Portfolio of Woody Plants Photo portfolio containing 3,100 photographs for 1,500+ trees, shrubs, groundcovers, and woody plants ranging from Australian native plants to hybrid roses, for use with HORTICOPIA Professional.
• Authoring Module Add-on module that allows users to add their own plants, pictures, and data to expand the HORTICOPIA database, modify existing plant data, and add digital pictures to HORTICOPIA plants, enabling customized databases for local needs.
• Networking Module Add-on module providing LAN-based network access for multiple users with one computer as the server, supporting concurrent access by 1 full user and 4 read-only users, with an option to add additional read-only users.
• Garden Studio Module Add-on module that enables design and printing of custom plant signs, tags, pot stickers, strip labels, and data sheets with customizable templates using the user's own graphics, logos, clip art, and barcodes, for use with HORTICOPIA Professional.
• HORTICOPIA Professional V5.4 Installation Media Flash drive containing the full installation media for HORTICOPIA Professional V5.4, including all picture libraries, data, and software, bundled with a printed User Guide, for customers who prefer physical installation media over download.
• Stock Photography Dollars Credit-based system for purchasing individual plant photography image licenses from Horticopia's curated plant image library, used by customers who need specific images outside the bundled software packages.
• Installation and Remote Support Services Paid professional services including standalone software installation support, networked installation support, optional data transfer from prior versions, and remote support/training billed per half hour, sold alongside HORTICOPIA Professional products.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dr. Allan M. ArmitagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenowned horticulturist and author contributing the Armitage Herbaceous Selections portfolio. Dr. Armitage is an award-winning writer and horticulturist whose photographs and expertise are featured in the HORTICOPIA product line.
• Dr. Edward F. GilmancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorticulturist contributing photography for the Woody Plus Library. Recognized expert in woody plant horticulture.
• Dr. Robert E. LyonscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorticulturist contributing photography for the Herbaceous Plus Library.
• Keith FolsomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresident of Springdale Water Gardens, specializing in water gardening. His photography forms the basis for the HORTICOPIA Library of Aquatics and Marginal Plants.
• Springdale Water GardensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKeith Folsom's nursery business specializing in water gardening. Connected through Keith Folsom's content contributions to the aquatics library.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• LMN (Landscape Management Network): LMN provides estimating, job costing, and business management software for landscape contractors. While not focused on plant reference, it serves the same landscape professional customer base with broader operational software.
• Arborgold: Arborgold offers business management software for tree care, lawn care, and landscape companies, including plant and inventory features. It serves an overlapping green industry customer base with broader operational scope beyond plant reference.

Direct peers

• PRO Landscape: PRO Landscape offers landscape design software with plant databases, photo imaging, and presentation tools for landscape professionals. It competes for the same landscape architect and contractor segment with comparable plant reference and proposal-creation features.
• DynaSCAPE: DynaSCAPE provides landscape design software for landscape professionals, including plant database and design tools. It serves an overlapping customer base of landscape designers, architects, and contractors with similar professional plant reference workflows.
• Land F/X: Land F/X provides AutoCAD-integrated landscape design software with extensive plant databases for landscape architects. It targets the same professional landscape architecture workflow with deeper CAD integration but a similar plant reference value proposition.

Emerging players

• PictureThis: PictureThis is an AI-powered plant identification app with a curated plant database and care guidance. It overlaps with Horticopia's plant reference functionality for hobbyist and consumer segments, though without professional design and signage tools.
• PlantNet: PlantNet is a free mobile plant identification app with a global plant image database and AI recognition. It overlaps with Horticopia's plant reference use case for identification but targets consumers rather than professional workflows.
• iNaturalist: iNaturalist is a free citizen science platform with AI-assisted plant and animal identification backed by community-verified observations. It provides comparable plant reference content to Horticopia at zero cost, though with less curated professional structure.
• PlantSnap: PlantSnap is a mobile plant identification app with a database of plants, trees, and flowers. It competes in the plant reference space with a modern mobile-first experience, though it lacks Horticopia's professional design and signage capabilities.

Others

• Dave's Garden: Dave's Garden is a long-running gardening community and plant reference database with hundreds of thousands of plant entries. It overlaps with Horticopia's plant information use case as a free reference resource for horticulture enthusiasts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/horticopia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/horticopia-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Horticopia