Tree & Shrub Farming in European Union 2026: Industry Statistics & Trends

The Tree and Shrub Farming industry in the European Union comprises commercial nurseries specializing in the open-air cultivation of young woody plants, ornamental trees, and fruit bushes for subsequent transplantation. According to the European Nursery Association (ENA), members oversee production across more than 100,000 hectares, serving as a pillar for European forestry, landscaping, and fruit production sectors. European Union agricultural market data establishes that the EU remains a net exporter of pot plants, conifers, and hardy perennial plants, retaining one of the world's highest production densities per hectare. The industry is currently moving toward enhanced automated cultivati

Industry snapshot

Key public data points

Get in touch and our analysts will be happy to help with custom market sizing, deeper segmentation, supplier detail or a bespoke study built for you.

What does the Tree & Shrub Farming in European Union industry cover?

The sector encompasses land dedicated to growing young, ligneous (woody) plants in the open air for eventual transplantation into final landscapes or agricultural holdings. This includes standard ornamental trees, deciduous and evergreen bushes, fruit tree and berry nurseries, and commercial forest tree seedlings. It excludes non-commercial operations housed entirely within woodland areas or production taking place strictly under permanent glass structures.

• •Covers young plants intended for gardens, parks, roadsides, and embankments.
• •Includes specialized root-stock and vine nurseries according to Eurostat structural definitions.
• •Categorized under general agricultural monitoring for live plants and floriculture products by the European Commission.

Who operates in the industry and how is it structured?

The European tree and shrub nursery landscape is highly decentralized, comprised of thousands of family-owned holdings alongside specialized agricultural cooperatives. Production is heavily concentrated in a few key Member States that leverage favorable climatic conditions and logistics networks. The European Nursery Association (ENA) represents over 20,000 nurseries across the region, which together generate approximately 80% of the total wholesale ornamental plant turnover.

• •The Netherlands dominates the broader live plant and nursery export trade across the European Union.
• •Member operations employ over 100,000 workers across regional territories.
• •Major producing nations include Italy, Germany, France, and Spain, with eastern nations like Romania exhibiting rapid baseline growth.

What drives demand in the industry?

Demand is heavily dictated by institutional landscaping projects, urban greening initiatives financed by EU municipal budgets, and commercial orchard replacements. Retail consumer gardening trends and infrastructure restoration projects across highways and public spaces also maintain baseline market volumes. Additionally, agricultural demand for fruit-bearing trees and climate-resilient forestry seedlings fuels long-term contract farming.

• •EU fruit production structures require steady nursery supplies, such as maintaining the 0.9 million hectares of almond orchards and 0.5 million hectares of apple orchards recorded by Eurostat in 2022.
• •Urban green space expansion under European climate adaptation mandates acts as a steady driver for municipal tree purchasing.
• •Commercial forestry revitalization demands large volumes of bare-root and container-grown forest tree seedlings.

Who are the notable companies in the industry?

The marketplace features massive agricultural cooperatives, localized growers, and international plant propagation groups that manage supply chains from tissue culture to mature tree distribution. Operators compete primarily on plant health certification, climate hardiness, and volume capacity for commercial contracts. Well-established European entities command the trade pipelines supplying garden centers and wholesale landscape buyers.

• •Hoogeveen Plants BV operates as a major European supplier specializing in climbing plants and shrubs.
• •Plantenkwekerij G. de Jong BV is a verified commercial producer managing extensive shrub and structural plant inventory.
• •Boomkwekerij Ebben B.V. functions as a prominent multi-generational nursery producing large-scale avenue trees and multi-stem shrubs.
• •Fleuren Tree Nursery (Boomkwekerij Fleuren) is a highly specialized European market operator supplying innovative fruit tree varieties.

What are the recent trends and outlook?

The industry is adapting to extreme weather volatility by transitioning bare-root crops into advanced container-grown operations that permit year-round transplanting. Automation in potting, pruning, and automated field lifting is accelerating to combat ongoing agricultural labor deficits across Western Europe. Furthermore, there is an escalating focus on breeding heat-tolerant and drought-resistant native tree varieties to match evolving public landscaping requirements.

• •Increasing shifts toward container-grown specimens to buffer against erratic seasonal rainfall and unpredictable winters.
• •Investments are rising in automated root-ball packaging and smart irrigation grids to mitigate operational resource costs.
• •Sustained emphasis on indigenous species selection to satisfy regional biodiversity goals.

How is the industry regulated?

Nursery operations must operate under strict EU biosecurity protocols designed to curb the transmission of quarantine pests across borders. Material movements require strict adherence to standard crop-based inspection frameworks and plant passport directives managed by local ministries. The sector is heavily integrated into the broader agricultural market frameworks dictated by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

• •Governed strictly by Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 on protective measures against plant pests, which establishes standard rules for plant passports.
• •Subject to Regulation (EU) 1308/2013 establishing a common organization of the markets in agricultural products.
• •Monitored under updated survey guidelines organized by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to identify high-risk quarantine vectors.

Government, statistical and trade sources used for this Claight analysis.

• Eurostat Glossary of Agricultural Statistics 2023 ·
• European Commission Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development 2019 ·
• European Nursery Association Market Metrics 2023 ·
• European Food Safety Authority Pest Survey Publications 2024 ·
• Eurostat Fruit and Vegetable Sector Statistical Overview 2022