A linear programming (LP) model is formulated to reflect economic, climatic conditions, and cultural practices followed in the pot flower industry of Quebec. The objective is to determine the optimal crop mix that maximizes net returns and optimizes space usage given production and marketing constraints. Decision variables are composed of nine major pot flower varieties with several pot sizes produced for different marketing periods during the year. Data are collected from producers in the Montreal area in 1990, and is supplemented by interviews with ornamental counsellors and citations of governmental publications. / Results have shown that the use of LP as a design tool can be of benefit to ornamental producers and managers in decision making. Increasing the amount and quality of available information to producers can lead to improved decisions that increase production efficiency and space productivity, and thus lead to a more competitive industry.

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