Like the Pistilverse, the Gardenverse is an alternate universe that takes inspiration from flowers, but they should not be confused with one another.
The Gardenverse is an alternate universe style trope that has been trending in Asian fanfic spaces, especially Japanese fanfic spaces, and is similar to the Omegaverse, where a certain group of humans have special constitutions that separate them from regular humans.
These people with their special constitutions are called Florists (or Hanaumi) and Flower-eaters (Hanahami). Collectively they can also be known as a floral Arch or having a floral constitution.
FLORISTS:
Florists are people who can produce, or “grow" flowers, and the way a Florist produces their flowers differs from person to person, blowers can bloom on the ends of a Florist's hair, sprout from their skin or their tears can turn into flowers.
Florists are unable to control when or how their flowers bloom and, for some Florists, flowering (the act of producing flowers) can even be a painful experience, especially when not pruned frequently.
Flower production can also consume a lot of their energy leaving them weak and exhausted, which is why a lot of Florists tend to have a weak and "sickly” constitution compared to Flower-eaters and regular humans.
While most Florists prefer the nutrients (bodily fluids) from Flower-eaters, they can still eat normal food, they just have to be careful about what they eat. And because they're basically plants in human form, Florists also love basking in the sun to replenish their nutrients (they're photosynthesising).
Along with being the best nutrients for a Florist, the fluids of a Flower-eater can also ease the pain a Florist can feel when producing flowers — this is especially so for Boutonniere Florists who have bonded Flower-eater and who are properly cared for.
However, while the fluids of a Flower-eater is essential for Florists, they can still live a normal(-ish) life. Florists would just need to take supplements, because without sufficient nutrients from a Flower-eater or their supplements, a Florist may experience a significant decline in their physical, emotional and mental health, and they might even end up in a vegetative state.
(The act of a Flower-eater “offering" bodily fluids to a Florist is called “Watering" or “Tapping", and usually during this process the Florist takes a more submissive role while the Flower-eater takes a more dominant and caretaker role.)
FLOWER EATERS:
Flower-eaters, as the name suggests,
eat the flowers the Florists’ produces. Unlike the Florists who have weak constitutions, Flower-eaters basically excel at life and are outgoing and adventurous. They're smart and highly skilled in whatever they put their mind to, but the downside to their outgoingness is that Flower-eaters tend to be mentally and emotionally unstable.
Like Florists, Flower-eaters can still eat normal food, but normal food doesn't compare to the flowers a Florist can bloom, which can not only provide them with the best nutrients, but can also calm their emotional and mental state and even help strengthen or enhance their abilities.
While Flower-eaters prefer to eat the flowers a Florists produce, it's not uncommon, especially in the case of bonded Flower-eaters, to use the flowers produced by their partner for non-food related purposes, like accessories they wear to show off their bonded status or some other kind of ornament or decorations they keep near them.
(While Flower-eaters are typically the more dominant ones in the relationship, there are some dynamics where “Harvesting” takes place. Harvesting is the act of a Florist “offering" their flowers to a Flower-eater, and during this process the Flower-eater will take a more submissive role and the Florist will take a more dominant and caretaker role).
PRUNING/WEEDING:
By definition, pruning (or weeding) is the act of removing shoots and roots. It also stems from the concept of "sharing a nest” within the Omegaverse.
In the Gardenverse, pruning/weeding serves the same purpose for a Florist as it does a regular plant; to provide strength and vigor, control shoot and branch growth so they don't end up scarring the Florist and to prevent pain from overgrowth or uneven branches.
Pruning/Weeding can be a self-care ritual for a Florist, but they can also share this process with other Florists, especially those they're close to. Florists pruning/weeding each other can be considered an intimate gesture that allows socialising between Florists (similar to grooming).
A Florist inviting another person to partake in the pruning/weeding ritual expresses the trust, security and intimacy felt by the Florist, since it can be pretty sensitive and leave the Florist in a vulnerable position. When a Florist forms a Boutonniere they typically invite their bonded Flower-eater to help them with their pruning/weeding.
Although pruning/weeding can be a form of socialising and bonding between a Florist and their loved ones, there are Florists that prefer to prune/weed in solitude.
BOUTONNIERE:
Boutonniere is the name of the bond between a Florist and Flower-eater and is similar to a romantic relationship or marriage (or mating bond found in the Omegaverse). A Flower-eater typically proposes a Boutonniere to a Florist and, if the Florist accepts the proposal, the Florist willingly produces a Vine rose.
The Boutonniere is made official when the Flower-eater removes the rose and is pricked by the thorns on the rose. The action denotes great affection for the Florist, showing a willingness to be hurt in order to obtain the love of their special someone.
BOUQUET TOSS/FLOWER TOSS:
A Boutonniere is successfully established between a Florist and Flower-eater, the Florist can release a strong and sweet floral scent when they're extremely happy. And this aroma can bring about a sense of slight euphoria to whoever smells it, whether a Flower-eater or regular person.
This state is called “happiness sharing", but the effect usually doesn't last long and can wear off after a couple of hours.
However, depending on a Florist's constitution, there are some who can be in this state whenever they're really happy or excited about something.
BUTONIA:
Butonia is the title a Flower-eater refers to their bonded Florist as once the Boutonniere is established. This is especially so during intimate moments, and when a Flower-eater wants to brag about their partnership or warns other Flower-eaters away from their Florist.
BOUQUET:
When a Flower-eater wants to make it even more clear that they have a Florist and show off their affection, they will pin the flower that their Florist produces to their lapel and this action is called Bouquet or “Bouqueting”.
LAPEL:
A Lapel is what a Florist refers to their bonded Flower-eater as once their Boutonniere is established. Like Flower-eaters, Florists will especially refer to their partner as Lapels to brag about their relationship or warn other Florists away from their Flower-eater.
RUIN:
A ruin is a Flower-eater or Florist that once had a Boutonniere, but for some reason lost their partner, either because of a separation or divorce or because their partner died. Ruin is also commonly used to refer to a Flower-eater or Florist that has been widowed.
NURSERY/GREENHOUSE:
A nursery or greenhouse is similar to an Omega's nest, and is commonly made after a Boutonniere is established because a Flower-eater is the one that's supposed to set-up a nursery or greenhouse for their Florist.
A nursery or greenhouse, is the place where a Florist is most comfortable and where they can flower peacefully, but it can also be a prison where a Florist can be confined by a Flower-eater that's extremely possessive and obsessive (remember the part where we said Flower-eaters are emotionally and mentally unstable) over their Florist.
GARDENING STATE:
A gardening state is a depressive state a Florist can fall into when they're not being properly cared for by their Flower-eater, this is especially so in the case of a Boutonniere.
The Florist, feeling the need to be taken care of and loved by their Flower-eater will produce an excessive amount of flowers to hopefully entice their Flower-eater back to them, this in turn will consume a lot of their energy and will cause them to lose their physical strength and become weak.
This condition is an instinctive and natural state that a Florist can fall into when they lack care and affection, but the state can be remedied by the love and affection (and watering or harvesting) from their Flower-eater.
Allowing a Florist to fall into a gardening state, especially within a Boutonniere is considered a shameful act because it means the Flower-eater hasn't been taking care of their Florist like they were supposed to.
While a gardening state can be instinctive to a Florist, some Flower-eaters might purposely withhold care and affection (and watering or harvesting) from their Florist, to make their Florist more dependent on them. This falls into the realm of abuse.
ROOT-BOUND STATE/FLORAL JAM:
The opposite of a gardening state, where a Florist can produce an excessive amount of flowers, a floral jam or a Florist being root-bound means they produce little-to-no flowers, which can also be detrimental to their health.
A Florist needs to produce flowers daily to stay healthy, but when that production is also cut off, they can end up getting sick. Symptoms of a root-bound or floral jam include, but aren't limited to: bloating, dull headaches, abdominal pain, general pain, nausea and so on.
And if the floral-jam or root-bound goes on for a longer period of time without any remedy, it can lead to the Florist ending up in a coma or a vegetative state.
How a Florist can end up being root-bound or in a floral jam depends on the person, but typically a Florist experiencing some kind of stressor or strong emotional blow or shock, especially in relation to their bonded Flower-eater, can cause them to become root-bound or have a floral jam.
How a root-bound or floral jam is treated depends entirely on the Florist and their Flower-eater, but some good old tender, loving care can do wonders (and of course some watering or harvesting too).
HYDRANGEA STATE:
The hydrangea state is the Flower-eater’s version of the Florist's flower toss. In the rare case when a Flower-eater consumes a certain amount of flowers produced by their Florist partner, they can release similar flowers when at their happiest.
The flowers released from the Flower-eater during this time are still from the Florist, but because they're also saturated in the nutrients provided by the Flower-eater the flowers taste delicious to a Florist (when usually most Florists don't prefer to consume their own flowers).
Like a typical Florist, during the hydrangea state, the method of flower production varies from person to person, but it's always similar to how a typical Florist produces flowers. The duration of how long a Flower-eater stays in a hydrangea state also depends on the person, but typically it doesn't last more than an hour.
Because a high level of happiness is a prerequisite for a Flower-eater to end up in a hydrangea state, this phenomenon occurs only in the presence of a Boutonniere who shares a deep and loving relationship with the Flower-eater.
However while the flower toss is called “sharing happiness" and gives off a gentle feeling of euphoria to those around them, the hydrangea state only happens between a Boutonniere and when they're alone, which supports the idea of a Flower-eater that is extremely possessive over their Florist.
VEGETATION STATE:
When a Florist goes without watering/harvesting or care/pruning for a long period of time, their already weakened body under the excessive energy consumption can become sick. And due to this, a Florist can fall unconscious and even go into a coma.
In the extremely rare cases, because of the excessive accumulation of flowers within the Florist’s body, a Florist will even start to gradually turn into a plant. This can be considered death for a Florist.
Despite the severity and implication of a Florist reaching a vegetative state, recovery is not completely impossible, especially if they haven't yet started turning into a plant. How a Florist is able to recover depends entirely on the author's worldbuilding though, but generally tender, loving care helps tremendously.
MISTLETOE:
Mistletoe is the relationship between a Florist and Flower-eater that aren’t in a
Boutonniere (an established romantic relationship).
ALBATROS & NEPTUNE:
Albatros refers to a Flower-eater that has many Florists and Neptune refers to a Florist (even if they're already in an established Boutonniere) that has many Flowers-eaters.
ARRANGEMENT:
When a regular person gets into a romantic relationship with a Floral arch (a Florist or Flower-eater), the regular person might acquire a flower type constitution (they either start turning into a Florist or Flower-eater).
This phenomenon happens when the regular person's body adapts as the nutrients of a Floral arch is consistently and continuously being fed to the regular person over a long period of time. This is also commonly called “transfer of flowers".
Also in the case of two Florists or Flower-eaters falling in love and getting into a romantic relationship, there's the rare chance where one of them can adapt and change to the opposite constitution — a Flower-eater changing to a Florist and vice versa.
This change is also caused by a slow change in a person's physical constitution over a long period of time through the consistent and constant consumption of the nutrients (in the case of a Flower-eater dynamic) or flowers (in the case of a Florist dynamic) of each other.
However, unlike with a regular person that hadn't been born with a flower type constitution changing and adapting, a flower transformation happening between two floral arches is different. This phenomenon can't happen without their partner's strong mutual want and desire, agreement and willingness to alter their flower type constitution.
I want to reiterate again that while both the Pistilverse and the Gardenverse are based on flowers and plants and the Omegaverse, they should not be confused with one another because their worldbuilding is different.
Overall, the Gardenverse is a still very much newer alternate universe style trope so expansion on the universe is still happening as more and more authors and readers stumble upon the trope.