As one of the important mechanisms of epigenetic regulation， usually occurs in plant cytosine bases， including CG， CHG and CHH. DNA methylation mainly affects chromatin structure and gene transcription level. DNA methylation plays important roles in transcriptional regulation and maintaining the genome stability. Abiotic stresses affect plant growth and reproduction and ultimately lead to plant death. Based on existing research findings， DNA methylation can induce phenotypic alterations in plants under stress.To cope with abiotic stresses， the change mechanism of DNA methylation level during growth is affected by methylase and demethylase. The signal transduction pathways can change the expression of some stress response genes， thus causing changes in plant morphology， physiology and biochemistry to adapt to adversity. Some genes are upregulated （initiate） or downregulated （close down） in expression in order to assure the adaptive growth and development of plant， thus enabling plants to adapt and resist stress damage to a certain extent. This article reviews the DNA methylation modification and its role in transcriptional regulation， research progress in the growth and development of horticultural plants， and the epigenetic regulation of abiotic stress as well as the problems and prospective of horticultural plants. It provides a reference for the genetic improvement of horticultural plants and deciphering the mechanism of stress resistance.