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Annual
A plant that completes its entire life cycle in one year: germinating, flowering, setting seed, then dying.
Examples: marigolds, sunflowers, nasturtiums.
Biennial
A plant that completes its life cycle over two years: growing leaves in the first year, then flowering, setting seed and dying in the second.
Examples: foxgloves, columbine (Aquilegia).
Bolting
When a plant grows rapidly to flower and produce seed, usually prematurely. Once bolted, leafy crops are often bitter or unusable.
Common in: lettuce, spinach.
Crop rotation
Changing / rotating what type of crops are grown in an area of soil each year to reduce pests, diseases and nutrient depletion.
Crops are often grouped by what part is harvested (roots, leaves, fruits/seeds). Rotating these groups helps maintain healthy soil and reliable yields.Earthing up
Covering the stems or bases of plants with soil or compost. Most commonly used for potatoes to prevent tubers turning green and toxic when exposed to light.
Leeks and celery are also earthed up to produce longer, paler stems.
Established
A plant is considered established once it has rooted well and is producing new growth without extra care.
This stage usually takes several months for perennials, and longer for trees. The period before establishment is when plants need the most watering.
A garden can also be described as established when plants are mature and there is little bare soil.
Green manure
Plants grown specifically to improve soil health. They are often sown on bare ground, especially over winter, then dug in or left to decompose.
Green manures add organic matter, improve soil structure and may increase fertility.
Examples: broad (fava) beans, grazing rye, winter tares, clover.
Hardening off
Gradually acclimatising plants grown indoors or under cover to outdoor conditions.
This is done by exposing plants to outside conditions for increasing periods once the risk of frost has passed (often from May onwards).
Hardy plants
Plants that can survive winter outdoors without protection.
Horticultural fleece
A lightweight material that can be used to cover and warm the soil, or to protect crops against frost/cold or as a barrier against pests. It is usually available from garden centres.
Horticultural membrane
A permeable fabric laid over soil to suppress weeds while allowing water through.
Plants can be grown through slits in the membrane, often covered with mulch to improve appearance.
Intercropping
Growing fast-growing crops alongside slower-growing ones to maximise space and harvests.
Examples: lettuce with broad beans, radishes with parsnips.
Liquid feed
A concentrated plant feed diluted with water and applied to soil or compost.
Liquid feeds provide nutrients during periods of active growth, flowering or fruiting. Types include organic feeds and specialist tomato feeds.
Mulch
Material spread on the soil surface to suppress weeds and retain moisture.
Common organic mulches include compost, bark and cocoa shells. A layer of at least 5 cm is recommended, ideally applied in spring when the soil is moist.No-dig gardening
A gardening method that avoids digging to protect soil structure and soil life. It can also reduce the physical effort digging requires.
A thick layer of compost (often with straw) is added to the soil surface, and plants are grown directly into it. Worms and microorganisms naturally incorporate the organic matter.
Node
A point on a plant stem where leaves, buds or branches form. Nodes often appear as small bumps or joints.
Identifying nodes is important when taking cuttings for propagation.
Offset
A small, genetically identical plant produced by the parent, sometimes called a “pup.”
Offsets are common in succulents and can be removed and grown into new plants.
Organic growing
Gardening without using chemical fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides and other treatments. Crops are kept healthy by using good practice such as crop rotation, composting, and companion planting. You can also buy organically produced seeds.
Perlite
A heat-expanded mineral added to compost to improve drainage and aeration.
Vermiculite is similar but holds more moisture.
Perennials
Plants that live for more than two years.
Plug Plants
Small plants that have germinated and are ready to plant in the garden. You can usually buy these from garden centres. They are a cost effective way to add plants to your garden, alongside growing from seed yourself.
Potting on
Transferring a plant into a larger pot to allow continued growth.
Fast-growing plants, such as tomatoes, may need to be potted on several times.
Pricking out
Separating seedlings and transplanting them into individual pots to give them space to grow.
Usually done after sowing fine seeds, like lettuce or tomatoes, in trays.
Propagation
A way of growing new plants from existing ones. This could be by sowing seeds, or by vegetative propagation i.e. by taking cuttings or dividing plants.
Seed leaves
The first leaves produced by a seedling (also called cotyledons). They are usually simple in shape.
The next leaves to appear are the ‘true leaves’, which resemble the mature plant.
Successive sowing
Sowing small amounts of seed at regular intervals to spread harvests and avoid gluts.
Commonly used for fast-growing crops such as lettuce, radish, spinach and turnips.
Tender plants
Plants that cannot tolerate frost and must be protected or grown indoors during cold weather.
Examples: cannas, dahlias.
Thinning out
Removing excess seedlings so the remaining plants have enough space to grow properly.
Common with small-seeded crops such as carrots and radishes.
Is there any gardening word of term you would like to know about that is not on this page? Send us an email, we will be happy to help.
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