Accent plants. Take centre stage and help give the arrangement height, baskets, tubs, etc; Acid Soil. A soil which contains little or no lime and has a pH of less than 6.5. Sometimes referred to as "sour" soil. Aphid. A small winged insect that hatches out in clusters on tender plants and kills the plant by sucking out all the sap from the plant stem. Alkaline Soil. Soil that has a pH level of about 7.0 or more. Sometimes referred to as "sweet" soil Alpines. Plants, usually but not always, originating from mountain areas. See Rock Garden. Annual. A plant that completes its life cycle in one year, flowering and leaving seed for the next year. Aqatic plant. A plant which grows on the edge of, or completely in water. Bedding Plants. Traditionally, plants suitable for planting out in groups in large flower beds for their colorful summer flowers. Usually annuals, but now a term used to describe any spring planted plants. Biennial. A plant that takes two years to complete its life cycle, usually flowering and seeding in the second year. Bog Plants. See marginal plants. Bolting. Vegetable crops going to seed instead of producing a crop, often caused by rapid temperature changes. Cauliflowers are very prone to this condition. Bone Meal. Ground animal bones, adds nitrogen to the soil plus other trace elements. Also blood and bone meal, blood meal, and hoof and horn meal. In limited supply in some areas now due to hygiene and disease regulations. Bracts. Leaves that develop just below the flowers on some plants, sometimes the bracts are brighter than the flowers, poinsettia for example. Broadcast. Scattering seed or fertiliser by hand over an area in the garden, rather than in uniform rows. Bud Union. The joint where a plant has been grafted on to a rootstock. Bulb. A modified stem acting as food storage for the plant for the following years growth. Daffodils are a prime example. Cambium Layer. The green growth layer found just under the bark. Cane fruit. Types of fruits that grow on canes, raspberries for example. Cascading plants. Posh name for trailing plants, suitable for hanging baskets, tubs, etc. Clay soil. Very heavy soil, difficult to work but rewarding when you get it right. Compost. Decomposed garden waste, grass clippings, household vegetable food waste and such organic matter. Added to the soil as a valuable food source. Also general word for the planting and sowing medium sold at garden outlets. Conifer. Mostly evergreen plant that bears cones as seed cases and has needle-like foliage. Crown. Base of a perennial where the stem and roots meet. Cultivar. Plant that has been specially bred for certain desirable features. Cultivate. Turning over and loosening the soil and removing weeds. General term referring too the growing of chosen crops. Damping off. Rotting off of young seedlings at ground level following fungal attack from soil borne diseases. Often the result of using unsterilised soil, soil borne diseases and over watering. Deciduous. Plants that lose their leaves for winter. Dead heading. Removing dead flower heads to prevent the plants energy being used to produce seeds instead of more flowers. Decking. Low timber platforms usually extending from the house into the garden to give a feeling of extending the room space. Division. Method of propagating plants by separating a large plant into two or more parts and then replanting. Dormancy. When a plant stops growing and the leaves have fallen or the top growth has died down. Usually winter, but not all plants conform. Dwarf. A plant that is smaller than the original genus. Often bred on nurseries for compact plantings. Dwarf versions are also naturally occuring. Dwarf Conifer. Very popular range of small conifers which are ideal for the smaller garden, or rock garden. Espalier. A line of fruit trees trained to a framework of stakes and wire forming a hedge line. Evergreens. Plants that maintain leaf cover all twelve months of the year. F1 Hybrid. A selected cross between two desirable parent plants, the resultant seedling giving superior performance. Seeds from F1 plants usually revert to one or other parent. Floribunda. Flowers in clusters, Eg. Floribuna rose varieties. Floriculture. Cultivation of flowers. Foliar Feeding. Feeding the plant with special liquid fertilizers, which are absorbed by the leaves. Garden. Area of land used to grow flowers fruit or vegetables. Also recreational area laid out in lawns, pools, rockeries etc. Garden. USA: The part of the yard used to grow vegetables Garden Centres. The gardeners supermarket. Gardening. To cultivate a piece of land as a garden, to work in a garden, to practice horticulture. Germination. The process whereby seeds begin to sprout in favourable conditions. Girdling. A wire or rope too tightly around the stem or trunk of a plant; it cuts into the plants outer layer, restricts growth, and can kill the plant. Green fingers. That undefinable ability possessed by the seasoned gardener. Greenfly. Small aphid like insect which sucks out the moisture from plants. Serious pest. Ground Cover. A plant that is used to cover an area, to help suppress weed growth, etc. Hardening off. The process whereby tender plants from a glasshouse, etc, are slowly introduced to outdoor conditions. Being returned to a protected area at night. Hedge. Fence line composed of growing plants. Originally a stock proof barrier in agriculture. Hedging Plants. Recommended plants for the above. Herbicide. A chemical, weed or grass killer, usually but not always in spray form. Herbaceous. A plant that usually dies down for winter, new growth coming from below ground. Herbaceous Border. Old style of planting where various varieties of herbaceous plants were grouped enmass. Herbs. A class of plants used for seasoning, medicinal purposes, or garnishes. House Plants. Plants, often trees in the wild, that have been developed and bred to tolerate life inside a house, office, or similar. Hybrid. A plant variety that has been developed by crossing two or more varieties. Hybrid Tea Rose. Varieties of rose featuring a single flower per stem. See floribunda. Invasive. A plant that spreads too rapidly and can become a nuisance. Irrigation. Artificial watering of plants in addition too rain water. John Innes Compost: A loam based compost, as opposed to a peat based mixture. Knot Garden. Small, rectangular garden, laid out in dwarf plants such as box or lavender, often in patterns. Landscape Gardening. Bringing order and form to a garden landscape. Now a term to describe any garden renovation work undertaken by an outside contractor. Lawn. An area of grass tended on a regular basis to give an attractive appearance in a yard, garden, or park. Lawn Mower. Machine employed to do the above. Lawn Mower. Also known as the man of the house. Lawn Sod. See Turf. Leaching. Where the food value in the soil, is carried away by rain- water and lost too the plant. Leggy Growth. Long distorted often-weak growth that is out of proportion to the rest of the plant. Loam. Good quality soil of various consistencies according to area. Marginal plants. Plants which grow in the shallow and semi-wet area around a pool or lake of water. Medium. Technical term for soil or soil-less composts when used for sowing seeds, planting flowers, vegetables, and other plants. Mildew. Type of mould, usually grey, which appears in damp or humid conditions. Can be deadly to plants, sprays are available. Mulch. Layer of organic material spread around chosen plants to suppress weed growth and retain moisture. Naturalized. Plant not originally native to an area, that has spread throughout by seed or other means. Nitrogen. Promotes leaf production in the plant. (N) on your fertiliser bag. Node. The point on the stem of a plant where new leaf growth begins. Organic. Usually refering to garden fertiliser made from decomposed plant or animal material. Now also a term for agriculture or horticulture practices where no artificial fertilisers are used. Peat. Decomposed sphagnum moss and other plant material, used for potting compost, etc. Perennial. A plant that grows and flowers for many years. Some die down to the ground for winter, some do not. Perlite. Small granules of expanded volcanic mineral mixed with seed compost to improve air supply to plant roots. Usually white in color. Pesticide: A chemical used to kill garden pests. Aphids, greenfly, etc. Pinching. Pinching out the tip growth of plants to encourage a bushier growth habit. Potash. Contains vital minerals needed for plant growth. (K) on your fertiliser bag. Phosphates. Plant food that promotes root development and growth and flowering. (P) on your fertiliser bag. Pricking Out. Transfering seedlings from the original sowing tray to single pots or other seed trays with more space for development. Processed Manure. Dried and bagged animal manure usually sterilised. Prostrate. Plants that grow accross the surface of the soil. Raised Beds. Planting method that involves raising the soil level above ground level within retaining walls. Soil warms up more quickly allowing earlier planting. Rank Foliage. Wild overgrowth of leaves often due too over enthusiastic feeding. Rhizome. A thickened underground stem, usually horizontal, where food energy is stored, for next year's growth. Rock Garden. Usually a dry and well drained area in the garden, incorporating rocks and pebbles, that is used to grow plants that prefer alpine type conditions. Root Cutting. A cutting taken from a piece of root to produce a new plant. Rose. One of the most popular of flowers. Rose. A nozzle with fine holes on the spout of a watering can. Sandy Loam. A light soil with good drainage but dries out very quickly. Spagnum moss. The living moss on top of the peat bog, used for hanging basket lining. Spent Flowers. Flowers past their sell by date. Subsoil. The less fertile soil below the topsoil. Systemic. Pesticide, herbicide or fungicide in a chemical form, that is absorbed into the plant. Thatch. A layer of dead grass that builds up between soil level and mower level thus preventing water and fertiliser reaching the roots. Best raked out. Ties. Short lengths of wire usually coated in plastic, used to secure plants too canes etc; TMV Tobaco mosaic virus. Deadly pest of tomato crops, often carried over winter in the soil. Topsoil. The fertile layer of soil above the sub strata. This term may also apply to good quality soil sold at garden centers, etc. Turf. Term to describe a grass surface and the roots below. Marketed as Turf or Lawn Sod when sold in rolled strips to make an instant lawn. Home Turf. The area where you reside. Vegetative Thinning. Removing seedlings that are planted too closely together in order too give the required growing space, to those remaining. Vegetables. Collective name for plants grown in the garden principally for human consumption. Variegated. Green leaves with white, yellow, or pink patches, or a combination of colors. Weeds. Technical term; a plant out of place; uninvited plants among your chosen plants, which rob the soil of nutriment and choke more tender specimens. Winter Hardy. A plant that is able to withstand winter conditions without protection. In the US plants are marketed with their level of frost resistance indicated according to zone. Winter Pansies. Special variety of pansies that flower in short length daylight. Yard. Area of land around a home used to grow flowers, fruit, vegetables, decorative plantings and lawn areas. Zonal Pelargonium. The correct name for the plant we gardeners know as the geranium.

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