Gardening Jargon Buster
Simplifying gardening terms
We believe gardening is for everyone. You shouldn’t need to know everything to be able to enjoy planting and growing. We’ve found that even with the best intentions, advice can sometimes be full of gardening jargon that leave you feeling more confused.
This might look like a long list of gardening terms, but don’t feel like you have to learn them all. Just save this page and come back to it if you come across something you’re not sure of.
A – Aerate
Aerate
To aerate is to loosen the soil with a garden fork, this is usually done to lawns to allow oxygen, water and nutrients to reach the roots.
Annual
A plant that completes its life cycle in one year. Annuals do not come back year-after-year after they have flowered or finished their growing period.
B – Bare root
Bare root
You might see that some plants like trees, shrubs and roses are sold as bare root. That means that they are lifted out of the ground when they are not in their growing period and can be stored or sold without soil on the roots.
Biennial
Biennial plants will come back a second year. During that second year they will seed and eventually die off.
C – Chitting
Chitting
Putting your seed potatoes in a light, dry spot to encourage sprouts to form before planting the seed potatoes in the ground.
Cloche
Just another word for a cover to protect your plants from pests and/or cold weather.
Cold frame
An outdoor unheated mini greenhouse used to get young plants used to the outdoors after either being grown in a greenhouse or indoors.
Companion planting
Some plants work well together because one may deter pests that other plants attract or encourage pollinators which help other plants, or one is low growing whereas the other is tall to save space.
Cuttings
Cutting part of an established plant, allowing its roots to grow to create another separate plant.
D – Deadhead
Deadhead
Deadheading is to remove the fading flowers from the plant to encourage more flowers to grow.
Deciduous
A tree or shrub that loses its leaves once a year.
Determinate/indeterminate
Determinate tomatoes grow in a bush shape and work well in hanging baskets whereas indeterminate tomatoes grow from one main stem and can reach as tall as 8-10 ft.
Dormant
When the plant is not actively growing, usually in winter. Sort of like a plant on pause.
E – Earlies
Earlies
Usually used to describe type of potatoes that is the first ready to harvest after it is planted. The main types of potatoes are first earlies, second earlies and maincrop.
Ericaceous compost
Acidic compost. Some plants prefer acidic growing conditions like summer-flowering heathers, rhododendrons and camellias.
Evergreen
Evergreen plants are the opposite to deciduous plants in that they do not lose their leaves yearly. It’s as simple as it sounds.
G – Germinate
Germinate
To sprout from seed.
H – Harden off
Harden off
Getting a young plant that has been grown indoors or in a heated greenhouse acclimatised to the colder outdoors. Youn might do this in a cold frame.
Hardy
A term used to describe plants that can survive winter frosts without protection.
Herbaceous
Plants that have no ‘woody’ growth – stems would always be soft and flexible and die back in autumn.
Herbicide
A chemical used to kill weeds.
Horticultural fleece
A fleece covering used to protect plants from the cold weather.
M – Maincrop
Maincrop
The crops that are ready to harvest in the middle of the season, see first earlies and second earlies.
Mulch
A thick layer which can prevent weeds and conserve moisture in soil. Compost, manure, leaf mould, or bark chippings can be used.
O – Organic matter
Organic matter
Usually made of decomposed plants or animal parts, like leaves falling to the grown and breaking down into smaller pieces.
Ornamental
Plants grown for their looks over function.
P – Peat
Peat
Peat is an organic matter that when used in compost can help improve water retention. However, the harvesting of peat is damaging to the environment and the ecosystems that peat naturally supports which is why we now only sell peat-free compost.
Perlite
A small granular material that absorbs water and is used to improve drainage in compost.
Pesticide
Usually a chemical that kills insects.
pH scale
Levels of acidity, usually in soil. Most plants thrive in PH levels of around 6.5/ 7.0. You can use a pH soil test to check your garden levels.
Pinching out
Removing side shoots from the main stem of a plant using your forefinger and thumb.
Plug plants
Young rooted seedlings. Garden-ready plugs can be planted straight out in the garden if it’s warm enough. Small plugs will need additional care before potting on.
Potting on
Planting young plants into larger pots for mature growth.
Propagation
Growing plants either from cuttings, dividing or from seed.
Propagator
A tray used to germinate seeds, usually with a clear lid.
Prune
Removing parts of the plant that are past their best.
R – Root rot
Root rot
When a plant has been regularly overwatered and its roots have been sitting in water for a long period of time, this can lead to roots a fungal disease or bacterial infection which causes its roots to rot.
Rootbound
When a plant has outgrown its pot. Its root may become tangled and not allow for further growth.
S – Self-seeding
Self-seeding
Self-seeding plants drop their seeds to grow a new plant at the end of their growing season.
Succession planting
Spacing out the time when you sow your crops to get a continuous harvest.
T – Tender
Tender
A plant that is sensitive to frost and cold temperatures and will need protecting during winter.
Top dressing
Adding matter to the top of your plant to add nutrients or improve soil, retain moisture, or deter pests. You can top dress with stones, gravel, bark, compost, manure, or artificial fertiliser.
Topiary
Ornamental shrubs and bushes. See ‘ornamental’. Often trimmed into decorative shapes.
Tuber
Similar to bulbs, tubers store a plant’s nutrients for it to sprout from. Bulbs look similar to onions whereas tubers are closer to potatoes.
W – Wind-rock
Wind-rock
When tall plants are damaged by wind. Plants can be protected from wind by tying to a trellis or cane.
