Flora's Gardening Glossary

Here are some definitions of the terms or words from the gardening world that may help clarify things if you’re ever unsure of what they mean.

ANNUALS: 

A plant that lives for one year or one season. Examples: Cosmos or Zinnias. You sow them early Spring and then they will flower in the Summer and then die off late Autumn once the frosts arrive. 

Biennial: 

A plant that usually produces only leaves in the first year and then flowers, sets seed and dies. They typically survive for two growing seasons and then will die off. Examples are Foxgloves and Sweet William. 

COMPOST:

A substance that is created through the break down of living matter like leaves, cardboard and food scraps. You can easily make this as home using your own food waste and garden waste. 

CHELSEA CHOP: 

Clumps of perennials can literally be chopped back by one third to a half. This will delay the flowering until later in the summer and keep plants shorter and more compact to reduce the chance of them flopping. If you have several clumps of one plant, try cutting back a few, but leaving others. This will stagger the flowering of those plants so you can have flowers to enjoy for longer. Best done in late Spring or early Summer. 

CUTTING BACK: 

A process where you cut back or remove dead/old plant material. You do this to get it ready to rest for the next growing season or to encourage new growth. 

CUTTINGS: 

Many types of plants, both woody and herbaceous, are easily propagated by cuttings. A cutting is a vegetative plant part which is cut from the mother plant in order to regenerate itself to form a whole new plant with the same genetics. 

Deciduous: 

A tree or shrub that will lose it’s leaves in particular seasons, usually Autumn and then produces new growth in the Spring. 

Evergreen: 

A plant or shrub that will hold onto it’s leaves year round. 

Frost Tender : 

This is where a plant doesn’t tolerate frosts. It will cause the plant to burn or even shrivel and die. Examples are Cosmos and Zinnia’s. When seedlings are new and young they will be frost tender and that is why you will need to harden them off. 

HARDENING OFF: 

This is a process where you get your plants used to a new environment by easing them in so they don’t go into shock and potentially die. You can gradually introduce them to more light, wind, heat or cold. 

Hardy Annuals: 

These are plants that can tolerate frosts and are often sown in the Autumn and then will flower in Spring and Summer then die off the following Autumn. Examples are, Larkspur, Nigella, Cornflower and Sweet Peas. 

Leaf Mould: 

A product you can easily create in Autumn when there are an abundance of leaves on the ground. It is made when Autumn leaves are left brake down on their own. Pile leaves up in a bag, bin or cage and you'll have the perfect material to use for mulching in a year's time.  

Leggy: 

This is when seedlings have grown too quickly and become long and leggy. This is usually caused when seedlings are searching for light so they grow up tall. This is not ideal but you can sometimes find a solution. For example, if they are Cosmos, Zinnia’s or Tomato’s, you can plant them deep and the stem won’t rot but rather build up roots along it. 

Mulching:

This is a product like bark or straw that can be added to your garden to help protect the roots from heat or cold. In the Summer it will help to keep moisture in your soil. It also helps to keep the weeds down and therefore reduces competition for your plants. 

Node: 

This is a point on a plant stem where buds will form. It is a site of where there can be a lot of cellular activity and growth. This is where small buds develop into leaves, stems or flowers. When taking cuttings or pruning, it is important to locate a plant's nodes to ensure to optimise plant growth based on where you cut. 

Perennials: 

Plants that survive through the winter and grow back each year and survive more than two years. Most perennials won't flower until they are mature or well established, which can take a year or so after they are grown from seed or cuttings. Examples are: Echinacea, Astrantia, Sedum, Shasta Daisy, Verbena Bonariensis, Dahlias, Peony’s, Yarrow etc. 

Pinching Out/Stopping: 

This is done to encourage plants to bush out and create a stronger plant with more flower. You literally pinch out the middle of your fingers to remove the main growing point. Plants it works well on: Dahlias, Cosmos and Zinnias. 

Propagating: 

The process of increasing the number of plants of a particular species or cultivar. There are two main forms of plant propagation: sexual and asexual. Sexual propagation is done via pollination and seed production. Asexual propagation is done via cuttings, division, layering, grafting etc.

Thinning Out: 

This is a process where you remove your excess seedlings from the line of the seeds you have sown. This allows the seedlings to have more space, water, light and nutrients which means they can grow bigger and stronger. For example, if you sow a row of carrots you will often need to thin them out so they don’t all squish each other and grow nice even carrots. 

Transplanting: 

This is a process where you remove seedlings from their small pot and allow them to have more space in a bigger pot. This is a very important step in seed raising. Read my full transplanting guide here.