Garden Glossary: 30 Terms Every Gardener Should Know

Garden writing is full of jargon. This glossary covers thirty terms that appear again and again, so you can read a seed packet or pruning guide with confidence.

A–F

• Annual — a plant that completes its life cycle in one year.
• Biennial — grows leaves the first year, flowers and seeds the second.
• Perennial — returns year after year from roots or woody growth.
• Bolt — when a leafy crop sends up a flower stalk, often in heat.
• Bare root — plants sold dormant without soil around the roots.
• Companion planting — growing plants together for mutual benefit.
• Cultivar — a cultivated variety selected for specific traits.
• Damping off — a fungal disease that kills seedlings at soil level.
• Deadheading — removing spent flowers to encourage more blooms.

G–M

• Germination — the moment a seed begins to grow.
• Hardening off — gradually acclimating indoor plants to outdoors.
• Hardiness zone — a climate rating based on average minimum temperature.
• Heirloom — an open-pollinated variety passed down over generations.
• Humus — the dark, stable organic matter in mature compost.
• Loam — a balanced soil of sand, silt and clay.
• Mulch — material spread on the soil surface to protect it.
• Microclimate — a small area with conditions different from its surroundings.

N–Z

• Open-pollinated — seed that produces plants similar to the parent.
• Perlite — a lightweight volcanic mineral used to improve drainage.
• Pinching out — removing a growing tip to encourage branching.
• Pollinator — an animal that moves pollen between flowers.
• Rootbound — roots circling tightly in a pot.
• Scarification — breaking a hard seed coat to aid germination.
• Stratification — exposing seed to cold and moisture to trigger growth.
• Taproot — a single strong main root.
• Thinning — removing excess seedlings so others have room.
• Tilth — the physical condition of soil for planting.
• Xeriscaping — gardening designed to minimise water use.
• Wet feet — roots suffering from waterlogged soil.

Keep this page bookmarked. The more you garden, the more these terms become second nature.