Confused about botanical terminology or wondering what a particular term means? We've put together a plant dictionary to help you get to grips with the language of plants.
If there are any terms you think that we're missing, leave a comment!
Annual
A plant that completes its entire life cycle in a single year
Biennial
A plant that completes its entire life cycle in two years
Biological pest control
A method of controlling plant pests and diseases using other living organisms e.g. using ladybirds to eat aphids
Bulb
A rounded underground storage organ from which a plant grows in spring. Daffodils and tulips both grow from bulbs
Cloche
A small see-through cover to protect outdoor plants from frost
Cold frame
A frame with a glass or plastic top, used to extend the growing season for a few weeks by protecting small plants from cold weather
Companion planting
Planting different species close together because they help each other grow better or protect each other from pests
Corm
With the same purpose as a bulb, corms look the same but flatter. Crocuses and gladioli grow from corms
Cover crop
Generally planted in the off-season after the main crop has been harvested, cover crops are used to improve soil quality and fertility or to manage erosion, pests, disease or weeds
Cross-pollination
Pollination of one plant with the pollen from a different plant
Cultivar
A plant variety produced by horticulturalists through selective breeding that doesn't exist in the wild and typically does not grow true to type from seed
Deadheading
Removing dead flowers from a plant to promote branching and reblooming
Deciduous
A tree or shrub that sheds its leaves every year
Epiphyte
A non-parasitic plant that grows on another plant. Typically found in rainforests and other humid environments where epiphytes can obtain sufficient moisture through aerial roots
Ericaceous
Preferring acidic soil
Evergreen
Trees or shrubs that keep green leaves throughout the year
Germination
The development of a plant from a seed
Girdling
The complete removal of a strip of bark around the trunk or branch of a woody plant, killing the parts above the ring. Also known as ring-barking
Grafting
Vegetatively joining two different plants together by combining an established rootstock with a young shoot or bud. Grafting is commonly used for producing fruit trees with desirable qualities that do not grow true to type from seed
Half hardy
Able to survive most winters in relatively mild parts of the UK, but at risk from harsh winters and early frosts
Harden off
Introduce plants to direct sun, cold nights and dryer air by moving them outside for short periods of time
Hardy
Able to survive UK winters in all but the most exposed/northerly/upland locations
Herbaceous
Vascular plants that don't have woody stems above the ground
Inflorescence
A group of flowers arranged on a stem (called a "peduncle") that may or may not be branched
Invasive
A non-native species that usually spreads quickly and easily with negative impacts
Living fossil
A species that is extremely similar to organisms only found in the fossil record
Mulch
Spreading material (bark, compost or organic matter) around a plant to insulate and/or improve the soil
Organic matter
Any substance that has come from a recently living organism
Perennial
A plant that completes its life cycle over a period of more than two years
Pinnate
Having leaves with a feather-like formation, with leaflets arranged symmetrically on both sides of a common stalk
Pollination
The transfer of pollen from the male part of a plant to the female plant of a plant to enable fertilisation
Propagation
Producing a new plant from a parent plant by any of a wide variety of techniques (stem cuttings, root cuttings, bulbs etc)
Prostrate
A woody plant with most of its branches lying on or close to the ground (not held erect as in trees)
Rootstock
A living plant onto which another plant can be grafted
Rhizome
A swollen stem that grows horizontally just beneath the surface, intermittently sending up leaves and flowers
Scion
A young shoot or budding twig, commonly used for grafting onto rootstock
Seedling
A young plant grown from a seed
Shrub
A perennial plant that's smaller than a tree but has at least one persistent woody stem above the ground
Tender
Able to tolerate low temperatures, but will be damaged by frost. Should be kept indoors or in a greenhouse over winter if temperatures drop below 5C
Tuber
An enlarged stem or rhizome used as a nutritional storage organ, from which new plants grow in spring. Potatoes are the classic example
Variety
A naturally occurring variant within a species that usually grows true to type from seed cf. cultivar
