Gardening Definitions (N-P)

Naturalising
Growing plants, particularly bulbs, in simulated natural environments, such as grass or woodland conditions.

Node
A stem joint, which is sometimes slightly swollen, from where young leaves and side-shoots arise.

Offset
A young plant that arises naturally on the parent, as with many sorts of bulbs, or on short lateral stems, as with sempervivum.

Opposite
The arrangement of leaves in alternate opposite pairs, as on ligustrum and syringa.

Organic
Any chemical compound containing carbon. The term is applied to substances derived from the decay of living organisms, such as garden compost. It is also applied to a style of gardening that rejects the use of synthetic chemicals and products.

Pedicle
The stalk of an individual flower - applied particularly to branched flowers.

Peduncle
The stem that supports a flowerhead.

Perennial
Any plant that lives for three or more years; usually applied to a non-woody plant.

Perianth
A term used when sepals and petals are indistinguishable from each other. The combined sepals and petals of a tulip or hyacinth flower are known as the perianth.

Perlite
Lightweight expanded volcanic rock in granular form, used in place of sand or grit top open up or lighten composts used for pottings and cuttings etc.

Petiole
The stalk that attaches a leaf to the stem.

Pinching Out
Removing or pinching out the growing point of a stem, either to promote a branching habit or to induce flower buds.

Plunge
To set a pot or any other plant container up to the rim in the soil, or in a special bed of ashes, peat, grit or sand.

Pollard
A tree cut back to the main trunk and maintained in a bushy state by regular pruning at intervals of between one and a few years.

Pollen
The male cells of a plant contained in the anthers or pollen sacs.

Pollination
The transference of pollen grains onto the stigma of a flower. The resulting plantlets are later moved into larger pots, pans or trays, or set out into a nursery bed or into their growing position.

Provenance
The place where seed originated in the wild. Knowing the provenance will have a bearing on this conditions under which the progeny will thrive in cultivation.

Garden Deifinitions (J-M)

Juvenile
Plants which have a distinct early phase, when either the habit, leaf shape or some other characteristic differs from those of the adult. Eucalyptus tress commonly bearjuvenile and adult leaves.

Lateral
A stem or shoot that branches off from a bud in the leaf axil of a larger stem.

Leader
The main stem (or stems) of a tree or shrub that extends the existing branch system.

Leaf-Mould
Partially decayed dead leaves which have broken down to a flaky condition resembling peat. Oak and beech leaves are the most suitable materials.

Lime
Calcium, a chemical used in horticulture, particularly to neutralise acid soils.

Loam
A reasonably fertile soil that is neither wet and sticky, nor dry and sandy. It is moisture-retentive and contains a blend of clay, silt, sand and hummus, and is rich in minerals.

Lobe
Descriptive of leaves, stipules, bracts or petals that are cleft into separate areas that are still united by part of the surface.

Maiden
A nursery term for a young grafted tree in the process of being trained. Applied particularly to one year old fruit trees.

Monocarpic
A plant which dies after flowering and seeding. Annuals and biennials are true monocarpic plants, but the term is also applied to perennial plants which grow for a number of years before flowering and then dying.

Monocotyledon
A group of flowering plants that have only one seed leaf in each mature seed.

Monoecious
A plant that bears bisexual flowers or separate male and female flowers on the same plant; for example, corylus (hazel) and juglans (walnut).

Mulch
A layer of organic matter, such as decayed manure, leaf-mould, garden compost, straw or composted bark, which is spread on the soil around the plants. A mulch conserves moisture in the soil, adds nutrients and suppresses weeds. The term is also used for inorganic material including gravel and black polythene sheeting.

Technical Stuff - Gardening Abbreviations (D-F)

Gardening Abbreviations (A-C)


Before we head on into the Glossary for Gardening - I wanted to post the link to Jeremy Clarkson's Gardening Tips :D

Damping Down
Watering the floor and benches of a greenhouse to create a humid atmosphere.

Deadheading
Nipping off the dead or faded flowers from a plant to prevent seeding and to encourage new flowers. Roses and many bedding plants need regular deadheading.

Dicotyledon
All flowering plants are botanically classified into two main groups by the number of cotyledons (seed leaves) present in the seed at maturity. Monocotyledons have one seed leaf, dicotyledons have two.

Dioecious
Plants having male and female flowers on separate plants, such as willow and holly.

Disc
The flattened or doomed centre of a daisy flower, composed of tiny tubular florets.

Dot Plant
An isolated specimen plant - usually tall - in a formal flowerbed, selected to emphasise contrast in height, colour and texture.

Drill
A straight, narrow, furrow in which seeds are sown outdoors.

Epiphyte
A plant, such as an orchid or bromeliad, which has adapted to living above the soil, adhering to tree branches or rocks.

Ericaceous
A term used for plants that grow best in acid soil, such as ericas (heather). Also used to refer to lime-free compost used for growing ericaceous plants.

Etiolated
Growth which has become long, thin and pallid because of lack of light or as a result of blanching - as in forcing rhubarb.

Eye
Immature growth bud, such as the eyes of potato or dahlia tubers. The term is also used to describe the centre of a flower if it is different in colour from the petals.

F.Hybrid
Seeds obtained by crossing two pure bred closely related varieties which have been inbred for several generations. The plants produced tend to have an increased level of vigour and uniformity.

Fastigate
Erect habit of growth developed by some trees and shrubs, such as Lombardy poplars.

Feathered
Lateral shoots on the main stem of a young tree. They are left on the tree until the trunk is fully established - about a year or two - when they must be removed.

Floret
A small individual flower which is part of a large head or cluster.

Flower
The part of a plant concerned with sexual reproduction. The essential parts are the female ovaries (or carpels), which eventually bear the seeds, and the anthers which produce pollen, the male sex cells. The carpels and anthers are usually surrounded by an inner ring of coloured leaves, known as petals, and an outer ring of protecting sepals, usually green. There are, however, a great many variations to this basic pattern. The great majority of plants bear flowers with both male and female organs, but others have single sex flowers on separate plants (dioecious).

Fruiting Body
The reproductive organ of a fungus, such as a mushroom or toadstool. Also the pin-head-like growth on bread mould.

Fumigate
A system of destroying pests and diseases to a greenhouse or coldframe with poisonous fumes. Canisters or pellets are ignited to produce dense smoke.