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Glossary of Terms

Annual: Annuals are plants that grow from seed, flower and then die all in one year, typically from spring through to autumn.
Arris rail: Horizontal piece of timber fixed between two posts to give additional support, also used to fix close board fence boards to.

Base dressing: An application of fertilizer made before planting.
Brassicas: One of the four main vegetable goups, including cabbage, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and turnips.

Cordon: Cordon fruit trees are grown at a 45^o angle to slow the upwardly rising sap, producing more fruit buds and less wood growth. Typically cordon fruit trees are grown to form a screen or against a wall or fence.

Deciduous: A tree or shrub that sheds its leaves every year, typically in the autumn
Double digging: Double digging is done to break up compacted soil, to allow air and moisture to penetrate into the ground, enable plant roots to reach deeper into the soil and to dig in compost, manure or fibrous material.
Starting at one end of the plot, dig a trench to twice the depth of a spade. Put the excavated soil in a wheelbarrow, for later use. Fill the trench with a couple of inches of well rotted manure or compost.
Dig a second trench filling the first trench with the excavated soil. Fill this trench with a couple of inches of compost. Continue with this method until the end of the vegetable plot. Use the soil in the wheelbarrow to fill the last trench. Don't worry too much if you have big lumps of soil. Cold nights will break these up.

Evergreen: A tree or shrub that has leaves all year round.

F1 Hybrid: A plant especially cross bred for it's flower colour, shape or flavour. Seeds collected from an F1 hybrid normally revert to the properties of one of the original plants.
Fertilizer: Nutrients broken down by bacteria to provide food for plants. Artifical fertilizers normally contain three main chemicals, Nitrogen(N), Phosphorus(P) and Potassium(K), providing good all round plant development.
Finial: A cap for a post or beam. Used for decorative purposes and / or to prevent water entering the timber.
Formal garden: Formal gardens tend to be symmetrical, with geometric beds, clipped hedges and trees, flat well-manicured lawns and regular shaped ponds. Formal gardens take a great amount of time to maintain and to keep looking good.

Half-hardy: Plants that will become damaged or die in cold wintery weather, unless protected.
Half-hardy annual: Half-hardy annuals seed will not germinate in cold conditions. Half-harty annuals need to be started off in warm conditions - indoors, in the greenhouse or under cloches. Once they have germinated they can be moved outdoors when all chance of frost has past. Annuals germinate from seed, flower and die in one year.
Half-hardy perennials: Half-hardy perennials such as pelargoiums, dahlias and chrysanthemums flower from year to year but need to be protected from winter conditions.
Hard landscaping: The building of walls, patios, paths and structures in the garden.
Hardening off: Moving seeds that have been sown indoors or under glass straight outdoors, to be grown on, can cause the seedlings to suffer from the large temperature differences. Hardening off is the process of moving seedlings and plants outdoors, gradually getting them aclimatised to the difference in temperature. Start by putting the seedlings outside in a sheltered sunny position for a couple of hours leaving for longer periods each day until after a couple of weeks you can leave them out all day and night. Note: ensure that all chance of frost has passed before leaving seedling out over night.
Hardy: Plants that can survive in cold wintery conditions.
Hardy annuals: Hardy annuals can be sown in open ground where they are to flower. They are usually sown later in the season than half-hardy annuals when the ground has warmed up. Annuals germinate from seed, flower and die in one year.
Herbacious perennials: Herbacious perennials have a soft fleshy stem and die back after flowering.
Humus: The top layer of soil containing organic matter, including rotted plant material, dead insects and animal manure. Humus encourages earthwormms, which improves the soil drainage. Plants receive their food from humus.

Informal Garden: Informal gardens tend to have a relaxing shape and form, closer planting and more utilitarian use than their formal counterpart. They are alot easy to maintain.

Legumes: One of the four main vegetable groups, including peas and beans.

Node: A leaf joint.

Perennials: Perennials such as trees and shrubs flower from year to year. Also see half-hardy perennials and herbacious perennials.
pH Level: The acidity or alkalinity of soil or pond water. Plants prefer acid (most plants including camellia, magnolia and rhododendrons), or alkaline (most vegetables) soil types. Soil and pond Ph test kits are available from most garden centres.
Potting On: The transplanting of a plant from a smaller to larger pot or container.
Pricking Out: Separating and replanting seedlings, giving the small plants more room to grow.
Pruning: Cutting of branches to control growth, define shape, create flowering/fruiting branches for the following season and probably most importantly to remove dead, damaged and diseased areas of a plant.

Rhizomes: Rhizomes, such as flag irises and lilies produce a horizontal stem that grows on or under the surface of soil or water. Leaves and flowers of new plants grow from the top of the rhizome and roots are produced from the bottom. Plants can be propergated in the autumn by cutting up the rhizomes and replanting the sections - make sure that each section has a leaf bud and roots.

Single Digging: As per Double Digging but the trench is dug to a depth of a single spade.
Soft Landscaping: Planning and planting of shrubs, trees and lawns in the garden.
Sucker: A shoot growing from the root or stem of a plant. Often removed to avoid plant energy begin wasted.

Terracing: A shelf cut into a slope to provide a flat area for planting.
Top dressing: Application of fertilizer after planting or around established plants.
Tubers: Tubers, such as begonias, anemone and dahlias are the plants food store. The tuber provides the plant with food to produce leaves and flowers. The roots gather food to create new tubers. These tubers can be divided easily from the main plant in the autumn, stored over the winter and grown the following year.

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