Lexicon Overview
The world of gardening and growing plants from seed is full of specialist terms nobody gets to learn in school. We want our texts, and especially our sowing instructions, to be as easy to follow as possible, so here we’re putting together a glossary of specialist gardening terms, with concise explanations of what they mean. The terms are sorted alphabetically. Where these words are used in our shop they’re linked to these explanations so you can check their meaning straight away.
The latest entries
Archaeophytes
Archaeophytes are plant species that reached an area where they were not originally native before the year 1492, with direct or indirect human help.
The most read entries
Hardening off
‘Hardening off’ is the process of gradually getting young plants used to outdoor conditions. Plants that start their life in protected spaces (indoors or in a greenhouse) are sensitive to temperature differences, wind and direct sunlight. Hardening off allows them to develop more stable cell structures and resilient leaves.
Small greenhouse
A mini greenhouse is a small hothouse for the garden. Depending on its features, hobby gardeners can grow all kinds of plants, cultivate vegetables and herbs, or overwinter plants all year round.
Mulching
Mulching means covering the soil with a layer of organic or mineral material to stop it drying out, prevent erosion and suppress weed growth. At the same time the mulch enriches the soil life and helps your plants grow. Typical mulch materials are bark mulch, straw, grass cuttings and compost. A mulch layer helps to retain moisture and warm up the soil – or protect it from overheating in summer.