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Dark germinators are plants whose seeds only germinate in darkness. When sown, they must be covered with a layer of soil so that no light reaches them. Only then do the biochemical processes that trigger germination begin within the seed.

The process of regularly removing dead flowers and any dead parts of a plant during the growing season. The aim is to encourage new bud formation, keep the plant healthy and prevent seed formation.

For generations, digging over the soil in autumn has been seen as one of the most essential gardening tasks. In recent years, however, thinking on this has shifted considerably, and the change is even taking hold in commercial vegetable and arable farming.

Direct sowing is sowing your seeds directly into a bed, raised bed or plant container without starting them beforehand in pots or seed trays. This straightforward way of growing plants works best for robust vegetable varieties, herbs and flowers.

Dividing herbaceous perennials is a key job for gardeners. It helps to keep plants healthy, keeps them flowering freely, and stops older plants becoming compacted and bare. At the same time it also gives you more plants for nothing!

Downy mildew appears as a whitish coating on the underside of leaves.