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Broadly speaking, weeds are plants that are unwanted at the location where they appear. This can apply to all kinds of plants: wild plants, herbaceous plants, woody plants, or even cultivated plants.

Short definition: Mix of different edible wild plants with aromatic, sometimes bitter flavours.Botanical classification: Various species including Taraxacum, Rumex, Achillea, Stellaria.Typical varieties/species: Dandelion, sorrel, ground elder, chickweed, yarrow.Key features: Generally from foraging or natural gardening. High in phytochemicals.

Winter desiccation is a common winter injury caused by water shortage, not by the cold itself. It occurs when plants lose water through evaporation from their leaves or needles while the ground is frozen and the roots cannot take up any moisture. Evergreen plants that stay active and continue to transpire through the cold season are particularly at risk.

Winter dormancy refers to the vegetative resting phase of many perennials, shrubs and fruit trees during the cold season. During this time, plants slow their metabolism, growth stops, and they conserve energy to get through the winter.

The winter moth (Operophtera brumata) is an inconspicuous but harmful pest that is mainly active in late autumn and winter. In spring, its caterpillars cause severe feeding damage to fruit trees, berry bushes and ornamental shrubs.

Definition: Winter salads are hardy leaf vegetables you can harvest for salads in late autumn or winter.Botanical classification: various species such as Lactuca sativa, Valerianella locusta, Cichorium intybusTypical species/varieties: winter butterhead lettuce, lamb’s lettuce, leaf chicory, winter endiveKey features: suitable for growing under cover or overwintering outdoors.

Winter-flowering plants evolved to defer their flowering period until the depths of the cold season – generally between November and March. While most species are focused on conserving energy through the cold months, they’re opening their buds amid the frost, bringing colour to a grey winter scene.