The Garden Code: Understanding Gardening Terms

Visiting your local garden centre, it can sometimes feel overwhelming with the sheer amount of gardening jargon that is thrown around by the experts.

Do you know the difference between an annual or perennial? What does it mean if it says a plant is hardy? Will my plant die down and not come back again?

Let me explain some of this gardening jargon, so that you are prepared with the necessary skills to decipher this gardening code on your next garden centre trip.

Annuals

An annual is a type of plant that will germinate from seed, produce a flower or fruit and die down all within one year.

These plants are great at filling gaps in your garden borders as they quickly germinate and grow in a short space of time.

Perennials

A perennial is a type of plant that will live for more than two years. After the growing season the plant will die down, but will then regrow the following year.

These are great to include in your garden as they will come back each year without needing to replant them.

Evergreen

An evergreen plant just means it will forever be green, as in it will keep its leaves all year round. It’s a good idea to include evergreen planting in your garden, as these provide the structure and colour throughout the year.

Think of these as the furniture in your living room. You will find homes for these first as they will remain all year, then you may add some other accessories (or plants) throughout the space.

Now we come down to hardy, half-hardy and tender plants. I like to think of this as how tough or hard a plant is when it comes to the weather.

Hardy

This just means that the plant should survive outside in the winter without any protection.

Half - hardy

The plant may need some protection from a particularly cold winter.

Tender

The plant will need protection in a greenhouse or to be brought inside.

I hope this has improved your confidence when visiting your local garden centre. For any other planting questions, please get in touch. Happy Gardening!