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Two of these are judgements, and one is a description of behaviour — which is why the same plant can be all three depending on where it is and who is looking. Weed. Not a botanical category at all. A
Rather a lot, once you know what each part of it does — and it is the only reliable way to buy the plant you actually want, because common names are inconsistent and frequently shared between
Because the tree withdraws its most valuable resources before discarding the leaves — and the colours reveal what was there all along, plus something newly made. The green is chlorophyll, the pigment
All three are inert additives mixed into compost to change its physical structure, and they do genuinely different things — which is why substituting one for another sometimes fails. Perlite is
Because peat has physical properties that are genuinely difficult to replicate, and peat-free mixes behave differently enough that watering habits must change. Why peat was used. It is remarkably
The label "pollinator friendly" is applied loosely, and several popular choices do very little. What matters is accessibility, nectar and pollen content, and season. What makes a flower genuinely
It describes a plant's ability to survive cold, and the labels are more specific than most people realise — but they are also a simplification of something with several variables. The RHS hardiness
A cold frame is a low, unheated box with a transparent lid — traditionally a wooden or brick frame with a glass "light" — that traps solar heat and shelters plants. It is the cheapest and most useful
They address two different problems that are frequently confused, and doing the wrong one achieves nothing. Scarifying removes thatch. Thatch is a layer of dead grass stems, roots and organic debris
All four are underground storage organs letting a plant survive dormancy and regrow, but they are structurally different parts of the plant — and the difference determines how you plant, divide and
Pinching out (or stopping) is removing the growing tip of a shoot, usually with finger and thumb. It is one of the highest-impact things a gardener can do for five seconds of work. Why it works:
A rootstock is the root system a fruit tree is grafted onto. The scion — the variety you actually want, such as a Cox or a Bramley — is joined to it, and the rootstock determines much of how the tree
The answer is the same for both, which surprises people: add organic matter. It works for opposite problems because it improves structure rather than acting chemically. Clay soil has very small, flat
Determinate tomatoes are bush types that grow to a fixed size and stop. Indeterminate types are vines that keep growing until frost or you stop them. The difference decides how you grow, support and
Because they have a built-in dormancy mechanism that prevents germination until the seed has experienced winter — an adaptation that stops seedlings emerging at the wrong time of year and being
A green manure (or cover crop) is a plant grown not to harvest but to be cut down and returned to the soil, or left as a living cover over winter. What it does: Prevents nutrient leaching. Bare soil
Crop rotation means not growing the same family of vegetables in the same ground year after year, moving them around a sequence of beds instead. What it is actually for. Two distinct problems, and
No-dig means not turning or digging over soil. Instead, organic matter — usually compost — is applied as a mulch on the surface, and soil organisms incorporate it. Planting happens directly into that
Because a domestic compost heap cannot reliably reach the temperatures needed to handle them safely, and because they attract exactly the wildlife you do not want. The problems: Pests. Meat, fish,
Chitting is encouraging seed potatoes to sprout before planting, by standing them in a cool, light place for several weeks. The evidence for it is real but narrower than the enthusiasm around it
Most commonly pollination, and the usual culprit is a factor most people do not know applies. Pollination groups. Many fruit trees — particularly apples, pears, plums and cherries — are not
F1 hybrid seeds are the first-generation offspring of two deliberately selected, inbred parent lines. Heirloom (or open-pollinated) varieties breed true, producing offspring resembling the parent.
Ericaceous compost is a growing medium formulated to be acidic, typically around pH 4 to 5, for plants that cannot take up nutrients properly in neutral or alkaline conditions. Soil pH does not
Bolting is when a plant switches abruptly from producing leaves to producing a flower stem and seed. In a crop grown for its leaves or roots it ruins the harvest — leaves turn bitter and tough, and