31 gardening terms to learn that will have you sounding like an expert

Evergreen plants do exactly what the label says – they stay green and leafy all year round. Conifers are typically evergreen, but there are many other shrubs and trees e.g., yew, holly and pittosporum. Perennials can have evergreen foliage too.

Deciduous shrubs and trees lose their foliage in autumn before going dormant over winter, with fresh new growth returning in spring.

A herbaceous perennial is a plant that dies back and loses its leaves over the winter. The stems are generally soft and fleshy, not woody like shrubs. The roots survive below ground and start producing new shoots in spring, returning to full size through the summer. Herbaceous perennials live for a number of years. Prime examples are delphinium, lupin and red hot pokers.

A hardy plant will survive winter temperatures to return next year. At the opposite end of the scale are tender plants that turn to mush after the first frost – for example, pelargoniums and dahlias. These are fine outdoors over the summer months but they will need to be brought into a sheltered place over the winter.

Variegated refers to plants with leaves that have more than one colour. Hostas, euphorbia, calathea, coleus and acers are all examples of variegated plants.

This is what you’ll find if you dig up a plant – the roots bind the soil together. It’s important to keep this intact when you transplant a shrub or plant to help your plant settle into it's new location. Dig a deep, wide circle around the plant to ease out the rootball and move it to a new planting hole that’s big enough to accommodate it with room to grow.

In container gardening or for houseplants, if a plant is rootbound it has been confined to a pot for too long and the roots have nowhere to go, so it has outgrown its pot – you'll likely see the roots coming out the bottom of the pot and yellowing leaves.

Plants sold and delivered to you as bare root specimens are dug up from the ground without any soil or rootball – they might just be wrapped in damp paper. They tend to look quite gnarly and unimposing, but if planted in autumn, they have time to bed in and develop new roots before spring. Some plants, like roses, perform better planted as bare root specimens.

Think of mulch as a cosy natural blanket for your plants. It’s made from leaves, homemade compost, bark chippings or well-rotted manure. In autumn, apply a thick layer of mulch around the base of plants to protect their roots during cold winter weather. Mulching in spring provides plants with nutrients from this organic layer, which breaks down into the soil, fuelling strong growth through the summer, and helps keep the soil moist.

Compost is generally made from well-rotted natural materials – either garden or food waste. You can make it at home with composting bins, or buy in bags from the garden centre. We use compost for seed sowing, potting on, and growing in pots. Compost can also be added as a layer of mulch – it will be broken down over time and become part of the soil.

Soil is what you find in your garden – it might be good quality – open, rich and fertile, or poor, dusty and sandy. Adding well-rotted compost always helps to improve the quality and fertility of your soil.

Soils can have different pH levels that affect what plants you can grow. Check the pH of your garden soil with a testing kit available from garden centres. If it’s between 4 and 5, it’s acidic or ericaceous, which means that plants preferring chalky or neutral soils won’t thrive.

Often plants originating from woodland, heathland or boggy areas need ericaceous soil, for example, rhododendrons, camellias and heathers. If you don’t have acidic soil in your garden, you can buy ericaceous compost and grow these plants in containers.

This is not a disease! The fine, fertile end product of a pile of rotted leaves is called leaf mould and it’s grower’s gold. It’s valuable for mixing with compost for seed sowing or potting on young plants. You naturally get leaf mould on forest floors, and it contributes to that wonderful earthy woodland smell. To make it yourself, simply fill an old compost bag with damp fallen leaves, poke some holes in it and put it in a corner of your garden. Forget about it until 12 months later, when you can open it up to find your perfect growing matter.

Don’t be terrified! Pruning involves cutting plants strategically. It’s a testament to the regenerative powers of plants that they recover from damage naturally by producing new shoots from the affected areas. Making cuts just above a bud or growing point encourages new shoots, allowing you to manipulate and manage the shape and size of a shrub or tree.

This simple practice involves removing faded or spent blooms from plants. Plants will carry on flowering for longer if you remove the blooms that are past their best – it stops the plant putting its energy into developing seeds. Instead, it will produce more flowers. Deadheading works well for roses, and many summer-flowering plants.

Moving plants is needed at different stages. You might transplant small seedlings or plants into the next pot size up to give them more room to grow; or larger plants and shrubs to a different spot. In both cases, you need to ensure there’s good growth above ground and a strong root system.

These gardening terms apply to seedlings and young plants. When you sow small seeds into a tray, they will germinate too close together and get overcrowded.

Thinning is a method that removes extra seedlings so that the remaining ones can grow properly without competition for space, light and nutrients. It reduces the number of plants in any one space to encourage healthier growth. (You can also thin fruit to improve the size, health and quality of fruit. Fruit trees that may need thinning include apples, pears, plums, peaches and nectarines).

To prick out is to separate seedlings growing together in the same container and move them into individual pots. The seedlings are delicate, so you need to be gentle and transfer with care, but it'll help to grow healthier and stronger plants.

Potting on is the process of planting young plants into a bigger container for mature growth. The roots of these plants are more established so less likely to get damaged once transferred.

When plants are just getting going, they can get gangly and leggy. To encourage more compact growth, pinch off the new leaves at the top of these shoots between finger and thumb. This will stimulate new, branching shoots and promote healthy, vigorous growth – essentially, it’s the same principle as pruning.

This process involves acclimatising plants that have been grown indoors, inside a greenhouse or under protection to outside weather conditions, to prevent transplant shock. The plants are gradually exposed to outdoor conditions, helping them to develop stronger stems, thicker foliage, and to ultimately improve their chances of survival and success in the garden.