David Domoney’s Gardening Glossary

This simply means a young tree, usually less than a year old.

These are crops that are harvested during the main growing season for that plant. For example maincrop potatoes are harvested in august and September, as opposed to early varieties that are harvested through June and July.

See organic matter.

A marginal plant grows in the moist on the edge of a pond or stream, where the roots can easily access the shallow water. A good example of a marginal plant is flowering rush.

A sap-feeding insect, they are most often seen on houseplants and those plants you are protecting in your greenhouse. Their feeding and excretion of honeydew on foliage can weaken plants and allow for the growth of sooty moulds.

Organisms that cannot be seen with the naked eye, that live in soil and keep it healthy.

This is the climate or conditions of one specific and usually small area, which are different from the climate of the surrounding area. For example your garden might have its own microclimate if it is sheltered from prevailing weather, or has heavy clay soil that retains water.

A term used to describe the trace elements and nutrients within soil. These include calcium, sulphur, and magnesium.

A fungal infection on the leaves of plants that occurs due to wet weather.

This is a border that contains a variety of different plants, usually mixing both shrubs and herbaceous plants.

Modules are very small containers that are used to grow seedlings. A module tray is a tray with lots of little compartments for growing seedlings, not unlike and ice cube tray.

Monocotyledon are seeds that only have one embryonic lead. Grasses, orchids, and members of the onion family are examples. See also Cotyledon and Dicotyledon.

This is a plant that produces two flowers, one male and one female, rather than one flower that contains both male and female reproductive parts. The two flowers usually form on different parts of the plant.

A humus formed in soil which is acidic.

Moss is a flowerless green plant that grows in damp conditions over ground as a carpeted effect. It can be a problem in lawns, when moss grows in the grass and can be difficult to remove.

Mulch is a substance used to cover exposed soil for several reasons; to protect the soil from erosion and weeds, to insulate the soil and plant roots over winter and to reduce erosion. Mulch can be biodegradable, for example organic compost, which breaks down over time and adds nutrients to the soil. It can also be non-biodegradable, for example slate chippings, which add a decorative element to your beds and borders.

This is a type of lawn mower that cuts grass into very fine particles which can then be left on the lawn to break down and become part of the soil underneath.

A humus that forms in soils that are alkaline.