Maiden
A one year old shrub or tree.

Manure
Bulky material used to improve the structure of the soil using rotten plant and animal material.

Monocarpic
Plants that die naturally after flowering and seeding.

Monocotyledon
A flowering plant only having a single seed leaf.

Monoecious
A plant which has male and female flowers on the same plant.

Mulch
A layer of inorganic or organic material which covers the surface of the soil to retain moisture and smother annual weeds.

Mutation
A change in the genetic material of a plant resulting in a new feature.

N

Naturalized
Plants, usually bulbs, established in an area which is made to look as natural as possible, needing little maintenance.

Nectar
Sweet secretions made by certain flowers to attract insects for pollination.

Neutral soil
Soil with a pH of between 6.5 and 7.3.

Node
The position on the stem where a leaf or bud grows.

Nodule
Swelling on the root of the Pea Family.

Nut
A hard, one seeded fruit.

O

Oblong
Longer than broad, in a parallel shape.

Obovate
Egg-shaped, with the broadest part at the top.

Offset
Young plant which grows naturally on the parent and is easily removed, as with a cormlet.

Opposite
Leaves or buds carried in pairs along the stems.

Organic
Material obtained from living organisms, such as leaf mould and farmyard manure.

Ornamental
A plant grown for its decorative qualities.

Oval
Egg-shaped with the broadest part in the middle.

Ovary
The female organ of the flower, containing the ovules.

Ovate
Egg-shaped with the broadest part at the bottom.

Ovule
The part of the female organ which becomes a seed after fertilization.

P

Palmate
Hand-like.

Pan
A hard layer of subsoil.

Panicle
An inflorescence made from a number of racemes.

Peat
Decaying plant matter from bogs and heath land.

Pedicel
The stalk of an individual flower.

Peduncle
The stalk of an inflorescence.

Pelleted seeds
Seeds covered with pesticide or inert material to make them easier to handle.

Peltate leaf
A leaf where the stalk is attached to the underneath rather than the edge, as with Nasturtium.

Perennial
A plant which lives for more than3 seasons.

Perianth
The outer organs of a flower, the petals and sepals.

Petal
The bright part of the flower, one of the divisions of the corolla.

Petaloid
Described as organs which assume the form of petals.

Petiole
The leaf stalk.

pH
A measure of acidity or alkalinity.

Picotee
A narrow band of colour on a pale ground at the edge of the petal.

Pinching out
The use of the thumb and forefinger for removing the growing tip from a plant to induce bushiness.

Pinnate leaf
A leaf with a series of leaflets on either side of a central stalk.

Piping
A cutting made by pulling off the tip of a non-flowering shoot.

Pistil
The female organ of the flower, consisting of the stigma, style and ovary.

Plunge
The insertion of a potted plant up to its top in a bed of sand, ashes or peat to conserve moisture and maintain temperature.

Pollen
The yellow dust produced by the anthers, used for fertilizing the ovule

Pollination
The transference of pollen to the stigma of the flower.

Pot-bound
The description of a plant whose root ball has filled the pot and there are no nutrients available.

Pricking-out
The transplanting and spacing out of seedlings or cuttings into another container or bed.

Propagation
The production of new plants from an existing plant, for example, like cuttings.

Prostrate
Growing flat on the soil.

Pubescent
Covered with short downy hairs.