Mark McNee

Category: Garden Terms Explained

  • Variety

    This is classification of plants below the level of species which share common characteristics but would freely interbreed with other varieties of the same species if the opportunity arose. For this reason different varieties are often separated geographically. When writing the name of a plant the variety name is written in italics or underlined, is…

  • Cultivar

    This is a plant which has been selected in cultivation because of specific characteristics it shows which separate it from its wild origins and other cultivars. The rules regarding what is a cultivar, how it is named and how the word is used are laid down in the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants.…

  • Soil water

    This is simply the water in the soil, but it is a very important and complex mixture of chemicals dissolved in water.

  • Alkaline

    This is a water based solution which has a Ph above 7. Most alkaline soils (also called basic soils) lie in the range 7 to 9.

  • Acid

    This is a water based solution which has a pH below 7. Most acid soil lie in the range of 7 to 5 though some peat soils may be lower.

  • pH

      In simple terms this is how acid or alkaline something is – only a water based solution can have a pH. A pH of 7 is neutral, below 7 is acidic and above 7 is alkaline. The only way to know the pH of a soil is to measure it, either by adding it…

  • Sequestered Iron

    When plants are grown in a soil which is to alkaline for them they suffer from iron deficiency as a result of the effect the pH has on the nutrients which are available to plants growing in it. Sequestered iron is iron in a form which is not affected by the pH and so it…

  • Ericaceous

    This is a catch all term for plants which need acidic soil to grow in.

  • Botanical Latin

    Botanist quickly found Latin lacked words they needed to describe the parts of a plant, the Romans having never seen any need to do such things, so they modified the language for their own needs. The school Latin you may have learnt  has evolved considerably since the Romans; to the point a Roman would hardly…

  • Soil

    What soil is should at first sight be pretty self evident but to a soil scientist, yes there is such a person (they study soil), soil is a very complex thing. The problem is we all tend to overlook soil; it’s that muddy stuff in the garden. It is though a complex and delicate ecosystem…