Greener garden glossary

Want to get your head around some green buzzwords? Try our gardening glossary.

Beer traps

Avoid using chemical pesticides to get rid of slugs. Simply install beer traps – cups filled with ale and buried in the soil. Slugs are attracted to the beer, fall in and die.

Biological pest control

It’s strange to think of creepy-crawlies being a bonus. But ‘beneficial’ insects are ones that prey on pests. They include ladybirds and hoverflies. You can attract them to your garden by planting fennel, marigolds and Californian poppies.

Chemical insecticides

Avoid using chemical products for destroying pests or weeds – they could kill beneficial species as much as harmful ones, and damage the environment.

Cloches

Protect your plants from the likes of caterpillars and other pests without using chemicals. Instead, use cloches – covers made from plastic bottles with the lids off and bottoms cut off.

Coffee grounds

Use as compost on borders and for plant pots. Slugs are also repelled by coffee grounds.

Companion planting

This is a natural way of planting different plants side by side to benefit each other. For example, lupins, sweet peas and beans take nitrogen from the air and ‘share’ it with other plants in the soil around them. The powerful smell of chives puts off aphids (greenfly), which might otherwise attack tomatoes and sunflowers planted nearby. Garlic provides the same protection for roses. See our companion planting tips for more ideas.

Composting...

A good thing to get into, as it’s ecofriendly and good for your garden. Getting rid of domestic organic waste in compost means it doesn’t go to landfills that create the greenhouse gas methane. Composting can boost soil quality and make it more fertile. It also seals moisture into the earth, reducing the need for watering. See more on composting.

Drought-resistant gardening

This is about introducing plants into your garden that require little water. Good options are: crocuses, geraniums, hydrangea, acacia and conifers.

Eco-watering

Plants need water but there’s no need to overdo it. Conserve this precious resource by watering wisely. For example, watering flowers planted together in a big pot, rather than fewer plants in lots of smaller pots, cuts down on waste. Only water the soil around plant stems, so you’re using water effectively and economically. Avoid hanging baskets if you can as they use up a lot of water. Watering plants early in the morning or evening is best. We’ve lots more tips to save water in the garden.

Food miles

The distance that food is transported from where it was grown to where it is consumed, used as a measure to work out food production’s impact on the environment. Try growing your own or using local or seasonal food instead.

Grey water

Use domestic waste water, or ‘grey water’, from baths to water your garden. Soap and detergents shouldn’t damage plants, but avoid using water that contains disinfectants.

Growing from seed

Buy seeds not plants. Growing from seed means you can grow organically from the outset. And you get better value for your money.

Hand picking

Control pests the old-fashioned – and ecofriendly – way by simply plucking pests off leaves rather than blasting them away with insect spray.

Local/seasonal food

Eating local and seasonal food, produced close to where you live and not imported out of season, means you’re cutting down on food miles. Of course, growing your own fruit and vegetables is as local as you can get!

Mowing high

Mowing your lawn with the blades on a higher setting allows the grass, cut longer, to retain water naturally.

Mulching

Mulches are simply coverings placed over the soil to clear and discourage weeds naturally. ‘Mulching’ can be done with coverings of wood chips, bark and prunings.

Native plants

Planting native species is an easy way of attracting wildlife, as they will be used to eating varieties found growing naturally in this country. Try field poppies and cornflowers.

Natural pesticides

Why use a spray when other creatures will do the work for you? A logpile will attract hedgehogs and frogs, who use it as a home – and they like eating slugs!

Peat-free

If you’re buying compost, get the peat-free variety. Peat bogs are havens for rare plants, but are diminishing as peat is used in gardening products.

Water conservation

Conserve domestic water supplies by collecting rainwater with a water butt. The simplest way to install one is to cut a gutter pipe (often plastic these days and cuttable with a hacksaw) and place the butt underneath.

Wildlife gardening

Planning and maintaining your garden so it attracts wildlife. For example, a water feature attracts frogs that prey on insect pests and snails. (It doesn’t have to be a full-blown pond – a bird bath will do!) And honeysuckle and primrose are magnets for butterflies. Bees like poppies and foxgloves.