Botanical glossary
The words you need to read a plant entry without getting lost: habit, foliage, life cycle, hardiness, substrate and exposure.
Evergreen
Foliage that stays on the plant for most of the year, even as some leaves are replaced.
Perennial
A plant that can live for several years and regrow after a less active period.
Hardiness
A plant's ability to withstand cold, often summed up by a zone or a minimum temperature.
Free-draining substrate
A mix that lets water flow through to limit root suffocation or rot.
Indirect light
A bright spot without prolonged direct sun on the leaves.
Layering
A propagation technique in which a stem forms roots before being separated from the parent plant.