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23 November 2009
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how to be a gardener - The complete online guide

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Lifestyle
Gardening
Part One
Part Two


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Understand plants

Plant types

Annuals and biennials

Perennials and bedding plants

Woody plants

Evergreen and deciduous plants

Bulbs

Climbers

Plant names

Test your knowledge

Go further

Plant lists

Interactives

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Module 1

Module 2

Module 3

Module 4

Module 5

Module 6

Module 7

Module 8

2 - Plant types

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Understanding your plants
In Module 1 we said that plants are classified according to how 'hardy' they are. Well, that's just the start. They are also described by their life cycle and how they grow. For example: annual climber, herbaceous perennial, woody shrub. As we'll see, they each have a unique name that identifies them, whether you're a gardener in Tunbridge Wells or Tibet.

Plant label
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Information is power, and knowing what all the terms mean will enable you to read a plant label or seed packet in the garden centre, or look at a plant description in a book or magazine. You'll know all about that plant at a glance and whether it will suit your garden's 'character'.

Plant lists
Find a list of suggested plant types for your garden here .

Watch the clip
Your garden should be a theatre offering year-round interest. Watch the clip here .

Interactive
Get to grips with plant types and learn about Latin naming with our fun game!
(External) Requires Flash 5

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2. Understand plants

Introduction
Plant types
  Annuals and biennials
  Perennials and bedding plants
  Woody plants
  Evergreen and deciduous plants
  Bulbs
  Climbers
Plant names
Test your knowledge
Go further


Highlights

Plant lists

Plant lists

Plant lists featured in this module:




Find thousands more plants in the BBC Gardening database .


Video

Video

A good garden should change throughout the year. Watch the clip here.




Interactive

Interactive
Get to know your plant types, with the Matching pairs game
(External) Requires Flash 5


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