Learning a new language can be like tending to a garden—nurturing your vocabulary allows you to communicate more vividly and with greater variety. When delving into Dutch, one way to expand your skills is by familiarizing yourself with gardening and botany-related terms. Whether you’re a green-fingered enthusiast or simply looking to touch up your Dutch vocabulary, these words are seeds worth planting in your linguistic garden.

Tuin
The Dutch word for “garden” is “tuin”. It can refer to a backyard, a public park, or even a plot for planting vegetables and flowers.
Ik heb het hele weekend in de tuin gewerkt.

Plant
“Plant” translates directly into Dutch as “plant”. It is a general term for any member of the plant kingdom.
De plant heeft meer zonlicht nodig om te groeien.

Bloem
The term for “flower” is “bloem”. It can be used to describe the blooming part of a plant or simply to refer to flowers in general.
Er staan prachtige rode bloemen in de tuin.

Boom
A “tree” is known as a “boom” in Dutch. This word is used for all varieties of trees, regardless of size or type.
De oude boom in onze tuin is meer dan honderd jaar oud.

Struik
When talking about a “bush” or “shrub,” the Dutch word “struik” comes into play.
De struik bloeit in het voorjaar met gele bloemen.

Zaden
The word for “seeds” is “zaden”. These are the small units that contain the beginnings of a new plant.
Ik heb vandaag nieuwe zaden in de moestuin geplant.

Tuineren
The verb “to garden” translates to “tuineren” in Dutch. It encompasses various gardening activities such as planting, weeding, and harvesting.
Ik besteed elke zondag aan tuineren.

Bewateren
To “water” your plants is “bewateren”. This refers to the act of providing water to plants for nourishment.
Je moet de planten elke ochtend bewateren.

Bemesten
The term for “to fertilize” in Dutch is “bemesten”. It refers to supplying nutrients to plants, typically by adding fertilizer to the soil.
Het is tijd om de groentetuin te bemesten.

Snoeien
When you need to “prune” or “trim” plants, the Dutch use the word “snoeien”. This is the practice of cutting back overgrown branches or stems.
De rozenstruiken moeten dringend gesnoeid worden.

Oogsten
The word for “harvest” is “oogsten”, referring to the gathering of ripe crops from the fields, or fruits and vegetables from the garden.
We kunnen de appels in de herfst oogsten.

Kweken
“To cultivate” or “grow” is expressed as “kweken” in Dutch, implying the act of raising and caring for plants.
Mijn grootvader kweekt zijn eigen tomaten.

Gras
The Dutch word for “grass” is “gras”. It is what covers many people’s lawns and is also used as animal fodder.
Het gras moet gemaaid worden, het is te lang.

Gereedschap
This term translates as “tools” and refers to any instrument that you might use in the garden like shovels, rakes, or pruning shears.
Ik heb nieuw gereedschap nodig voor het tuinieren.

Potgrond
When you buy “potting soil” or “compost” for your plants, you’re getting “potgrond” in Dutch. This is the soil mixture used for growing plants in pots.
Ik heb meer potgrond gekocht voor de plantenbakken op mijn balkon.

By learning these gardening and botany terms, not only can you communicate more about nature in Dutch, but you also get to grow your linguistic capabilities alongside your green projects. May your language learning journey bloom as beautifully as a well-tended garden!