Gardening is one of the most exciting and fun activities people enjoy during the springtime. On this page you’ll find a complete list of French gardening vocabulary. This list includes general terms, kinds of plants, gardening tools and materials, as well as useful verbs and adjectives.
General terms
- l’allée path
- l’arrosage watering
- la fontaine fountain
- la rocaille rock garden
- la serre greenhouse
- le drainage drainage
- le jardin à la française formal garden
- le jardin d’eau water garden
- le jardin garden
- le jardin paysan cottage garden
- le jardin sur le toit roof garden
- le parterre flowerbed
- le patio patio garden
- le pavé paving
- le potager vegetable garden
- le sable sand
- le tas de compost compost heap
Plants & Things That Grow
- l’arbre tree
- l’arbuste à fleurs flowering shrub
- l’herbe grass
- la fougère fern
- la haie hedge
- la pelouse lawn
- la plante alpine alpine
- la plante aquatique water plant
- la plante d’ombre shade plant
- la plante en pot potted plant
- la plante grasse succulent
- la plante grimpante climber
- la plante rampante creeper
- la plante vivace perennial
- la topiare topiary
- le bambou bamboo
- le bulbe bulk
- le cactus cactus
- le confière confier
- le jonc rush
- le palmier palm
- les mauvaises herbes weeds
- les plantes plants
Gardening Tools
- l’arroseur sprinkler
- l’arrosoir watering can
- la bêche spade
- la brouette wheelbarrow
- la dondeuse trimmer
- la fourche fork
- la grande cisaille long-handled shears
- la houe hoe
- la tondeuse lawnmower
- le balai à gazon lawn rake
- le déplantoir trowel
- le gravier gravel
- le panier de jardinier trug
- le pot à fleurs flower pot
- le râteau rake
- le sac à l’herbe grass bag
- les gants de jardinage gardening gloves
- les outils de jardin garden tools
Gardening materials
- l’argile clay
- l’herbicide weedkiller
- la chaux chalk
- la terre topsoil
- la vase silt
- le pesticide pesticide
- le sol soil
- le sous-sol subsoil
- le terreau compost
Verbs
- arroser to water
- bêcher to trim
- biologique organic
- cueillir to pick
- cultiver to cultivate
- désherber to weed
- dessiner to landscape
- élaguer to prune
- fertiliser to fertalize
- l’engrais fertalizer
- mettre en pot to prop up
- pailler to mulch
- ratisser to rake
- récolter to harvest
- retourner airate
- semer to sow
- soigner to tend
- tailler to trim
- tamiser to sieve
- tondre to mow (the lawn)
- transplanter to transplant
Adjectives
- à feuilles caduques deciduous
- à feuilles persistantes evergreen
- annuel annual
- bisannuel biennial
Related lessons:
More resources:
- 100 French Garden Terms – Frenchtoday.com
- Gardening vocab with exercise – tolearnfrench.com
- French gardening vocabulary – blog-jardin.fr (French site)
