Welcome to Getting Dirty. At least once a week, we publish articles exploring everything from simple explanations of plant and soil science; through design concepts such as composition and colour theory; to profiles of plants and construction materials.
If you’re new to plant and soil science, read this article first.
Let’s Get Dirty!
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Intermolecular forces
A simple explanation of some of the forces that exist between molecules, and which are essential for movement of water and nutrients through plants
Chemistry primer
Whether completely new to chemistry or in need of a refresher, this will help with understanding some of the key concepts used throughout Getting Dirty.
Family values
This final article on plant classification looks into the idea of plant families, and why it is helpful to know which family a particular plant belongs to.
The cycle of life
An overview of the main stages of a plant's life cycle, from seed germination to senescence and death, together with a discussion of how some plants benefit from completing their lifecycle in a particular lifespan.
Counting seed leaves
An overview of the main differences between monocotyledonous ("monocots") and eudicotyledonous ("eudicots") plants; although defined by the number of seed leaves ("cotyledons"), this is not the most important difference.
The naming of parts
An introduction to plant anatomy at the highest level: the main parts of a plant, their components, and their purpose in helping the plant survive, thrive and grow.
What’s in a name?
An explanation of the Linnaean taxonomy for classifying organisms; an introduction to botanical Latin, and a discussion of the reasons for its use.
From moss to flowers
An overview of the four main groups of plants and some of the key differences between them.