gardener's garters
- noun
- UK
:
cinta del jardinero
- The marsh was full of gardener's garters, their broad striped leaves shimmering in the breeze.
Examples
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She planted gardener's garters near the pond to help control erosion.
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In the botanical garden, gardener's garters grew alongside other wetland plants.
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The gardener's garters thrive in wet environments.
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I saw beautiful gardener's garters in the park.
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The wetlands were filled with lush patches of gardener's garters swaying gently in the breeze.
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In the garden, the vibrant green leaves of gardener's garters stood out among the other plants.
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During our walk along the riverbank, we spotted clusters of gardener's garters thriving near the water's edge.
Synonyms
A tall grass with wide leaves that grows in wet places
A tall grass that lives for many years and grows in wet places like riverbanks and ditches
A grass with broad leaves that grows in wet meadows and ditches
A grass that lives for many years with broad striped leaves that grows in wet places like ponds and ditches
Surface Forms
Morphology
gardener's + garters
The phrase literally combines 'gardener's' (belonging to a gardener) and 'garters' (bands for holding stockings), so a learner who only knows the constituents would most likely interpret it as an item of clothing or something belonging to a gardener. The botanical meaning (a specific perennial grass) is a conventionalized plant name that cannot be predicted from the literal parts, so the expression is not compositional for learners.
Etymology
Gardener's garters may come from a simple image: the plant's long, flat, striped leaves look like the cloth bands called garters that hold up stockings. That's why people used the name gardener's garters for this grass that grows in wet meadows.
