Garden Crossword Puzzle Printable

Print a criss-cross garden crossword of short words such as Hoe and Kale, with the answer key last.

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Garden Crossword

Read each clue and write the answer in the squares that start at its number, one letter in each square.

This grid is wider than a phone screen, so it scrolls sideways. It prints whole.

Tap a square, and its clue shows here.

Across

Down

Word bank

  • Edger
  • Okra
  • Onion
  • Rake
  • Sepal
  • Shoot
  • Toad
  • Twine

Type in a square and the next one takes over. Tap the same square again, or press Space, to switch between Across and Down. Arrow keys move around the grid, Enter goes to the next clue, and a clue takes you to its squares.

Print gives 2 pages on Letter or A4: the puzzle with its clues, then the answer key. The squares print 10 mm wide. For a PDF, choose Save as PDF in the print window.

A share link holds the puzzle number and these settings, nothing you typed.

Answer key: Garden Crossword

1SHOO2TW3ONION4SN5EDGE6R7TPAOA8OKRALED

Across 1 SHOOT · 3 ONION · 5 EDGER · 8 OKRA

Down 2 TWINE · 4 SEPAL · 6 RAKE · 7 TOAD

Next step Find flowers in a word searchPrint the spring crossword

All 154 clues

Show all clues and answers

Flowers 31

  • Annual Plant that sprouts, blooms and dies in one growing season
  • Aster Starry fall bloom whose name is Greek for star
  • Azalea Spring-blooming shrub in the rhododendron group
  • Begonia Bedding plant named for a French governor, Michel Bégon
  • Bouquet Bunch of cut stems for a vase
  • Cosmos Airy, feathery-leaved bloom that shares its name with the universe
  • Daffodil Yellow trumpet that nods beside melting snow
  • Dahlia Showy late-summer bloom grown from a tuber, some as wide as a dinner plate
  • Daisy White rays around a yellow eye
  • Foxglove Spire of spotted, bell-shaped blooms that fit a fingertip
  • Geranium Sturdy pot plant with red clusters, really a pelargonium to botanists
  • Hollyhock Cottage-garden giant with blooms up a towering spike
  • Hyacinth Fragrant April spike of tiny bells, in purple, pink or white
  • Hydrangea Mophead shrub whose blue or pink depends on the ground it grows in
  • Iris Bearded bloom named after the rainbow goddess of the Greeks
  • Lavender Purple-spiked herb grown for its scent and dried in sachets
  • Lilac Shrub with fragrant purple clusters in May
  • Lily Trumpet bloom from a scaly bulb; the Easter kind is white
  • Marigold Orange or gold pom-pom often planted along vegetable rows
  • Nasturtium Edible bloom with round, peppery leaves
  • Orchid Exotic houseplant often sold with a single arching spray
  • Pansy Cool-weather bloom with a "face"
  • Peony Bush whose fat round buds burst into huge, many-petaled blooms
  • Perennial Not a one-season plant: it comes up again each spring for many years
  • Petunia Trumpet-shaped bloom that spills from hanging baskets
  • Poppy Papery red bloom with a dark center
  • Rose Thorny favorite sold by the dozen in February
  • Snapdragon Its blooms open like a tiny mouth when pinched at the sides
  • Sunflower Tall yellow giant whose young heads turn to follow the sun
  • Tulip Cup-shaped spring bloom from a bulb, once the cause of a Dutch buying craze
  • Zinnia Bright summer bloom, easy from seed, that comes near the end of an A-to-Z catalog

Vegetables and Herbs 32

  • Arugula Salad leaf called rocket in Britain
  • Basil Sweet-scented leaf torn over pasta and pizza
  • Beet Deep red globe that stains fingers
  • Broccoli Green crown cut before its tiny buds can open yellow
  • Cabbage Heavy ball of wrapped leaves, shredded for coleslaw
  • Carrot Orange root pulled up by its feathery top
  • Celery Crunchy ribbed stalks, trimmed and tied in a bunch
  • Chard Leafy green with bright red, yellow or white ribs
  • Chives Grass-like herb with hollow leaves and purple pom-pom blooms
  • Cilantro Herb whose dried seeds are sold as coriander
  • Cucumber Long green fruit of a climbing vine, often pickled
  • Dill Feathery herb that flavors pickles
  • Eggplant Glossy purple fruit, also called aubergine
  • Garlic Bulb of pungent cloves, planted in fall
  • Kale Curly leafy green that stands up to a cold snap
  • Leek Tall, mild allium, white at the base with a fan of flat leaves
  • Lettuce Salad leaves that grow as a head or loose
  • Mint Fast-spreading herb with square stems and a cool taste
  • Okra Southern pod with ridges and a pointed tip
  • Onion Papery-skinned bulb in yellow, white and red kinds
  • Parsley Curly or flat-leaf garnish
  • Pepper Bell or jalapeño
  • Potato Tuber dug from a hilled row
  • Pumpkin Sprawling vine's orange fruit, carved in October
  • Radish Peppery red globe ready about a month after sowing
  • Rhubarb Tart red stalks baked into pie
  • Sage Gray-green herb leaf of Thanksgiving stuffing
  • Spinach Dark leafy green that goes to seed in hot weather
  • Thyme Tiny-leaved creeping herb; it sounds like what a clock tells
  • Tomato Red fruit grown on a caged vine, sliced for sandwiches
  • Turnip White globe with a purple top
  • Zucchini Summer squash that hides under big leaves and swells fast

Tools and Structures 30

  • Cloche Bell-shaped cover that shields a young plant from cold
  • Cold frame Low box with a glass lid that shelters plants in early spring
  • Dibber Pointed stick that pokes holes for seeds and bulbs
  • Edger Tool that cuts a crisp line where lawn meets walk
  • Fence Barrier of pickets or wire around a plot
  • Fertilizer Plant food sold with three numbers on the bag
  • Gloves Thorn protection for hands
  • Hoe Long-handled blade that slices weeds at the surface
  • Hose Green tube that carries water from the house to the far beds
  • Kneeler Padded bench that saves a gardener's joints
  • Mower Lawn machine with a whirling blade
  • Nozzle Screw-on fitting whose settings run from mist to jet
  • Pergola Open-roofed walkway of posts and beams for vines to climb
  • Pitchfork Long-tined tool for turning a pile of straw
  • Planter Large container for a patio plant
  • Pruners Hand clippers for snipping stems
  • Raised bed Soil-filled box that sits above the ground
  • Rake Toothed tool that gathers leaves
  • Scarecrow Ragged dummy on a pole in the corn patch
  • Shears Two long blades for trimming a hedge
  • Shovel Scoop-bladed digger for moving soil
  • Spade Flat-bladed digger; also a suit of cards
  • Sprinkler Lawn device that throws water in a sweeping arc
  • Stake Post that props up a tall plant
  • Tiller Motorized machine that churns up a bed
  • Trellis Crisscross frame that clematis and pole beans scramble up
  • Trowel Hand-sized scoop for digging a planting hole
  • Twine String for tying stems to a support
  • Watering can Spouted container that pours a gentle shower
  • Wheelbarrow Single-wheeled hauler tipped forward to dump its load

Garden Animals 29

  • Aphid Tiny sap-sucker that clusters on new growth
  • Bumblebee Fuzzy, round buzzer that shakes pollen loose from blueberry blooms
  • Butterfly Day-flying nectar sipper with a coiled tongue
  • Caterpillar Leaf-munching larva that will one day have wings
  • Chipmunk Striped cheek-stuffer
  • Cricket Chirper on a summer night
  • Deer Hoofed visitor that can strip a hosta bed overnight
  • Dragonfly Four-winged darter that hunts mosquitoes over a pond
  • Earthworm Wriggler whose tunnels let air into the ground
  • Gopher Burrowing rodent that pulls plants down by the roots
  • Grasshopper Long-legged jumper that chews leaves
  • Grub C-shaped white larva that feeds on lawn roots
  • Honeybee Hive dweller that dances to tell others where the blooms are
  • Hornworm Fat green larva with a spike on its tail, a pest of the nightshade family
  • Hummingbird Tiny hoverer drawn to red tubular blooms
  • Lacewing Delicate green insect whose larvae devour soft-bodied pests
  • Ladybug Spotted red beetle prized for eating plant lice
  • Mantis Praying ___: green ambush hunter with folded forelegs
  • Mole Velvety tunneler that raises ridges across a lawn
  • Moth Dusty-winged night visitor to pale, fragrant blooms
  • Rabbit Long-eared nibbler of tender greens
  • Robin Red-breasted bird that tugs worms from a lawn
  • Slug Shell-less night feeder on hosta leaves
  • Snail Shelled leaf-nibbler that leaves a silvery trail
  • Spider Web weaver stretched between two stalks at dawn
  • Squirrel Bushy-tailed digger of freshly planted bulbs
  • Toad Warty night hunter that shelters under an overturned pot
  • Vole Mouse-like rodent that burrows under plants and eats roots and bulbs
  • Wasp Narrow-waisted stinger; some tiny kinds lay eggs in pests

How Plants Grow 32

  • Acidic Describes soil with a pH below 7
  • Biennial Plant that blooms in its second year, then dies
  • Chlorophyll The green in every leaf, at work whenever light falls on it
  • Cutting Snipped piece of stem that can root into a new plant
  • Deadhead Pinch off faded blooms
  • Dormant Alive but resting, as a rosebush in January
  • Drainage How fast a soaking rain sinks away instead of standing in puddles
  • Foliage All of a plant's leaves together
  • Frost Icy coating on a cold morning that blackens tender leaves
  • Germinate What a seed does when it first sprouts
  • Graft Join a twig of one tree onto the trunk of another so they grow as one
  • Hardy Able to survive winter outdoors
  • Harvest Bring in the ripe crop at season's end
  • Humus Dark, crumbly remains left when compost has fully broken down
  • Loam Crumbly mix of sand, silt and clay
  • Node Point on a stem where a leaf attaches
  • Pistil Female part of a flower: stigma, style and ovary
  • Pollinate Do the work of a bee: move yellow dust between blooms
  • Prune Cut back branches to shape a shrub; also a dried plum
  • Rhizome Creeping underground stem by which ginger and bamboo spread
  • Ripen Turn from green to ready
  • Runner Stem that a strawberry plant sends out to start a new plant
  • Seedling Young plant raised in a tray for setting out later
  • Sepal Leaflike part that covers a bud
  • Shoot First green spear pushing up from an asparagus crown
  • Stamen Male part of a flower: a slender stalk topped with a pollen sac
  • Taproot Single thick main root, like a dandelion's
  • Tendril Curling thread a pea uses to grab its support
  • Thin Pull crowded sprouts so the rest have room
  • Transplant Move a young plant from tray to bed
  • Wilt Droop for lack of water
  • Zone Hardiness ___: map band that tells which plants survive a region's winter

How this list was compiled: Clues written for this site for adult gardeners and garden clubs: flowers, vegetables and herbs, tools and structures, garden animals, and how plants grow. Every answer is an entry in Wiktionary (en.wiktionary.org), and each plant, animal or soil fact was checked against English Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0) in October 2026. Clues describe; none gives growing advice. No clue was copied from a published puzzle. Licence: own work

How it works

This garden crossword puzzle is a printable vocabulary crossword for a garden club, a plant sale or a rainy day out of the garden: flowers, vegetables and herbs, tools, the animals found in the garden, and how plants grow.

Read the full guide

Five sets and a short one

Short Garden Words keeps answers to 5 letters or fewer: Hoe, Kale, Iris, Toad. Flowers has Hollyhock, Snapdragon and Nasturtium. Vegetables and Herbs has Arugula, Rhubarb and Cilantro. Tools and Structures has Dibber, Cloche and Pergola. Garden Animals has Lacewing, Hornworm and Earthworm. How Plants Grow has Rhizome, Deadhead and Biennial.

A flower crossword puzzle, printable on its own

Choose Flowers under Clue set and each new puzzle draws only from that set, from Rose to Hydrangea.

  • For a garden club, uncheck Word bank under the clues in More options to make it harder.

Questions and answers

Is this printable gardening crossword puzzle for adults or children?

It was written for adult gardeners: answers such as Rhizome, Cloche and Deadhead assume some seasons with a trowel. Short Garden Words, the opening set, suits a beginner of any age.

Which flowers are in the puzzle?

Garden favorites such as Rose, Tulip, Peony, Zinnia, Dahlia, Hydrangea, Snapdragon and Foxglove, plus Annual, Perennial and Bouquet. The full list opens under Show all clues and answers.

What do Annual, Biennial and Perennial mean in the clues?

An annual lives for one growing season, a biennial blooms in its second year and then dies, and a perennial returns year after year. All three are answers in the bank.

Does the garden crossword print with an answer key?

Yes. The key prints last, on its own sheet, and the line beside Print gives the page count.

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