Herbaceous describes plants that have soft, green stems rather than the woody stems of trees and shrubs. Think of the difference between a daisy and an oak tree: the daisy has a flexible, juicy stem that dies back in winter, while the oak has hard, bark-covered wood that lasts year after year.

Most flowers, vegetables, and grasses are herbaceous plants. When you snap the stem of a tomato plant or a sunflower, it breaks easily and feels moist inside. That's a herbaceous stem. Try the same thing with a rose bush or maple branch, and you'll find tough, dry wood that's much harder to break.

Scientists use this word to organize the plant world. Herbaceous perennials are plants like hostas or daylilies that die down to the ground each winter but grow back from their roots in spring. Herbaceous annuals like marigolds complete their entire life cycle in one growing season, then die completely.

When you see a garden described as an herbaceous border, it means a flower bed filled with non-woody plants that create bursts of color and texture throughout the growing season.