Brush up on the Basics

 Gardeners Glossary

If you’ve always wanted to get into gardening or home landscaping but have never had a chance to learn some common gardening terms, brush up on the basics with this helpful bunch of terms.

Annual:  A plant that only lasts one season.  Example: Petunia, Mexican Heather

Balled & Burlapped (B&B): These plants are grown in the ground.  Their roots are dug in a soil ball and wrapped in burlap for shipping.

Compost: A rich garden fertilizer which can be purchased commercially or made at home.  To make compost, combine layers of organic material, such as decayed leaves and vegetable scraps, alternated with layers of soil and a dusting of fertilizer, in a bin or a compost heap.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM):  A new approach to pest control combining biological, organic and chemical methods.  Often involves introducing a pest’s natural predators, selecting disease, insect and drought-resistant plants and focusing on other preventive measures.

Mulching: A method of preventing weeds, moderating soil temperatures and keeping soil moist.  Involves covering gardens, shrubbery borders and foundation plantings with a layer of wood chips, bark mulch, cocoa hulls or hay.  Does not totally prevent weeds, but does help.

Native Plant:  A plant growing naturally in your climate or in climatic conditions similar to the ones in which it is now planted.

Organic Gardening:  Plants grown without the use of chemical fertilizer or pesticides.  Any fertilizers used consist of animal or vegetable matter.

Perennial: A plant that will come back year after year. Example:  Liatris, Coreopsis

pH: A measure of the alkalinity or acidity of the soil.

Pruning: Making small cuts with a pruning tool to remove damaged and dead branches.  Pruning controls the size and shape of plants as they grow, spurs the production of fruits and flowers and eliminates dead or infected parts of plants.

Rootbound:  A container-grown plant in which the roots have outgrown the container.  In rootbound plants, the roots circle around the top of the rootball and poke out of the container’s drain holes. 

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: A map splitting the United States several zones to provide information on the approximate minimum temperatures in each zone.  This map is a useful guide for selecting plants that will thrive in your area. Click here for an example: Zone Map

Water-Wise Gardening:  Designing a landscape that conserves water by engaging in careful planning to minimize water usage.  Easily achieved by selecting drought-tolerant plants, establishing a set watering schedule and planting lower water-demand plants