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Okay, so you have all the tools
that make you LOOK like a gardener, and now you want to SOUND like one.
The following terms will make you sound like an expert in no time.
Annual—a plant that completes
its life cycle in 1 year or less
Aeration—supplying the lawn
soil with air by poking uniform holes in the ground thus helping water and
fertilizer move into the root zone
Bare-root—deciduous shrubs,
trees and some perennials sold for planting with the soil removed from their
roots
Bedding Plant---any plant
suitable for massing in beds for its colorful flowers or foliage—usually
annuals
Biennial—a plant that
germinates and produces foliage and roots during its first season, then blooms,
produces seeds and dies during its second season
Cane—an elongated flowering or
fruiting stem, usually arising directly from the roots
Canopy—the height and width of
a tree’s branch area
Conifer—a more precise term for
some of the plants many people simply call evergreens
Cultivar—shorthand for
“cultivated variety”—genetically distinct plants, maintained by human effort
from selected varieties of plants that occur in the wild
Deadhead—to remove spent
flowers which prolongs the bloom season and eliminates unwanted seedlings
Deciduous—any plant that
naturally sheds all of its leaves at any one time—usually fall
Dieback—occurs when a plant’s
stems die for part of their length, beginning at the tips—causes may include
inadequate moisture, nutrient deficiency, poor climate adaptation and severe
injury from pests or diseases
Drip Line—circle
around a tree directly under its outermost branch tips
Genus—first word in
a plant’s botanical name such as Rosa moschata—musk rose
Growing Season—number of days
between the average dates of the last killing frost in the spring and the first
killing frost in the fall
Harden Off—to adapt a plant
that has been grown indoors to outdoor conditions through increasing periods of
time spent outdoors
Herbaceous—a
plant with soft or fleshy or nonwoody tissue
Hybrid—a distinct plant
resulting from a cross between two species, varieties, cultivars, strains, or
any combination of the above
Microclimate—the climate of a small area such as a backyard influenced by
the amount of sun, wind or moisture received
Mulch—various organic or
inorganic material used to cover soil to prevent weeds and preserve moisture
Organic Matter—any material
originating from living organisms such as peat moss, compost or manure
Perennial—a nonwoody
plant that lives for more than 2 years and sometimes for many years
Pruning—the removal of parts of
the plant in order to improve its performance
Root-bound—plant roots that
have become tangled and matted and grow in circles from being grown in the same
container for too long
Species—a subdivision of a
genus—second word in a plant’s botanical name such as Rosa moschata—musk
rose
Specimen Plant—a single large
plant in a conspicuous location in the garden
Stress—a condition endangering
the health of a plant caused by inadequate or excessive water, wind or
excessively high or low temperatures
Sucker—a soft shoot of new
growth originating from limbs or roots
Thatch—a brown, spongy material
consisting of dead grass stems and roots that may build up in a lawn
Woody Plant—a plant with
hardened (woody) stems or trunks
For any questions you have on this article, or any topic of concern, email us—or
better yet, come by and talk to one of our professional staff members. Remember, Phelan Gardens is open year-round
For additional information, check the following links:
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