Learning the Lingo

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 

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