Acidic soil: On a soil pH scale of 0 to 14, acidic soil has a pH lower than 7. Most garden plants prefer a soil a bit on the acidic side.
Afternoon sun: A garden receiving afternoon sun typically has full sun from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, with more shade during the morning hours.
Alkaline soil: On a soil pH scale of 0 to 14, alkaline soil has a pH higher than 7.0. Many desert plants thrive in slightly alkaline soils.
Annual: A plant that germinates (sprouts), flowers, and dies within one year or season (spring, summer, winter, or fall) is an annual.
Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.): B.t. is an organic pest control based on naturally occurring soil bacteria, often used to control harmful caterpillars such as cutworms, leaf rollers, and webworms.
Balled and burlapped (B&B): This phrase describes plants that have been grown in field nursery rows, dug up with their soil intact, wrapped with burlap, and tied with twine. Most of the plants sold balled and burlapped are large evergreen plants and deciduous trees.
Bare root: Bare-root plants are those that are shipped dormant, without being planted in soil or having soil around their roots. Roses are often shipped bare root.
Beneficial insects: These insects perform valuable services such as pollination and pest control. Ladybugs, soldier beetles, and some bees are examples.
Biennial: A plant that blooms during its second year and then dies is a biennial.
Bolting: This is a process when a plant switches from leaf growth to producing flowers and seeds. Bolting often occurs quite suddenly and is usually undesirable, because the plant usually dies shortly after bolting.
Brown materials: A part of a well-balanced compost pile, brown materials include high-carbon materials such as brown leaves and grass, woody plant stems, dryer lint, and sawdust.
Bud: The bud is an undeveloped shoot nestled between the leaf and the stem that will eventually produce a flower or plant branch.
Bulb: A bulb is a plant with a large, rounded underground storage organ formed by the plant stem and leaves. Examples are tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. Bulbs that flower in spring are typically planted in fall.
Bush: See shrub.
Cane: A stem on a fruit shrub; usually blackberry or raspberry stems are called canes, but blueberry stems can also be referred to as canes.
Central leader: The term for the center trunk of a fruit tree.
Chilling hours: Hours when the air temperature is below 45°F; chilling hours are related to fruit production.
Common name: A name that is generally used to identify a plant in a particular regions, as opposed to its botanical name, which is standard throughout the world; for example, the common name for Echinacea purpurea is “purple coneflower.”
Contact herbicide: This type of herbicide kills only the part of the plant that it touches, such as the leaves or the stems.
Container: Any pot or vessel that is used for planting; containers can be ceramic, clay, steel, or plastic—or a teacup, bucket, or barrel.
Container garden: This describes a garden that is created primarily by growing plants in containers instead of in the ground.
Container grown: This describes a plant that is grown, sold, and shipped while in a pot.
Cool-season annual: This is a flowering plant, such as snapdragon or pansy, that thrives during cooler months.
Cool-season vegetable: This is a vegetable, such as spinach, broccoli, and peas, that thrives during cooler months.
Cover crop: These plants are grown specifically to enrich the soil, prevent erosion, suppress weeds, and control pests and diseases.
Cross-pollinate: This describes the transfer of pollen from one plant to another plant.
Dappled shade: This is bright shade created by high tree branches or tree foliage, where patches of sunlight and shade intermingle.
Day-neutral plant: A plant that flowers when it reaches a certain size, regardless of the day length, is a day-neutral plant.
Deadhead: To remove dead flowers in order to encourage further bloom and prevent the plant from going to seed is to deadhead.
Deciduous plant: A plant that loses its leaves seasonally, typically in fall or early winter, is deciduous.
Diatomaceous earth: A natural control for snails, slugs, flea beetles, and other garden pests, diatomaceous earth consists of ground-up fossilized remains of sea creatures.
Dormancy: The period when plants stop growing in order to conserve energy, this happens naturally and seasonally, usually in winter.
Drip line: The ground area under the outer circumference of tree branches, this is where most of the tree’s roots that absorb water and nutrients are found.
Dwarf: In the context of fruit gardening, a dwarf fruit tree is a tree that grows no taller than 10 feet tall and is usually a dwarf as a result of the rootstock of the tree.
Evergreen: A plant that keeps its leaves year-round, instead of dropping them seasonally is evergreen.
Floricane: A second-year cane on a blackberry or raspberry shrub; floricanes are fruit bearing.
Flower stalk: The stem that supports the flower and elevates it so that insects can reach the flower and pollinate it is the flower stalk.
Four-tine claw: Also called a cultivator, this hand tool typically has three to four curved tines and is used to break up soil clods or lumps before planting and to rake soil amendments into garden beds.
Frost: Ice crystals that form when the temperature falls below freezing (32°F) create frost.
Full sun: Areas of the garden that receive direct sunlight for six to eight hours a day or more, with no shade, are in full sun.
Fungicide: This describes a chemical compound used to control fungal diseases.
Gallon container: A standard nursery-sized container for plants, a gallon container is roughly equivalent to a gallon container of milk.
Garden fork: A garden implement with a long handle and short tines, use a garden fork for loosening and turning soil.
Garden lime: This soil amendment lowers soil acidity and raises the pH.
Garden soil: The existing soil in a garden bed; it is generally evaluated by its nutrient content and texture. Garden soil is also sold as a bagged item at garden centers and home-improvement stores.
Germination: This is the process by which a plant emerges from a seed or a spore.
Grafted tree: This is a tree composed of two parts: the top, or scion, which bears fruit, and the bottom, or rootstock.
Graft union: This is the place on a fruit tree trunk where the rootstock and the scion have been joined.
Granular fertilizer: This type of fertilizer comes in a dry, pellet-like form rather than a liquid or powder.
Grass clippings: The parts of grass that are removed when mowing, clippings are a valuable source of nitrogen for the lawn or the compost pile.
Green materials: An essential element in composting that includes grass clippings, kitchen scraps, and manure and provides valuable nitrogen in the pile, green materials are high in nitrogen.
Hand pruners: An important hand tool that consists of two sharp blades that perform a scissoring motion, these are used for light pruning, clipping, and cutting.
Hardening off: This is the process of slowly acclimating seedlings and young plants grown in an indoor environment to the outdoors.
Hardiness zone map: This map lists average annual minimum temperature ranges of a particular area. This information is helpful in determining appropriate plants for the garden. North America is divided into eleven separate hardiness zones.
Hard rake: This tool has a long handle and rigid tines at the bottom. It is great for moving a variety of garden debris, such as soil, mulch, leaves, and pebbles.
Hedging: This is the practice of trimming a line of plants to create a solid mass for privacy or garden definition.
Heirloom: A plant that was more commonly grown during earlier periods of human history but is not widely used in modern commercial agriculture is an heirloom plant.
Hoe: A long-handled garden tool with a short, narrow, flat steel blade, it is used for breaking up hard soil and removing weeds.
Hose breaker: This device screws onto the end of a garden hose to disperse the flow of water pressure from the hose.
Host plant: A plant grown to feed caterpillars that will eventually morph into butterflies is called a host plant.
Hybrid: Plants produced by crossing two genetically different plants, hybrids often have desirable characteristics such as disease resistance.
Insecticide: This substance is used for destroying or controlling insects that are harmful to plants. Insecticides are available in organic and synthetic forms.
Irrigation: A system of watering the landscape, irrigation can be an in-ground automatic system, soaker or drip hoses, or hand-held hoses with nozzles.
Jute twine: A natural-fiber twine, jute is used for gently staking plants or tying them to plant supports.
Larva: The immature stage of an insect that goes through complete metamorphosis; caterpillars are butterfly or moth larvae.
Larvae: This is the plural of larva.
Leaf rake: A long-handled rake with flexible tines on the head, a leaf rake is used for easily and efficiently raking leaves into piles.
Liquid fertilizer: Plant fertilizer in a liquid form, some types need to be mixed with water, and some types are ready to use from the bottle.
Long-day plant: Plants that flower when the days are longer than their critical photoperiod, long-day plants typically flower in early summer, when the days are still getting longer.
Loppers: One of the largest manual gardening tools, use loppers for pruning branches of 1 to 3 inches in diameter with a scissoring motion.
Morning sun: Areas of the garden that have an eastern exposure and receive direct sun in the morning hours are in morning sun.
Mulch: Any type of material that is spread over the soil surface around the base of plants to suppress weeds and retain soil moisture is mulch.
Nematode: Microscopic, wormlike organisms that live in the soil, some nematodes are beneficial, while others are harmful.
New wood (new growth): The new growth on plants, it is characterized by a greener, more tender form than older, woodier growth.
Nozzle: A device that attaches to the end of a hose and disperses water through a number of small holes; the resulting spray covers a wider area.
Old wood: Old wood is growth that is more than one year old. Some fruit plants produce on old wood. If you prune these plants in spring before they flower and fruit, you will cut off the wood that will produce fruit.
Organic: This term describes products derived from naturally occurring materials instead of materials synthesized in a lab.
Part shade: Areas of the garden that receive three to six hours of sun a day are in part shade. Plants requiring part shade will often require protection from the more intense afternoon sun, either from tree leaves or from a building.
Part sun: Areas of the garden that receive three to six hours of sun a day are in part sun. Although the term is often used interchangeably with “part shade,” a “part sun” designation places greater emphasis on the minimal sun requirements.
Perennial: A plant that lives for more than two years is a perennial. Examples include trees, shrubs, and some flowering plants.
pH: A figure designating the acidity or the alkalinity of garden soil, pH is measured on a scale of 1 to 14, with 7.0 being neutral.
Pinch: This is a method to remove unwanted plant growth with your fingers, promoting bushier growth and increased blooming.
Pitchfork: A hand tool with a long handle and sharp metal prongs, a pitchfork is typically used for moving loose material such as mulch or hay.
Plant label: This label or sticker on a plant container provides a description of the plant and information on its care and growth habits.
Pollination: The transfer of pollen for fertilization from the male pollen-bearing structure (stamen) to the female structure (pistil), usually by wind, bees, butterflies, moths, or hummingbirds; this process is required for fruit production.
Potting soil: A mixture used to grow flowers, herbs, and vegetables in containers, potting soil provides proper drainage and extra nutrients for healthy growth.
Powdery mildew: A fungal disease characterized by white powdery spots on plant leaves and stems, this disease is worse during times of drought or when plants have poor air circulation.
Power edger: This electric or gasoline-powered edger removes grass along flower beds and walkways for a neat appearance.
Pre-emergent herbicide: This weedkiller works by preventing weed seeds from sprouting.
Primocane: A first-year cane on a blackberry shrub, a primocane doesn’t produce fruit.
Pruning: This is a garden task in which a variety of hand tools are used to remove dead or overgrown branches to increase plant fullness and health.
Pruning saw: This hand tool for pruning smaller branches and limbs features a long, serrated blade with an elongated handle.
Rhizome: An underground horizontal stem that grows side shoots, a rhizome is similar to a bulb.
Rootball: The network of roots and soil clinging to a plant when it is lifted out of the ground is the rootball.
Rootstock: The bottom part of a grafted fruit tree, rootstocks are often used to create dwarf fruit trees, impart pest or disease resistance, or make a plant more cold hardy.
Runner: A stem sprouting from the center of a strawberry plant, a runner produces fruit in its second year.
Scaffold branch: This horizontal branch emerges almost perpendicular to the trunk.
Scientific name: This two-word identification system consists of the genus and species of a plant, such as Ilex opaca.
Scion: The top, fruit-bearing part of a grafted fruit tree is the scion.
Scissors: A two-bladed hand tool great for cutting cloth, paper, twine, and other lightweight materials, scissors are a basic garden tool.
Seed packet: The package in which vegetable and flower seeds are sold, it typically includes growing instructions, a planting chart, and harvesting information.
Seed-starting mix: Typically a soilless blend of perlite, vermiculite, peat moss, and other ingredients, seed-starting mix is specifically formulated for growing plants from seed.
Self-fertile: A plant that does not require cross-pollination from another plant in order to produce fruit is self-fertile.
Semidwarf: A fruit tree grafted onto a rootstock that restricts growth of the tree to one-half to two-thirds of its natural size is semidwarf.
Shade: Garden shade is the absence of any direct sunlight in a given area, usually due to tree foliage or building shadows.
Short-day plant: Flowering when the length of day is shorter than its critical photoperiod, short-day plants typically bloom during fall, winter, or early spring.
Shovel: A handled tool with a broad, flat blade and slightly upturned sides, used for moving soil and other garden materials, a shovel is a basic garden tool.
Shredded hardwood mulch: A mulch consisting of shredded wood that interlocks, resisting washout and suppressing weeds, hardwood mulch can change soil pH.
Shrub: This woody plant is distinguished from a tree by its multiple trunks and branches and its shorter height of less than 15 feet tall.
Shrub rake: This long-handled rake with a narrow head fits easily into tight spaces between plants.
Sidedress: To sprinkle slow-release fertilizer along the side of a plant row or plant stem is to sidedress.
Slow-release fertilizer: This form of fertilizer releases nutrients at a slower rate throughout the season, requiring less-frequent applications.
Snips: This hand tool, used for snipping small plants and flowers, is perfect for harvesting fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
Soaker hose: This is an efficient watering system in which a porous hose, usually made from recycled rubber, allows water to seep out around plant roots.
Soil knife: This garden knife with a sharp, serrated edge, is used for cutting twine, plant roots, turf, and other garden materials.
Soil test: An analysis of a soil sample, this determines the level of nutrients (to identify deficiencies) and detects pH.
Spade: This short-handled tool with a sharp, rectangular metal blade is used for cutting and digging soil or turf.
Spur: This is a small, compressed, fruit-bearing branch on a fruit tree.
Standard: Describing a fruit tree grown on its own seedling rootstock or a nondwarfing rootstock, this is the largest of the three sizes of fruit trees.
Sucker: The odd growth from the base of a tree or a woody plant, often caused by stress, this also refers to sprouts from below the graft of a rose or fruit tree. Suckers divert energy away from the desirable tree growth and should be removed.
Systemic herbicide: This type of weedkiller is absorbed by the plant’s roots and taken into the roots to destroy all parts of the plant.
Taproot: This is an enlarged, tapered plant root that grows vertically downward.
Thinning: This is the practice of removing excess vegetables (root crops) to leave more room for the remaining vegetables to grow; also refers to the practice of removing fruits when still small from fruit trees so that the remaining fruits can grow larger.
Topdress: To spread fertilizer on top of the soil (usually around fruit trees or vegetables) is to topdress.
Transplants: Plants that are grown in one location and then moved to and replanted in another, seeds started indoors and nursery plants are two examples.
Tree: This woody perennial plant typically consists of a single trunk with multiple lateral branches.
Tree canopy: This is the upper layer of growth, consisting of the tree’s branches and leaves.
Tropical plant: This is a plant that is native to a tropical region of the world, and thus acclimated to a warm, humid climate and not hardy to frost.
Trowel: This shovel-like hand tool is used for digging or moving small amounts of soil.
Warm-season vegetable: This is a vegetable that thrives during the warmer months. Examples are tomatoes, okra, and peppers. These vegetables do not tolerate frost.
Watering wand: This hose attachment features a longer handle for watering plants beyond reach.
Water sprout: This vertical shoot emerges from a scaffold branch. It is usually nonfruiting and undesirable.
Wheat straw: These dry stalks of wheat, which are used for mulch, retain soil moisture and suppress weeds.
Wood chips: Small pieces of wood made by cutting or chipping, wood chips are used as mulch in the garden.