Time To Study Up: 35 Gardening Terms Everyone Should Know

If you look through a seed catalog or a plant care manual, you will likely come across some unfamiliar descriptions. So here's a cheat sheet to help you navigate through the offerings and maybe even impress your fellow gardeners.

Aeration: Prick the compacted soil with a garden fork or an aerator to facilitate the flow of oxygen to the plant roots.

Modification: Addition of organic material such as compost or manure to improve soil fertility, drainage, water retention or structure.

Annual: Plants that complete their life cycle in one year regardless of weather conditions.

Bare Root: Plants that are pulled from the ground and sold in containers, usually roses, trees, and shrubs.

Biennial: Plants that complete their life cycle in two years.

Smell: Early bloomers like lettuce and beans tend to be bitter or of degraded quality.

Botanical Name: The name given to plants with words of Latin origin, invented by the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus in 1700. Using a plant's botanical name (also called "scientific name") avoids confusion with other plants.

Transplanting: Scatter seeds over a large area, by hand or by machine, rather than planting in rows.

Cloche: A traditional bell-shaped object placed over plants to protect them from insect damage or frost.

Cold Frames: Containers are placed around plants to create a greenhouse effect and extend the growing season.

Common Names: Nicknames used to describe plants in specific geographical circles or areas. Since different plants can have the same name and one plant can have many names, using them can confuse the gardener.

Companion Planting: Grouping of certain plants according to the benefits they offer each other. These benefits can include attracting pollinators, deterring pests, or a living ceiling.

Deadheading: The practice of removing "or dead" flowers from plants to encourage re-flowering, prevent self-seeding, or simply to keep the plant clean.

Leaves: Plants, trees or shrubs that lose their leaves in autumn or winter.

No-till: Plant seeds right in the garden instead of growing them indoors in containers and then transplanting them outdoors.

Ephemeral: A plant that emerges and dries up relatively quickly, usually in spring.

Evergreen: A plant, tree, or shrub that does not lose its leaves in fall or winter but remains green year-round.

Foliar feeding: Apply liquid fertilizer directly to the foliage rather than the soil.

Germination: The initial growth from a single seed.

Hardiness: The process of a plant gradually adapting to a different, usually harsh, climate, e.g. B. outdoors to increase their winter hardiness.

Heirlooms: Plants of their original species, plants that have not been crossed or cross-pollinated with any species or species. Heirloom seeds produce "true growing" plants, or plants that have the same characteristics as the original plant.

Hilling: The practice of cutting new growth out of the ground, as is done with potato plants.

Hybrid: A variety of plant bred in a controlled environment to intentionally achieve a desired new trait, such as flower color, disease resistance, fragrance, size, vigor, flavor, or longevity, usually through pollination.

Naturalization: The practice of dispersing seeds or plants in a way that appears to have spread naturally, or in areas such as grasslands where seed dispersal is permitted indefinitely.

Organic Matter: Non-synthetic materials such as plant and animal rot, manure, compost, and leaf mold are used to improve soil fertility, structure, and other properties.

Perennials: Plants with a life cycle longer than two years. Perennials die to the ground in winter and come back year after year or remain evergreen for life.

pH: In gardening, the pH scale determines the acidity or alkalinity of soil, compost, and water. The lower the value, the more acidic the soil; The higher the value, the more basic it is. A score of 7.0 is considered neutral.

Pinching: The practice of removing small branches and stems with the thumb and forefinger, usually to encourage the growth of side shoots.

Scarring: Scratching, cutting, piercing, or otherwise damaging the seed germination area.

Self Seeding: A term used to describe plants that reproduce by dropping their seeds into the surrounding soil. These seeds germinated, took root, and became other plants. Also called "self-seeding".

Side Coverage: A line of granular, powdered, or pelleted fertilizer (or other supplement) spread across the rows of plants rather than into the soil or planting hole.

Stratification: The process of exposing seeds or tubers to cold temperatures, usually in a refrigerator or freezer, to mimic the outdoor winter conditions required for fall germination.

Top dressing: for applying fertilizers or fertilizers such as compost or manure directly to the soil and plant area.

Wet Feet: Wet roots, usually caused by poor drainage or saturated soil.

Xeriscaping: Using drought tolerant plants in the landscape to conserve water. It is also called "water sage garden".

Jessica Damiano is a regular gardening columnist for The Associated Press. Publish the award-winning Garbage of the Week newsletter. Sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.

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