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Garden

ABCs of Gardening

April 24, 2012 by lyra in Garden with 0 Comments

Garden Terms ABCs of Basic
For Novice Gardeners or Anyone Who Enjoys a Laugh
Robin Hoselton

Accent plant: A plant that adds interest to the garden. A silly expression–ALL my plants add interest.

Bare root: A naked twig with no soil. Nurseries frequently ship this way, so those roses you ordered have to soak in the bathtub because you didn’t get around to pre-digging their holes.

Coffee grounds: Rich nutrients that wake up azaleas, blueberries and gardenias. Why buy acid fertilizer when you can support Juan Perez in Colombia.

Deadhead: Nope, not a dope. It means to snip dead flowers–a good way to release that murderous impulse when you’ve had an argument with your spouse.

Exfoliating: Unlike sunburned skin which sometimes sheds or exfoliates, exfoliating trees are pretty–birches, for example.

Fairy ring: Toadstools growing in a circular pattern causing the grass to die. Yank them up; the little fairies will have to find somewhere else to sit
Green thumb: A person has this condition when plants flourish under his/her care. It’s a misnomer and should be known as dirty fingernail syndrome
Holding bed: An area where plants are held temporarily until you figure out where in heck to put them.

Invasive: Any of those cute plants that your neighbor gave you and neglected to mention that they are a real bitch to keep from spreading into the next county.

Jardiniere: A highfalutin word for a large flower pot. Probably used by people who employ gardeners to manicure their lawns.

Killing freeze: This is when the temperature drops and kills your expensive tender babies because you forgot to cover them with sheets before you went to bed.

Limbing up: Removing the lower branches of a tree supposedly to improve air flow and create less shade, but it’s really to keep you from smacking your noggin.

Medium: Not a fortune teller but a soil or potting mix although the other medium could be useful to foretell if a plant will thrive in your garden before you spend money for it.

Native plant: Vegetation that grows naturally in a specific region, also referred to as “Plant ’em & forget ’em”.

Odoriferous: Strongly scented and highly subjective. What might be pleasant smelling to one person might gag a maggot.

Perennial: A plant that survives winter and doesn’t have to be replanted. Annuals, on the other hand, are a yearly chore, much like IRS tax forms.

Quarantine: Isolating a sick or bug-infested plant. Frankly, if my plant was that bad off, I’d euthanize it and put us both out of misery


Rototiller: A machine used to cultivate and till the soil. See the photo of my John Deere model.

Succulent: A plant like cactus, agave or aloe for forgetful gardeners because its thick, fleshy leaves retain water.

Tendrils: The twisty thingies on vines that reach out and snare you instead of the trellis if you stand still long enough.

Understory: This is stuff that grows under other stuff, like dogwoods that grow in the dappled shade of taller trees. You’ll pay more attention to understory plants when you run out of sunny spots in your garden.

Victory gardens: Vegetable gardens that people planted during World War II. Today’s term is “edible landscape.” However, anything that grows well in my garden is a victory.

Weather forecasting: Guessing the chance of rain, snow or sun. Some depend on TV or the Farmer’s Almanac, but the most reliable method is to look out the window.

Xeriscaping: A combination of the Greek word “xeros”, meaning “dry” and “landscape.” It means using plants that won’t run up your water bill.

Yellow: Sticky traps are yellow to attract whitefly, aphids and mealybugs. If you wear yellow clothes to a nursery, you could bring home these unwelcome hitchhikers.

Zone: Remember when singles asked, “What’s your sign?” Gardeners ask “What’s your zone?”, referring to plant hardiness geographic zones. You can find yours at www.hgtv.com or www.usna.usda.gov or look in any nursery catalogue.

 
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