Landscaping Vocabulary

Front 1

Aerate

Back 1

Loosening the soil to introduce more air in order to improve drainage by tilling or using an aerator

Front 2

Annual

Back 2

A plant that lives for a single growing season (most grow in spring and summer)

Front 3

Average frost date

Back 3

Average date for first frost

Nov. 20th in Pensacola, Fl

Front 4

Biennial

Back 4

Plant that lives for two growing seasons (typically produce leaves the first year and flowers the next)

Front 5

Deciduous

Back 5

A plant that looses its leaves in the winter

Front 6

Amendments

Back 6

Organic or mineral material used to improve the soil. (Ex- peat moss, perlite, composts)

Front 7

Antitranspirant

Back 7

A substance sprayed on the stems and leaves of evergreens to protect them from water loss in winter winds.

Front 8

Compound Leaf

Back 8

A leaf with two or more leaflets branching off a single stalk.

Front 9

Crown

Back 9

The part of a plant where roots and stem meet, usually at soil level.

Front 10

Cultivar

Back 10

A cultivated variety of a plant, bred for a special trait.

Front 11

Deadheading

Back 11

Removing old flowers during the growing season to prevent seed formation in order to encourage the development of new flowers.

Front 12

Division

Back 12

Propagation of a plant by separating it into 2 or more pieces, each having at least one bud and some roots. Used mostly for perennials, grasses, ferns, and bulbs.

Front 13

Drainage

Back 13

The movement of water down through soil. If water disappears from a planting hole in a few hours, drainage is good. If water remains overnight, drainage is poor.

Front 14

Drip Line

Back 14

An imaginary line on the soil around the tree that mirrors the circumference of the canopy above. Many of the trees roots are found in this area.

Front 15

Dry Laid

Back 15

A masonry path or wall that is installed without mortar

Front 16

Edging

Back 16

A shallow trench or physical barrier of brick/plastic/boards used to define the border between a flower bed and adjacent turf.

Front 17

Exposure

Back 17

The intensity, duration and variation of sun, wind and temperature that characterize a site.

Front 18

Feeder Roots

Back 18

Slender branching roots that spread close to the soil surface and absorb most of the nutrients for a tree or shrub.

Front 19

Formal

Back 19

A style of landscaping with symmetrical layout, beds and walks adjacent buildings, and often with plants sheared to geometrical shapes.

Front 20

Foundation Planting

Back 20

A narrow border of evergreen shrubs planted around the foundation of the house.

Front 21

Frost Heaving

Back 21

A disturbance or uplifting of soil, pavement, or plants caused when moisture in the soil freezes and expands.

Front 22

Full shade

Back 22

A site that receives no direct sun.

Front 23

Full sun

Back 23

A site that receives at least 8 hours of direct sun each day during the growing season.

Front 24

Garden Soil

Back 24

Soil prepared for planting to make it loose enough for roots and water to penetrate easily. Usually requires digging or rolling and the addition of some organic matter.

Front 25

Grade

Back 25

The degree and direction of the slope on a piece of ground.

Front 26

Ground cover

Back 26

A plant such as ivy liriope or juniper used to cover the soil and form a continuous low mass of foliage. Often used as a durable substitute for turf grass.

Front 27

Habit

Back 27

The characteristic shape or form of a plant

Ex- upright, spreading, or rounded

Front 28

Hardiness

Back 28

A plant’s ability to survive the winter without protection from the cold.

Front 29

Hardiness Zone

Back 29

A geographical region where the coldest temperatures in an average winter falls within a certain range, such as 0 to 10 degrees.

Front 30

Hardscape

Back 30

Parts of a landscape constructed from materials other than plants i.e. walls, trellises and paths.

Front 31

Herbicide

Back 31

A chemical used to kill plants. Preemergent herbicide is used to kill weed seeds. Postemergent kills plants that are already growing.

Front 32

Hybrid

Back 32

A plant resulting from a cross between two parents that belong to different variations or species.

Front 33

Interplant

Back 33

To combine plants with different bloom times or growth habits, making it possible to fit more plants in the bed.

Front 34

Invasive

Back 34

Describes a plant that spreads quickly, usually by runners and mixes with or dominates other plantings.

Front 35

Landscape fabric

Back 35

A synthetic fabric, sometimes water-permeable, spread under mulch to serve as a weed barrier.

Front 36

Lime, limestone

Back 36

White mineral compounds used to combat soil acidity and to supply calcium for plant growth.

Front 37

Loam

Back 37

An ideal soil for gardening, containing plenty of organic matter and a balanced range of small to large mineral particles.

Front 38

Microclimate

Back 38

Local conditions of shade, exposure, wind, and drainage.

Front 39

Mowing strip

Back 39

A row of bricks or paving stones set flush with the soil around the edge of a bed, and wide enough to support one wheel of a lawn mower.

Front 40

Mulch

Back 40

A layer of chopped up material spread over the soil around the base of plants. Helps slow evaporation, inhibit weeds and moderate soil temperature. Can protect plants from freezing.

Front 41

Organic Matter

Back 41

Plant and animal residues such as leaves, trimmings, and manure in various stages of decomposition.

Front 42

Peat Moss

Back 42

Partially decomposed misses and sedges, mined from boggy areas and used to improve garden soil.

Front 43

Pressure Treated Lumber

Back 43

Softwood lumber treated with chemicals that protect it from decay.

Front 44

Propagate

Back 44

To produce new plants from existing ones by sowing seeds, rooting cuttings, dividing plant parts, layering, grafting, or other means.

Front 45

Retaining Wall

Back 45

A wall built to stabilize a slope and keep soil from sliding downhill.

Front 46

Rhizome

Back 46

A horizontal underground stem, often swollen into a storage organ. Both roots and shoots emerge from rhizomes. Rhizomes typically branch as they creep along and can be divided to make new plants.

Front 47

Rosette

Back 47

A low, flat cluster of leaves arranged like the petals of a rose.

Front 48

Selective Pruning

Back 48

Using pruning shears to remove or cut back individual shoots, in order to refine the shape of a shrub, maintain its growth, or limit its size.

Front 49

Severe Pruning

Back 49

Using pruning sheets or loppers to cut away most of a shrubs top growth, leaving just short stubs or a gnarly trunk.

Front 50

Shearing

Back 50

Shaping the surface of a shrub, hedge or tree to produce a smooth. solid mass of greenery in a desired shape.

Front 51

Specimen Plant

Back 51

A plant placed alone in a prominent position, to show it off.

Front 52

Spike

Back 52

An elongated flower cluster.

Front 53

Tender

Back 53

Describes a plant damaged by cold weather.

Front 54

Underplanting

Back 54

Growing short plants, such as ground covers, under taller plants, such as shrub.

Front 55

Variegated

Back 55

Foliage that is marked, striped, or blotched with color other than green.

Front 56

Partial sun

Back 56

4-6 hours of sun a day

Front 57

Partial shade

Back 57

2-4 hours of sun a day.