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ABIOTIC to AXIL

ABIOTIC

A non-living organism.

ACCENT/SPECIMEN

Words used to describe a plant that is bold enough to stand on its own rather than part of a mass planting.

A good way to think of accent or specimen plants is as the star – the center focus – of your garden. These are plants that are strong and interesting enough to stand alone throughout the year. They often set the theme for the rest of the garden or landscape.

For example, Japanese maples often stand alone or as the main accent plant in a garden design. We would not see a row of such trees lining a drive. On the other hand, a common perennial, albeit beautiful, like a coneflower, would not stand well alone as the main focus of a garden – they do best as part of garden design and planted in multiples.

Montgomery blue spruce

ACCLIMATION

(See: Hardening Off)

ACIDIC/ALKALINE

(See: pH)

ACID-LOVING PLANTS

Plants that grow best with a soil pH around 5.0. (See: pH)

Blueberries

AERATE

To expose to air.

This term is typically used in reference to lawns, combined with the term “core.” Core aeration is recommended when soil is compact or there is a lot of thatch in the lawn. Core aeration is done with a machine (lawn aerator) that moves over the lawn and removes numerous small cores or plugs of soil. These cores of soil are left on the soil surface to break down. This practice helps to increase the amount of oxygen in the soil, which in turn increases the opportunity for healthy root growth.

AEROBIC/ANAEROBIC

Having oxygen (aerobic) or without oxygen (anaerobic).

Why is it important to know these two terms? For example, when it comes to composting, you need aerobic decomposition to occur in order for the compost process to proceed. It needs oxygen to do its work. You have an anaerobic situation with a lack of oxygen, like when the compost pile is too wet and composting shuts down and the pile begins to smell. The same when you have a bag full of wet grass clippings . . . well, you know the smell.

AGGREGATE

Clumps of varying sizes and shapes of primary soil particles.

The binding together of soil particles into aggregates provides soil structure. A soil with good structure is made up of aggregates of varying sizes that allow maximum space for air and water.

AGGRESSIVE

Referring to a plant’s active growth behavior.

When used in horticulture terms, aggressive means that a plant is a really good grower. It’s not quite invasive but it will tend to spread in the garden. When you hear this term, ask someone who has had experience with the plant in question, as this term can be very relative and dependent upon the person’s perspective!

AGRICULTURE

The art and science of cultivating land for production of food and for other uses by humans.

ALKALINE

Soil with a pH of 7.1 to 14.0. (See: pH)

ALTERNATE

Generally referring to leaves that are arranged on the stem in alternating fashion. (See: Leaf Pattern)

Asimina triloba (Pawpaw)

AMEND/AMENDMENT

Anything added to your soil to improve plant growth.

In a perfect world our garden soil would be the ideal mix of sand, silt and clay, nutrients, and pH, and we would never have to amend the soil. But the reality is that more often than not, we need to help our soil by adding materials that either enhance its physical and chemical properties or provide additional nutrients. You add organic matter to the soil as an amendment in order to improve root growth and thus plant health. Amending the soil improves the structure and its ability to perform functions such as water retention, permeability, water infiltration, drainage and aeration. You can also add nutrients to amend the soil in order to improve plant growth.

Amending the soil can be accomplished through different methods. You might hear of gardeners “top dressing” their garden. This is simply adding or amending their garden with a layer, perhaps an inch or two, of organic material, such as leaf mold. Amending the soil when planting a new flowerbed, tree or shrub is also a common practice. By giving the newly installed plant an extra boost of good nutrients and rich, organic matter, the plant is more likely to take hold and thrive (not just survive) in the landscape.

Additionally, some amendments are designed to alter the pH of the soil, making it more acidic or alkaline.

ANAEROBIC

Without oxygen. (See: Aerobic/Anaerobic)

ANGIOSPERM

A flowering plant whose seeds are housed within an ovary.

Not a word you are likely to see on a plant tag or in a beginner’s gardening book, huh? Angiosperms run the full gamut of garden plants, from trees and shrubs to annuals and perennials, even grasses. Gardeners do not say, “I am off to find new angiosperms for the garden!” Rather, the term is most helpful when reading advanced garden books or keying out plants.

Asimina triloba (Pawpaw)

In contrast to angiosperm is a gymnosperm, a plant whose seeds are not protected in an ovary. Examples of gymnosperm plants include conifers such as pine, spruce, hemlock, and Ginkgo.

ANNUALS

Plants that complete their life cycle within one growing season.

For gardeners, mainly in northern colder winter climates, annuals are planted after spring’s final frost and last until they are killed by the first frost of autumn. This is different than perennials, whose growth from the soil line above is also killed by the frost, but will re-grow from the root system the following spring.

Zinnias are one example of an annual.

ANTHER

(See: Flower)

ARBOR

A permanent garden structure, often made of wood and enhanced with lattice or other material fashioned from cut branches or strips of lumber to create an open and airy yet shady spot in the garden.

Passing under an arbor, one often feels as if they are transitioning from one area of the garden to another, from the sidewalk to the front yard or into another garden space – or, if the arbor is large enough, it can be a shady spot in the garden to sit and rest a while. As a year-round, visually interesting element in the garden, arbors are priceless. As structures on which to grow vining plants such as Wisteria, Clematis or climbing roses, arbors are a gardener’s delight.

Arbors can be rustic and casual, like those in a cottage garden, or more refined and architectural in nature. They can be made of wood or even metal. More ornate arbors are often meant to stand alone without plants that may obstruct the arbor’s detail work.

ARBORIST

An individual trained in the art and science of planting, caring for, and maintaining individual trees.

ARCHING

(See: Habit)

AROMATIC/FRAGRANT

Having a pleasing scent from a plant and/or its parts.

What is that wonderful scent wafting through the garden? When we think fragrance, flowers immediately come to mind. Entire gardens have been designed around fragrant plants. But not all blooms have a lovely scent to them. In fact, some flowers have a terrible smell; skunk cabbage for instance, smells like rotted meat in order to attract pollinators such as flies.

Additionally, other plants and/or certain plant parts can have a unique smell. For instance, just think of bayberry candles during the holidays. This aromatic scent is derived from the berries found on Myrica pensylvanica. In fact, if you employ scratch and sniff horticulture, you discover that the stem of this plant is also very fragrant. Lindera benzoin, commonly known as spicebush, has wood which is exactly that: spice scented. Crush Viburnum setigerum leaves and you’ll be reminded of green peppers.

ASCENDING

Another term to describe the upright growth habit of a plant.

Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’

ASEXUAL

Propagation without pollination, maintaining the identity of the parent plant. (See: Clone)

AXIL

The upper angle between the leaf and stem.