Basic Gardening Terms 
Basic Gardening Terms
| Term | Definition |
| Acid (sour) | Soil with a pH reading measured below 7.0; most plants prefer slightly acid soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. |
| Alkaline (sweet) | Soil with a pH reading measured above 7.0. |
| Annual | A plant whose life cycle is completed in one season. |
| Arborist | A person who specializes in tree maintenance. |
| Balled and burlapped (B&B) | A way of preparing plants for transplantation that includes digging up the root ball and wrapping it in burlap to protect the root ball and aid in handling. |
| Biennial | A plant whose life cycle is completed in two seasons. |
| Botanical name | The scientific name for a specific plant; comprised of the Genus (always capitalized) and species (not capitalized); this combination is also referred to as the Latin binomial. |
| Clay | Soil type made up of 50% or more clay (the smallest particles of minerals in the soil); clay soils are usually very heavy and drain slowly. |
| Common name | A name given to a plant that has no scientific standing. Common names are often fun and colorful, but they can also be inaccurate. The same common name may apply to more than one plant and may vary regionally. |
| Compost | Decayed plant matter usually used as a soil conditioner or fertilizer. |
| Deciduous | A plant that loses its leaves each winter. |
| Dormancy | The extended period when a plant rests; most plants are dormant during the winter in our climate. |
| Drainage | The ability of the soil to release water. |
| Evergreen | A plant that keeps its leaves throughout the whole growing season. |
| Fertilizer | Any material that is used to feed growing plants. |
| Fungicide | Substance used for controlling fungi. |
| Groundcover | A low growing, spreading plant, usually 18 inches or less, often herbaceous. |
| Hardening off | Slowly exposing a plant to cooler temperatures to help it adapt to outdoor conditions; this process is also sometimes called acclimating. |
| Herb | Term usually applied to plants that are valued for culinary, aromatic or medicinal purposes; many herbs are also ornamental. |
| Herbaceous | Non-woody plants that die back to the ground each winter and grow again the next season. |
| Herbicide | Any chemical that kills plants. |
| Horticulturist | A person who specializes in plants and their culture. |
| Humus | Organic (was once living) matter that has broken down in the soil. |
| Hybrid | A plant that results from crossing two closely related plants; hybrid plants do not come true from their own seed. |
| Inorganic | Derived from non-living material. |
| Insecticide | Substance used for controlling insects. |
| Invasive | Any plant that is difficult to control. |
| Landscape designer | A person who specializes in the overall layout, design and construction of ornamental plantings and landscape features. |
| Loam | Soil that contains relatively equal parts of clay, sand and silt. |
| Macronutrient | Essential nutrients used in relatively large amounts by plants; plant macronutrients include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, oxygen, magnesium, hydrogen, calcium and carbon. |
| Micronutrient | Essential nutrients used in relatively small amounts by plants; plant micronutrients include boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc. |
| Mulch | Any material put on the surface of the soil for looks, to help cool the soil or to reduce weeds, erosion or evaporation. |
| Native | This term is poorly defined; it is usually used to refer to plants that were found growing in a given area before man arrived and began introducing non-native plants; although the word native is often used as positive and non-native as negative, there are invasive natives and very well-behaved non-natives. |
| Non-native or exotic | Another poorly defined term; usually used to refer to any plants that were not originally growing in an area (i.e. when man arrived). But as mentioned above, many non-native plants can thrive in our gardens. |
| NPK | Designates the ratio of N Nitrogen to P Phosphorus to K Potassium; the three major nutrients found in plant fertilizers. The numerical expression of NPK, such as 10-8-12, represents the percentage of each nutrient found in the fertilizer. |
| Organic | Derived from living material. |
| Perennial | A plant that lives more than two growing seasons; usually herbaceous and dormant during the winter. |
| Pest | Collective term for any insect, plant pathogen (bacteria, fungus, virus) or weed. |
| Pesticide | Substance used to control any pest including insecticides, fungicides and herbicides. |
| pH | A measure of acidity or alkalinity of the soil on a scale ranging from 0 to 14; neutral soil has a pH of 7.0. |
| Pinching/deadheading | Pinching is a process of removing the terminal (or tip) growth on a plant in order to encourage new growth. Deadheading is removing the spent flowers to encourage new growth and blooms. |
| Pollination | In flowering plants, pollination is the transfer of pollen from the anther (male part) to the stigma (female part). Pollination is necessary for the flower to form seed and often, fruit. Some flowers are perfect (having all the necessary parts) and other flowers are imperfect (separate male and female flowers). |
| Sand | The largest particles of minerals that make up soil. |
| Silt | The medium-size pieces of mineral that makes up soil; smaller particles than sand but larger than clay. |
| Soil | A layer of fine material on the crust of the earth composed of tiny pieces of minerals, living and non-living organisms, water and air. |
| Soil texture | Composition of the soil determined by the proportion of clay, silt and sand. |
| Transplant | To move a plant from one place to another. |
| Weed | Any plant growing where it isn't wanted, generally without any economic or esthetic value. |
| Woody | Plant with bark on older stems; woody stems usually survive over winter and increase in size each year. |
Related Bachman's Information
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Common & Botanical Names |
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Garden Calendar |
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Select source information provided by the University of Minnesota Extension, www.extension.umn.edu.
Last Updated: March 2012
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