Acidic soil- A soil with a ph of 7.0 or lower.

Aerate- Increasing waters ability to penetrate the surface of the soil by puncturing or loosening the top surface.

Alkaline soil- A soil with a ph higher than 7.0.

Annual-A plant that is grown from seed, flowers, drops seeds, and then dies in one year.

Bareroot- A plant that is removed from the ground, sold without soil around the roots, ready for planting during the dormant season.

Bedding plant- Plants that are quick growing and colorful that are suitable for flower beds. 

Biennial- A plant that grows from seed into a small plant in the first year then flowers and drops seed in the second year before it dies.

Botanical name- Scietific name given to a plant that is made up of the genus and the species for the particular plant.

Compost- Decomposed organic matter used as a soil ammendment.

Cultivate- Preparing soil for planting by loosing up the soil surface and removing weeds.

Damping off- A fungus that affects seedlings causing the stems to rot off at the soil surface.

Deadhead- Removing dead flowers to improve the apearance of the plant, encourage continous flowering, and prevent seeds from developing and being dropped.

Double flower- A flower with many petals that overlpap each other creating a very full appearance.

Fertilizer- Plant foods that can be either organic or inorganic, liquid or granular, used to improve the quality of soil and plant growth.

Germinate- Seeds sprouting into plants.

Ground cover plants- Plants that are very dense with mat-forming foliage that covers the ground and prevents weed seed germination.

Hardening off- Gradually introducing a plant that is grown inside to outside conditions in an effort to not impact their growth. Generally starting by moving the plant to the outside for a short period of time and gradually increasing the amount of time it is outside until it is accustomed to the conditions.

Hardiness- Also known as cold hardiness. The amount of cold a plant is able to withstand. Hardy, half-hardy, and tender are terms commonly used to describe a plants hardiness. Hardy plants will survive frost while half-hardy and tender plants will not.

Herbacious plants- Plants that produce green, sappy, growth that is non-woody, dies down in the winter, and grows back from basal shoots the following spring.

Humus- Organic residue of decaying organic matter such as leaves. Used to improve soils fertility.

Hybrid- A plant that is the result of cross polination from two different plant species or varieties. Hybrids are usually created to improve upon the characteristics of the plant, such as color, hardiness, size, etc.

Hydroponics- growing plants in a liquid or mineral solution instead of in soil.

Microclimate- Essentially a climate within a climate that is the result of all the influences within the given area. Bodies of water, hills, houses, etc. are all influences that would create microclimates.

Mulch- A material that is spread over the surface of the soil to prevent loss of moisture in the soil and to prevent weed seeds from germinating. Can be organic or non-organic. Materials commonly used as mulch are wood chips and bark, newspaper, straw or hay, gravel or stones, fabric weed mat and plastic.

Naturalize- Randomly planting flowers without a specific pattern in order to give the appearance that the plants grew there naturally.

Organic matter- Material that started out as a living organism. Compost and manure are examples.

Peat moss- Partially decomposed mosses. Peat moss is commonly added to aid in water retention in soil. Soil acidity can be increased by addin peat moss.

Perennial- A plant that usually lives for more than two years. Most do not flower in the first year. Some perennials act as annuals depending upon hardiness in zones where they are planted and other conditions.

Perlite- A mineral that when processed forms granuals that aid in soil drainage while helping to keep the soil moist.

Propogation- Starting new plants. Methods of startting the plants ranges from seed germination to cuttings and layering.

Ph- The measure of the amout of calcium in the soil. Above 7.0 is alkaline soil and below 7.0 is acidic soil.

Rooting hormone- Growth hormone used to promote the rapid development of roots.

Topsoil- Esentiall the top layer of soil. Good quality soil may be purchased and added to the garden if the existing soil is not of good quality.