Any discussion of gardens should focus on using correct terminology. This Gardeners’ Dictionary is presented as a handy guide for novice and seasoned gardeners alike with the hope that it will clarify currently used vocabulary.
(Note 1: Since this is a scholarly piece, pictures do not accompany text.)
Annual – plant that dies as soon as you plant it, as opposed to Perennial, which is a plant that had it lived, would have come back next year
Catalog Offerings, first choice – For plants used in cottage gardens look for Code MESS
Catalog Offerings, second choice – For plants used in formal gardens look for Code STIF
Chemical – product used to eradicate undesirable plants but works best on desirable plants
Deadheading – time-consuming chore of removing spent blooms, but can be avoided with the usual life cycle of Annuals or Perennials
Deer – adorable large creature that destroys your favorite daylily
Eradication – the act of chemically removing plants that are growing well
Hedge – a series of heavily pruned shrubs in a row that create a striking visual effect, especially if one or two shrubs in the middle die out
Meatballs – usually a food; in gardening a shrub pruned to this shape. For example, some home landscape designs feature many meatballs of varying sizes lined up in a row. Also known as lollipops.
Mulch – organic or inorganic material used for decorative purposes and/or conserving water that provides optimum conditions for colonization by weeds
Perennial – plant that had it lived, it would have come back next year, as opposed to an Annual which dies soon after you plant it
Planting in Threes – aesthetic landscape design technique that insures at least one plant in the group will remain alive long enough for you to enjoy it
Pruning – the act of chopping off undesirable growth, chainsaw most efficient and preferred tool
Rabbit – adorable small creature that destroys your favorite hosta
Seeding In – what weeds do best (see definition of Weeds)
Shrub – woody plant susceptible to disease, drought, poor drainage, bugs, rabbits and deer
Soil, clay – type of soil that causes plants to drown and die
Soil, sand – type of soil that causes plants to dry up and die
Soil, superior – type of soil that causes plants to grow. Nobody has this soil
Thug – plant that grows so well it pushes out Annuals and Perennials and has to be eradicated (see definition). Especially nasty because thugs are often so attractive they are desired by uninitiated gardeners
Tidy Garden – garden that is best viewed at night
Tool Belt – if worn and used properly, effective for keeping track of trowels, pruners, etc.
Tree – tall, grown-up thug with heavy roots and deep shade with no consideration for smaller plants
Trowel – small hand tool usually buried in the last place it was used
Weed – happy plant
Weeding – the act of removing happy plants to uncover dying Annuals or Perennials
(Note 2: Please feel free to notify the editor about any errors or omissions in this Dictionary.)
Thanks for a laugh out loud gardeners dictionary! 😅
You are very welcome. I’m glad it tickled your fancy.
Oh Carolyn, this is GREAT!! I will be sure to keep a log of any new “urban yard language” I hear of to give to you in the future. Take care, Michelle
Thanks, Michelle. I love your expression, “urban yard language.” Glad the dictionary stuck a chord, I think of the definitions while I am weeding!