Sometimes I forget that homeowners and part-time gardeners may find landscaping jargon confusing. Ordinary words take on a different meaning to gardeners -- exfoliate is not a spa treatment, pools aren't always for swimming, beds are not a place to sleep, and trimming doesn't refer to haircuts.
So, in an attempt to clear up any misconceptions about terminology, here are definitions of some of the terms commonly used in landscaping and gardening.
• Amend: To incorporate materials that improve soil structure, usually natural substances, such as compost, gypsum, horticultural limestone or manure. A soil test before amending is always a good idea.
• B and B: The abbreviation for "balled and burlapped." This term refers to how shrubs are dug and moved. The soil surrounding a plant is dug to create a "ball" of roots, which are then wrapped in burlap to hold soil solidly around the roots.
• Bed: An area separate from paved area and lawns in which trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals can be arranged as part of a landscape design.
• Branch collar: A bulge or flare about one-half inch long at the base of a branch where it meets the trunk or main stem of a tree or shrub.
• Broadcast: Scattering landscape materials such as seed and fertilizer. Material that is broadcast is prone to drifting in the wind, so it can blow into ornamental areas where you don't want it. Therefore, do not broadcast any pesticides.
• Bud or growth point: A bud is the raised area or bump on a stem from which new growth emerges. A growth point is where a leaf, stem or major branch is already growing. Always prune just above a bud or growth point, a prudent practice for the health of trees and shrubs.
• Bulbs: Plants that grow from large roots that store food from the previous year or earlier in the season and use it for flowering. Plants called bulbs are often corms, rhizomes or tubers. Lilies, daffodils and tulips are bulbs. Irises can be rhizomes or bulbs. Day lilies and dahlias are tubers. Gladiolas are corms. All are often referred to as bulbs.
• Canopy: Overhead covering of trees or structures, one of the best ways to bring the landscape down to people-size proportions.
