Acid soil is soil with a pH lower than 7.0. It’s also called sour soil and is the opposite of alkaline soil.

Alkaline soil is soil with a pH higher than 7.0. It’s also called sweet soil and is the opposite of acid soil.

Annuals are plants that sprout, grow, flower, set seed, and die in one growing season.

Anther is the terminal part of a stamen that contains pollen.

Biennials are plants with a two-year life cycle: leaves in the first season, then flowering and seeding in the second season.

Bone meal is finely ground bone that adds nitrogen and phosphorus to soil.

Bract is a modified, often scale-like leaf at the base of a flower, fruit, or cluster of flowers or fruits.

Builder’s sand is coarse horticultural sand used to improve drainage and aeration of soil.

Bulb planter is a cylindrical hand tool used to dig holes for bulbs while minimizing disturbance to nearby tree or shrub roots.

Clay soil has very small, flat particles that pack tightly, harden when dry, and drain poorly without organic amendments.

Compost is organic material made from decaying plant and animal matter used to improve soil.

Learn more: Soil tips

Corona is a crown-like structure on some corollas, such as daffodils and the milkweed family.

Crown is the point where roots join the aboveground parts of a plant.

Cultivar is a manmade plant variety produced and maintained by vegetative propagation rather than seed.

Cuttings are stems, roots, or leaves taken from plants for propagation.

Dead heading means removing blooms that have faded.

Dormant describes plants in a resting state, often during low or high temperatures. Some plants die back to the roots.

Edging is a line that creates visual separation—for example, between a lawn and an annual border.

Germinate means to sprout from a seed.

Hardy plants are resistant to pests and diseases and can withstand cold winters. They are often more vigorous and productive.

Horticulture is the cultivation of plants for ornament or nourishment.

Humus is decomposed vegetable matter and an important component of healthy garden soil.

Hybrid is a plant created from a cross between two parent plants of different species, subspecies, or varieties.

Layering treats a shoot so it forms roots while still attached to the parent plant. It’s commonly used to propagate roses.

Leaching is the removal of nutrients from soil by flushing it with water.

Loam is a humus-rich soil with up to 25% clay, 50% silt, and less than 50% sand—ideal for growing many plants.

Lobe is a segment of a cleft leaf or petal.

Mulch is any material spread over soil to retain moisture, moderate temperature, and suppress weeds.

Neutral soil has a pH of 7.0 and is neither acidic nor alkaline.

Node is the location on a stem where buds, leaves, and branches are attached.

Organic matter is mulch or material derived from decomposed plant or animal products used to improve soil.

Peat moss is partly decomposed moss with high water retention, commonly used as a soil amendment.

Perennials are plants that can live for more than two years and return each growing season.

Learn more: Perennials

Perlite is a treated volcanic mineral (white granules) mixed into potting soil to improve drainage.

pH measures soil acidity or alkalinity on a scale of 1.0 to 14.0. Neutral is 7.0; below is acidic and above is alkaline.

Pinching removes a shoot tip with thumb and forefinger, encouraging bushier growth.

Pistil is the female reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of an ovary, style, and stigma.

Rhizome is an underground stem or storage organ with roots growing from it.

Rootball is the clump of roots and soil on a plant when removed from its pot.

Seed heads are pods or clusters of seeds on mature plants at the end of the growing season.

Self seeding is an annual’s ability to drop seeds that germinate successfully and grow into seedlings.

Species are plants that are genetically similar and breed true to type from seed.

Stamen is the male reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of a filament and a pollen-containing anther.

Tap root is the main, central root of a plant.

Terminal stem is the growing tip on a plant or shrub.

Vermiculite is a lightweight, flaky amendment that improves soil drainage.