Garden-Pedia. Pamela Bennett
walk, drive or another non-garden area.
This definition refers primarily to the herbaceous perennial border, which had its origins in England in the late 1800’s. At that time, borders were perennial gardens that were growing in front of a hedge that was used for the backdrop. Many plants can be border plants, so you will not see a “border plant” section in your local garden center or nursery. These plants are usually shorter plants and placed in the front of the garden area, followed by medium-height and then tall plants in the back, using the hedge for a backdrop or background. You'll find all types of plants in a border, including specimen trees or shrubs, as well as annuals, perennials, bulbs and grasses. Garden art is sometimes placed strategically throughout the planting.
BOTANY
The scientific study of plants (a botanist is a person who specializes in this field).
BRAMBLE
A shrub with thorns that is in the rose family.
Blackberries and raspberries are considered brambles.
BRANCH COLLAR
The area where the branch attaches to the trunk of a tree, sometimes visible with a little ring around the branch.
BROADCAST
To spread fertilizer over the growing area.
BROAD SPECTRUM
Pesticides that affect a wide variety of pests.
BROADLEAVED EVERGREENS
A plant with leaves year-round.
In general, broadleaved evergreens have one central vein and the leaves are often flat, broad or wide. To further clarify, broadleaved evergreens do not keep their leaves forever, as they do drop their leaves eventually, but just certain leaves. Unlike deciduous trees and plants that drop all their leaves at the end of the growing season, broadleaved evergreen plants will drop leaves at some time during the growing season, depending upon the species. They generally drop their older leaves with new leaves developing during the next growing season, ensuring that the plant is always evergreen. Examples include Rhododendron, azaleas, mountain laurel and Pieris.
Rhododendron
Mountain laurel – an example of broadleaved evergreens
BUD
An undeveloped or embryonic shoot that normally occurs in the axil (page 8) of a leaf or at the tip of a stem.
A bud may develop into a flower, leaf or branch depending on the type of bud.
BUD BREAK
(See: Leaf out)
BUDDING
A term with two definitions: one for propagation and the other for what a plant naturally does as it emerges from the cold of winter.
Technically speaking, budding is a form of propagation (specifically asexual plant reproduction) in which new plant material forms from buds from a parent plant. One would use budding versus other means of propagation when, for instance, you have a tree which does not naturally produce a good root system. You start with a liner or “baby” plant of a compatible tree (which produces a good root system) and slice a “T” into its bark. This type of liner is known as an understock. You then cut out a bud from the desired tree (with the weak root system) and insert it into the “T.” That bud will mesh and bond with the liner and the new tree will grow from the bud, having a good root system supplied by the understock, with the trunk upward being the tree with other desirable characteristics intact. You are basically making one tree out of two!
As a common term in the garden, budding can be the first sign of spring as leaves, flowers and branches surrounded by bud scales (protective covering) begin to plump as the weather warms. When the plant breaks dormancy, the buds scales (or shells) fall off, allowing the flowers, leaves or stems to emerge. You will also hear the term “bud break” used when plants start to grow in the new season.
Ohio buckeye at bud break
BULB
An underground storage organ of a plant consisting of a modified underground stem and modified leaves that contain stored food for the plant.
Bulbs store food or reserves for the plant that will emerge from its center following a dormancy period. The leaves of the plant that grow from the center of the underground organ replenish the energy reserves of the plant, allowing it to go dormant and re-emerge the following season. True bulbs are tulips, daffodils, and lilies. Corms, tubers and rhizomes are also grouped under bulb-like plants.
A common desire for gardeners is to cut back the leaves once the bulb’s flower has faded. When the leaves fade, they tend to look a little straggly. The best thing to do is to let these leaves grow as long as possible in order to replenish reserves for the following season. This allows good bulb growth and bloom for the next season. There is always a lot of conversation regarding the habit of “braiding” or “folding-over” the foliage in order to tidy up the garden during the period of time right after bloom. This is usually a practice done on daffodils. The surface area of the foliage is needed for photosynthesis, which produces the sugars needed for storage in the bulb for the next season’s growth. When you braid or fold-over the foliage, you decrease the surface area of the foliage, thereby decreasing the surface area for photosynthesis. However, we both know of people who do this regularly and it doesn’t seem to really hurt the quality of blooms. Our philosophy is to go as long as you can possibly stand the untidy look and then just when you can’t take it any longer, go one more week!
Bulbs can also be forced to bloom indoors during the winter season, following an artificial and often shortened dormancy period. We enjoy beauty from such bulbs as Amaryllis and Narcissus.