Planting Phrases
Gardening is a fun hobby, but to the beginner, the lingo or planting language can be confusing. The art of gardening involves much more than simply digging a hole, putting a plant in it, watering it and watching it grow. Some plants need more specific care, so knowing the language will help you move from a beginner to a proficient gardener. Does this Spark an idea?
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Prepare A Bed
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A flower bed or garden spot does not automatically have desirable soil. Plain dirt usually contains hardened clay, rocks, too much sand or is too hard in which to plant. There are not enough vital nutrients in the dirt to sustain a plant so the bed must be prepared before planting happens. To prepare the bed, you will need to dig the dirt to about 8 inches deep, removing any rocks and breaking any hard clumps of clay or dirt. The addition of sand, black top soil or potting soil, peat and possibly even lime to the dirt will create a planting mix your flowers or plants will love.
A Flat
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A flat of flowers or plants is a small shallow tray, in which the seeds have been grown. Garden centers or nurseries will sell plants by the plant, tray or flat. Buying by the flat is usually a less expensive way to buy a larger quantity of flowers or plants.
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Dead Head
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Dead heading is cutting or breaking flowers that have bloomed and died. This allows for further blooming and taking seeds from heirloom flowers or plants. Dead heading makes the plant stay bushy and keeps the branches or stems of the plant healthier. This also keeps flowers from over seeding themselves and crowding other flowers.
Dividing
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Perennials tend to spread over time. If they spread too much, they will not be as healthy because the roots will be crowded. They may also crowd other plants growing within the flowerbed or garden. Dividing is the process of digging up the flowers' roots or tubers and separating them. This will make more than one plant and allows for sharing or trading with friends to expand your garden. Most perennials need to be divided every two to four years for healthy growth.
Forcing
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Forcing a flower to bloom is making it bloom when it is not the usual time for it to bloom. Forcing is usually done in winter, or when you have a flowering plant, that you want to bloom for a specific date such as a holiday. An example of forcing is with a poinsettia at Christmas. Poinsettias usually bloom near Christmas, but sometimes their natural bloom time will not happen until after the holiday. Placing a paper bag over the plant and placing it in a dark closet for a few days will make it bloom.
Naturalize
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Naturalizing your garden is giving it the appearance of growing without any help from man, like you would see plants growing wild. This is achieved by planting flowers native to the area, in no pattern or rows, so they look like they grew there naturally. You might even see plants labeled "to give a naturalized appearance" or a "naturalizing plant" when you purchase bulbs or flowers.
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