Ever wondered what those different landscaping terms actually meant?  I'm here to give you a detailed definition of popular terms in the landscaping industry without using complicated jargon that only horticulturalists would know.  Stay tuned for your friendly neighborhood landscaper to break down each one of these complicated terms.

Aeration is the process of creating little holes in the soil to increase water and oxygen flow.  Aerating the soil is commonly used with compact soil that is resistant to growth.

Often referred to as an "Annual" these plants grow to maturity and die within a single season.  Annuals are very sensitive to frost and will perish when the first frost hits in the late fall months.

Different than the Annual Plants, a Biennial will produce a vegetable in one season then go on to produce a flower the next season and will then subsequently die.  A good example of a biennial plant is parsley.

The bulb is a part of the plant that remains underground to allow the plant growth to begin.  Bulbs can be compared to seeds because they are planted very similarly.

Most people who live in the united states know what compost is because composting is a very common practice particularly in New England.  Compost is the result of decomposed fruit, dinner scraps or garden material.  Compost is generally used to help with the aid of growth in flower beds because of it's high nutritional content.

The process of dethatching involves a large rake or dethatching machine to remove dead grass.  Removing dead grass is a great way to get new grass to grow and the process of dethatching helps hasten the cycle of new grass growing.

Evergreen is a common term that is associated with annual and biennial because it refers to a plant that is able to survive year round.  I should mention that most plants survive year round, but an evergreen plant is one that specifically has green leaves or needles all year round.  A good example of an evergreen plant is the pine tree.

Although Germination sounds like a word that should be used in Walking Dead or a Sci Fi thriller it's actually a term that us landscapers use to describe the sprouting or a spore, seed or pollen grain.

Manufactured fertilizer is usually referred to as inorganic or not organic fertilizer due to concentrated amounts of natural gas and phosphate rock found in the mixture.

Irrigation is a fancy way to say watering.  Many people use irrigation systems to properly water their lawn and garden in areas where rains are infrequent.  A properly maintained irrigation system can be a great asset to a homeowner who doesn't have time to water the grass themselves.

Many people use mulching to make their flower beds look nice, but few people know the actual point of mulching.  Mulching is done to cover the soil in order to conserve moisture and prevent weeds from growing.

So far in this article we've gone over many types of plants including the annual plants which grow to maturity only to die in a single season.  The biennial plants that produce a veggie in one season and go on to produce a flower in the next season and then die in the season following.  We also defined evergreen plants which keep their leaves green throughout the year.  Perennials are one of the most popular plants for homeowners because they live a number of years.   If you're looking to get a hardy landscape then I'd recommend you choose a mixture of evergreens, annuals and perennials.

Photosynthesis is the way in which green plants are able to convert light to carbohydrates.  Photosynthesis is one of the reasons why veggies are so good for the body.  If we didn't have photosynthesis then we would treat most green plants like grass and cover our lawns with it rather than eat it.

Sod is used to regrow grass in an area.  Many landscapers use sod to start a new lawn because of it's amazing growing ability.

Pruning and shearing results in a decorative style of plant growth which is commonly referred to as Topiary.

I hope that you learned a little bit about some of the terms used by landscapers or horticulturalists.  We try not to use these terms too often when speaking with homeowners because often there's a lack of understanding.