Rich's Garden Glossary
Every month Rich adds a new term to this glossary,
so please check back.

Bolt: This is the time of year when plants can bolt, or go to seed early. Annuals and vegetables, if planted too late in the season, or if a heat wave hits, plants can flower early and produce seeds early.

Deadhead:
Pinching or cutting off spent blossoms keeps the plant from going to seed, giving you a longer blooming season. It also keeps the garden tidy by not letting unwanted seedlings emerge. However, if you have an informal garden, like to feed the birds, and are not worried about the length of bloom season, don't deadhead everything. If you want larger blossoms, remove the small side buds along the stems which form in the angles of the leaves. This will allow all of the food reserves to be used for one large flower rather than many smaller ones.

Dormancy:
Once a year a plant's growth slows down. For most plants this is during winter when the days get shorter and temperatures drop. Dormancy keeps
the plant from having tender new growth that would would most likely be damaged by frost.

Growing Season: This is the number of days between the last killing frost of Spring and the first killing frost of Fall. This is when a plant is actively growing, producing new growth or flowers.

Root Bound:
When a plant has been left is a pot too long, the roots become tangled and matted and grow in circles. Be sure to loosen the roots before planting so they can grow into the soil. Tease the roots apart, and clip off any extra long roots to stimulate new growth.

Stress: Just like people, plants can be stressed. A stressed plant may wilt, lose foliage color or brown at leaf edges. This condition may be caused by wind, too little or too much watering, extreme temperatures--whether high or low--over a long period of time, all which endanger the health of the plant.

Underplanting: This means to plant one plant under another, like a ground cover under a tree. This can really help some more sensitive plants survive a hot summer or a icy winter, as the tree protects the plant beneath it. It shades during summer, and, if an evergreen, can protect from ice and snow during winter. It is always good to check out whether the two plants can live together first.