Expand Your Gardening Vocabulary

Gardening was always so much easier when I was a child. A tomato was a tomato, corn was corn, and the word "flower" applied to as many plants as I wanted. Now I realize what little I know, but still, I'm having fun. Here's a gardening quiz and I'll give you answers at the end. Hopefully, we'll both learn something and perhaps have a little fun in the process.

1. What is the probably the most powerful garden design factor?
2. What time of day and weather conditions are best for planting?
3. What is the difference between an Annual and a Perennial?
4. What is oxalis?
5. What nutrient deficiency can result from over liming or from lime leached from cement or brick and is often found in regions where soil is derived from limestone and in areas with low rainfall?
6. Which plant nutrient is responsible for the healthy green color of your plants: nitrogen, phosphorus or potash?
7. In gardening terms, what does deadheading mean?
8. What is a biennial?
9. What is the term for plants that are resistant to pests and diseases, are often more vigorous and productive and can withstand cold winters?
10. What is the more common name for the perennial myosotis sylvestris?
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Okay, now the answers. I'm sure you'll get them all right. That wasn't so hard, was it?

1. Color is probably the single most powerful garden design factor.
2. Evenings of cloudy days is the best time to plant. If you have to plant during the heat of the day or on sunny days be sure plants are watered thoroughly immediately after planting.
3. An annual goes through its life cycle in one summer, and a perennial will bloom summer after summer.
4. Oxalis is a common perennial weed.
5. Iron deficiency.
6. The plant nutrient responsible for the healthy green color of your plants is nitrogen.
7. Deadheading is removing faded flowers by pinching off the flower head. The plant will spend its energy producing more flowers instead of seed. This encourages more flowers and creates a longer blooming period. Also pinch the central growing tip of the plant. This will produce side shoots further down the stem, creating a bushier plant that will produce more flowers.
8. A biennial is a plant with a two year life cycle, that produces leaves in the first season, then flowers and sets seed in the second season.
9. Referred to as hardy plants.
10. The more common name for the perennial myosotis sylvestris is forget-me-nots