Gardening Glossary » A
Acid Soil - A soil with a pH lower than 7.0 is an acid soil. (a soil pH higher than 7.0 is alkaline) Basically, pH is a measure of the amount of lime (calcium) contained in your soil.
Acre - A measure of land totaling 43,560 square feet. A square acre is 208.75 feet on each side.
Aerate - Loosening or puncturing the soil to increase water penetration.
Air Layering - A specialized method of plant propagation accomplished by cutting into the bark of the plant to induce new roots to form.
Alkaline Soil - A soil with a pH higher than 7.0 is an alkaline soil. (a soil pH lower than 7.0 is acidic) Basically, pH is a measure of the amount of lime (calcium) contained in your soil.
Annual - A plant that grows, flowers, goes to seed, and dies In one year. Plants whose life cycle lasts only one year, from seed to blooms to seed.
Arboretum - A garden with a large collection of trees and shrubs cultivated for scientific or educational purposes.
Arcade - Literally, a series of arches; in gardening, often a straight, tree-lined walkway, the trees forming the arched ceiling.
Arcadia - A picturesque plateau region in Greece, reputed to be the home of pastoral poetry and commemorated by pastoral poets as an ideal landscape of peace and contentment, peopled by philosopher-shepherds.
Architrave - A term generally used for the molding around a door or window, and specifically used for the lowest level of the entablature, directly above the capital of a column.
Aquatic plants - Plants which grow in, live in, or live on the water.