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An acid soil is one with a pH below 7. 

Loosening or puncturing the soil by mechanical means to increase water penetration and air permeability is called aeration.  Aerating can be as simple as cultivating around newly planted seedlings with a trowel or, in the case of lawns, can involove use of a gas-powered machine that removes small cores of soil from the turf.  The response to aeration is generally improved plant growth.

An alkaline soil is one with a pH above 7.

A plant that completes its life cycle in a year or less.  Seed germinates and the plant grows, blooms, sets seed and dies - all in one growing season.  Examples are marigolds and zinnias.

Soft, oval, pinhead-to match - head-size insects that cluster together on young shoots, buds, and leaves. They come in various colors - including green, pink, red and black, with or without wings.

Sometimes abbreviated BB or B&B, balled and burlapped shrubs and trees are sold by some nurseries from late fall to early spring.  The name comes from the large ball of soil around the roots, which is wrapped in burlap to hold it together.

In winter and early spring, nurseries offer many deciduous shrubs and trees, and some perennials, with all soil removed from their roots. For planting instrutcions, click here.

Plants (mainly annuals) suitable for massing in beds for their colorful flowers or foliage are called bedding plants.

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Plants called biennnials complete their life cycle in 2 years.  Two familiar biennials are Foxglove (Digitalis) and Canterbury Bells (Campanula medium.)   Typically, you plant seeds in spring or set out seedling plants in summer or fall.   The plants bloom the following spring, then set seed and die.

The Latin name of a plant is its botanical (scientific) name. Unlike common names, of which an individual plant may have many, a plant has only one correct botanical name, which it shares with no other.  Asking for a plant by its botanical name assures you of getting the plant you want.