Gardening Glossary
Definitions for gardening terms that start withB
- bacillus thuringiensis
A naturally occurring bacterial disease of insects that is often used in insecticides.
- bare root
Plants which have had all of the soil removed from their roots so that they may be sold or shipped.
- bark
The exterior of a woody stem or trunk.
- basal leaf
Leaf or growth from the lowest part of the stem.
- bedding plant
Annual plants that are good for quickly filling in flower beds.
- bentonite
A fine clay that was used to line ornamental ponds before plastic was widely available.
- berm
A buildup of soil that created a small dividing hill. These are often created artificially to add to the visual interest of a landscape, but they can also occur naturally.
- biennial
A plant that only lives two years and frequently produces flowers and seed its second year.
- blanching
The act of covering up a part of a plant to keep the sun from shining on that part of the plant. This method is most often used with certain vegetables, like celery or cauliflower, in order to make a more tender and less bitter flavored crop. Typically, blanching will also cause the plant to be paler or even white.
- blind bulb
A bulb that does not produce a flower.
- bolting
Vegetables which quickly go to flower rather than producing the food crop. Usually caused by late planting and too warm temperatures.
- bone meal
A soil amendment used to increase the phosphorus content of the soil.
- bonsai
The art of growing dwarf plants in containers through careful, manual cultivation.
- bordeaux mixture
A combination of copper sulphate and hydrated lime used mainly to control infestations of fungus.
- boron
A trace mineral that helps with the absorption of other nutrients and with germination.
- botanical name
The set, universally used scientific name for a plant.
- bottom heat
Heat supplied to the underside of a container in which a plant is growing.
- bract
A modified or specialized leaf growing just below a flower.
- broadcast seeding
Scattering seeds in a random pattern across a large area.
- brown compost material
Material added to compost pile that add carbon to the composting mix and feed the microbes and bacteria that are needed for composting.
- bud
Early stages of development of a flower or plant growth.
- bud union
The place on a grafted plant where the rootstock and the scion meet. Typically the bud union can be found near the base of the plant and should be just above ground level.
- budwood
A section of a branch or stem that has the potential to grow a new branch. This section of wood is commonly used for grafting trees.
- bulb
A plant whose complete life cycle is stored in an underground structure.
- butterfly gardening
Growing plants that will attract butterflies.
