= Annual - A botanical annual is a plant that goes from seed to seed in one season and then dies. Many plants sold as "annuals" or bedding plants from nurseries, garden centers and greenhouses do not meet this definition. Many of them are actually tender perennials.

 = Biennial - A botanical biennial is a plant that goes from seed to seed in two season and then dies. The first season, it develops a low group of leaves called a rosette. It survives the winter and then blooms the second season, sets seeds and dies. Typical foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) and Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) are common biennials grown in the landscape.

 = True Bulb i.e. an underground structure consisting of a  globular stem base swollen with sugars and carbohydrates, surrounded by papery scale leaves. Examples include tulips, narcissus (daffodils), onions (Alliums) and lilies (Lilium).

It does NOT include other storage structures such as corms, rhizomes, tuberous roots or tubers which are often mistakenly included in the term "bulb."

= Butterfly - Plants that produce nectar that is attractive to butterflies or plants that act as a food supply for the larvae of butterflies.

= Corm - An organ of vegetative reproduction which consists of a short, modified, underground stem surrounded by stored carbohydrates that will release energy for the emerging shoot and leaves. Examples include plants such as the crocus and gladiolus.

= Cut Flowers - Plants that are commonly used as cut flowers.

= Deer Proof - Some plants contain chemicals that make them either poisonous or give them a bad odor or taste that deer will avoid at all times. An example would be Narcissus (includes daffodils) which will not be bothered by deer or other animals.

This is a relative term since some plants will be avoided by deer because they are lower on their "preference" list. However, if the food supply overall is deficient or the herd gets larger, deer will eat these plants. See Deer Resistant below.

 = Deer Resistant - These are plants that for some reason seem to be less attractive as deer food. This does not mean they are never eaten but they tend to sustain only minor damage unless there is a large, very hungry deer population that routinely wanders through your landscape. If the winter is unusually severe with a lot of snow cover, this may also result in deer browsing on these plants.

- Certain plants are high on the list of favorites for browsing deer. These plants are deer magnets.

= Drought Tolerant - These are plants that require less watering than most other ornamental landscape plants.

= Full Sun - Plants that need AT LEAST 6 hours of continuous sunlight through the day to do their job. These are often plants that come from open spaces where they receive sunlight from sun up in the morning until sun down in the evening. They would prefer sunlight all day long but will do o.k. on as little as 6 hours as a minimum.

 = Hardy Perennial - This indicates an herbaceous perennial i.e. a plant that lives more than two years and forms a non-woody stem. In the temperate zones of the world, the foliage die back to the ground when exposed to frost and survive as an underground organ. This means that they will live in areas that routinely drop below freezing in the autumn followed by a cold winter. See Tender Perennials.

 = Hardy Vine - These are vining plants that will survive in the temperate zones of the world. This means that they will live in areas that routinely drop below freezing in the autumn followed by a cold winter. Clematis, Wisteria, Trumpetvine, English Ivy, Boston Ivy, Poison Ivy and Grapes are examples.

See Tender Vines.

 = Native to North America and could have a place in a home landscape. Although there are differing definitions of what constitutes a native plant, we will use the term to include plants that were here before Europeans landed.

 = Ornamental Grass - This is to differentiate these types of grasses from those used as turfgrass such as Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and fine fescue. This term includes primarily those genera in the Family

 = Shrub - Woody plants that who have multiple stems that emerge from the root system or those trained to a single stem that do not exceed 10 feet in height at maturity.

 = Tree - Woody plants that are trained or naturally assume a single trunk and also reach a height of 10 feet or more at maturity.

 = Tender Perennials - Herbaceous perennials that are not hardy in the temperate zones of the United States are designated by this button. Generally, these are plants that originate in the tropical or sub-tropical areas of the earth and will not tolerate freezing temperatures. Many of the plants grown as bedding plants or "annuals" are actually tender perennials. See Hardy Perennials.

 = Tender Vines - Vining plants that are not hardy in the temperate zones of the United States are designated by this button. Generally, these are plants that originate in the tropical or sub-tropical areas of the earth and will not tolerate freezing temperatures. Many of the plants grown as bedding plants or "annuals" are actually tender perennials. See Hardy Vines.

- Although all of our garden plants were originally "wildflowers", there are some that have only recently been brought into commercial production which we still describe with this term.

- There is often debate over what constitutes a "native" plant but there are certain plants that are known to have been introduced into North America which have become well established in the wild.