Gardening Glossary

Xeriscaping Seeds provide a method of landscaping which follows principles of water conservation, plant selection, mulching, minimal use of lawn, and efficient irrigation. It does not mean zero use of water. You will need to water well at planting time, and while your plants are becoming established. Other than that, mature plants will be drought resistant. What the heck is xeriscaping? Simply put, xeriscaping is a system of landscaping with water conservation as the priority. In areas that receive little rainfall in the summer, some thoughtful xeriscaping will allow flowering plants to thrive, adding visual appeal – as well as...

Vernalization is a treatment for some plant varieties that is necessary to induce flowering. Typically, the plants are chilled for a period of days or weeks to simulate low winter temperatures. Many biennials require vernalization, and without it, the flowering process is not triggered. The author Eliot Coleman describes a vernalization method for treating artichokes that induces them to flower in the first year.

Some seed companies coat their seeds with chemicals that act as fungicide or pesticide. Growers on massive industrial scale may wish to use treated seeds to reduce the chance of crop failure due to a sudden cold snap or unusually wet spring weather. Treated seeds are often dyed bright colours to show that chemicals are being used. West Coast Seeds does not sell treated seeds of any kind. We believe that inserting seeds coated with poison into the earth is an unsound gardening practice. We prefer gaguing the weather patterns from year to year, employing crop protection, and choosing the...

A trellis is any structure built or erected to support climbing plants and vines. Many formal trellis designs exist, usually in the form of a gridwork of wood or metal. The word is sometimes used as a verb, as in, “trellis this climbing cucumber variety for the straightest fruits.” Plants can be trellised over fences, up walls, even up trees if there is enough light. One grower here in Delta trellises his pumpkins up sturdy ladders in a way that allows the fruits to hang down beneath the bulky plants. Trellising allows plants to grow towards the light, and at...