📖 Plant Terms & Choosing Plants

New to gardening, or just want the plain-English version? Here's what the words on our plant tags and care notes actually mean.

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Annual — A plant that completes its whole life in one growing season — it grows, blooms, and dies with the first hard frost. You replant annuals each year, and in return they bloom nonstop all summer. Zinnias are true annuals; petunias, geraniums, impatiens and SunPatiens are tender perennials we grow as annuals.

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Perennial — A plant that lives for many years. The top may die back in winter, but the roots survive and it returns every spring — often bigger. Coneflower, lavender, dianthus, and hardy hibiscus are perennials. They bloom for a shorter window than annuals but come back free year after year.

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Tender perennial — Perennial in warm climates but not winter-hardy here in Zone 6b. Treat it as an annual outdoors, or bring it inside for winter. Rosemary is a good example.

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Biennial — A plant that takes two years: leaves the first year, then flowers, sets seed, and finishes the second year.

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Shrub — A woody plant, smaller than a tree, that lives for many years and forms the 'bones' of a garden — like hydrangea and boxwood.

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Vine — A climbing plant that needs a trellis or support to grow upward, like clematis.

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Herb — A plant grown for its flavorful or fragrant leaves. Some are annual (basil), some are hardy perennials here (sage, oregano, thyme), and some are tender (rosemary).

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Hardy / USDA Zone — 'Hardy' means a plant can survive our winters. Perrysburg is Zone 6b. A perennial rated to Zone 6 or colder will live here; one rated Zone 7+ usually won't survive the winter outdoors.

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Full sun / Part sun / Shade — Full sun = 6+ hours of direct sun a day. Part sun = about 3-6 hours. Shade = under 3 hours. Matching a plant to its light is the #1 thing that makes it thrive.

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Deadheading — Pinching or snipping off spent, faded flowers. It pushes the plant to make more blooms instead of seeds — do it often on petunias, geraniums, dahlias, and zinnias.

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Hardening off — Easing a tender young plant into outdoor conditions over 7–10 days so it doesn't get shocked or sunburned when planted out.

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N-P-K — The three numbers on every fertilizer label: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium. N feeds leaves, P supports roots and flowering, K builds overall strength.

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Well-drained soil — Soil that lets water pass through instead of staying soggy. Most plants — especially lavender, herbs, and anything in a pot — need it; 'wet feet' is one of the most common ways plants die.