Landscape Lingo
Sometimes in landscaping the lingo is different. This is a list of definitions for those words.
Desertification:
Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of fertile land into arid desert. In urban settings this is due to the removal of vegetation and replacement with inappropriate for Weber County, rock landscaping.
Living Soil:
Living soil is a dynamic ecosystem teeming with microorganisms, organic matter, and minerals that support plant growth. It is more than just dirt; it’s a complex, self-sustaining environment that contributes to the health of plants, animals, and humans. Cultivating living soil involves nurturing its delicate balance to promote sustainability and productivity in gardening and agriculture
Organic Landscaping:
Organic landscaping is sustainable agricultural system that uses ecologically based pest controls and biological fertilizers derived largely from animal and plant wastes and nitrogen-fixing cover crops. Modern organic landscaping is a response to the environmental harm caused by the use of chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers in conventional landscaping, and it has numerous ecological benefits.
Synthetic Pesticides:
Pesticides are substances used to prevent, destroy, or repel pests, including insects, weeds, and fungi. Within this broad category, a specific classification known as synthetic pesticides exists. These compounds became widespread after World War II, promising significant increases in farm yields. Their development marked a shift towards manufactured chemical solutions in agriculture and public health.
Urban Heat Island:
An urban heat island (UHI) is when a city becomes significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas, forming a "heat island" due to buildings, roads, and lack of vegetation absorbing and re-emitting solar heat, creating higher temperatures, especially at night, impacting energy use, health, and air quality. These elevated temperatures stem from dark surfaces (like asphalt/concrete) storing heat, less evaporative cooling from plants, and waste heat from human activities.
Water Budget:
A water budget is a method of determining the amount of water and where it lands in an established landscape — the data gathered informs the tester if plants are receiving the correct amount of water and if the individual sprinkler heads are working properly.
Xeriscaping:
Xeriscaping is the process of landscaping, or gardening, that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation an alternative to various types of traditional gardening. The use of plants whose natural requirements are appropriate to the local climate is emphasized, and care is taken to avoid losing water to evaporation and runoff. Xeriscaping has been theorized to help offset the urban heating island (UHI) effect.
Zeroscaping:
Zeroscaping, often confused with xeriscaping, refers to landscaping with little to no plants, relying heavily on rocks, gravel, and hardscapes to minimize water use, but it can create heat islands and lacks the ecological benefits of xeriscaping, which uses drought-tolerant native plants for a balanced, beautiful, and water-wise landscape. While zeroscaping aims for zero plants for extreme water saving, xeriscaping aims for minimal water by using smart, regionally appropriate plant choices that thrive in dry conditions.