BUD: 1. A growing point enclosed by closely overlaid rudimentary leaves. Buds may contain foliage or flowers. Bulbs and bulbils are forms of leaf buds. Flower buds are unexpanded blossoms. 2. To graft a bud of 1 plant on the stem of another (i.e. to bud a garden rose on a brier).
BUDDING: 1. The production of buds. 2. A form of propagation in which a single bud is grafted to the stock. Also called bud grafting.
BUDDING STRIP: A rubber strip, typically 1/8th to 3/8th inches wide and up to 8 inches long, used to hold grafts.
BUD MUTATION: A bud variation resulting from local genetic alteration and producing a permanent modification that usually can be retained by grafting.
BUD SPORT: The product of bud mutation or bud variation.
BUD VARIATION: In the outgrowth of a bud, the deviation in any respect from the ordinary growth of the plant, producing what is commonly known as a sport. Many varieties arise this way, such as Red Delicious Apples, and these are perpetuated by bud propagation.
BUFFER: A substance in the soil that will chemically act to resist changes in the soil's reaction or pH, usually clay or fine organic matter.
BUFFER STRIPS: Strips of perennial grass or other erosion-resisting vegetation.
BULB: A true bulb is a complete package containing next year's flower already forming inside. If you were to cut a tulip, daffodil, hyacinth, or amaryllis bulb in half, you would see a complete embryonic plant inside, with tiny flowers, stems, leaves, and roots. The contents of the bulb are often enclosed in protective, fleshy scales, which are held together by a small basal plate. The scales are modified leaves that contain enough nutrients to sustain the plant through dormancy and early growth. They may be loose and open like those of a lily, or tightly closed like those of a hyacinth. In many bulbs, a paper-thin tunic protects the scales (lilies don't have a tunic). Roots will grow from the bulb's basal plate. The foliage of bulbous plants shouldn't be cut off while green; it should be allowed to die naturally because it supplies the food for the next season's growth. There are several different ways in which bulbs reproduce. Some reproduce by a process called annual replacement. The old bulb, called the "mother" bulb, dies after flowering and is replaced by new "daughter" bulbs of various sizes. When the time is right, the largest of these will flower the following season, and the others will bloom in the years to come. Other bulbs reproduce by offsets. The mother bulb lives for two to three years, and the new bulbs (offsets) are produced alongside the mother bulb. Offsets can be removed and planted elsewhere in the garden.
BULBLET: A little or secondary bulb; specifically, a small aerial bulb or bud with fleshy scales, growing in the axils of leaves, as in the tiger lily, or taking the place of flower buds, as in the common onion. Also called bulbil.
BULB PLANTER: A sharp-edged, tapered cylinder used to remove a plug of soil or sod, in which a bulb is placed. The plug is then returned to the hole to cover the bulb.
BULLATE: Blistered or puckered.
BUR: The rough, prickly covering of the seeds of certain plants, such as the chestnut or burdock. Also spelled burr.
BURL: A hard, woody growth on the trunks or branches of trees that is sometimes used for making bowls, veneer, and coffee tables, such as from the redwood.
BURLAP: A loosely woven fabric made of jute or hemp used to protect newly seeded lawns from wind, water and birds.
BURN LIME (CaO): A caustic solid used to neutralize acid soil or to raise the pH of the soil.
BURSICULATE: Resembling a small pouch, or having a small, pouch-like cavity.
BUSH: 1. A thicket; a clump of trees or shrubs. 2. A low and multi-branched shrub. 3. An expanse of forest or shrubby vegetation.
BUTTERFLY GARDEN: A garden planted for the purpose of attracting butterflies by using plants whose flowers produce nectar for them. (i.e. butterfly bush -Buddleia and butterfly flower - Asclepias).
BUTTONBUAH: Acommon name for Cephalanthus occidentalis, a North American shrub, on account of its globular flower heads.