Gardening glossaries

Q: Is there a site on the Internet that provides in-depth glossary and definitions of terms or words related to gardening and plant life? I frequently come across words and phrases that I don't understand. Thank you in advance for your help with this matter!

A: For a nontechnical, general database of terms relating to gardening, botany, horticulture and landscape architecture, try the GardenWeb Glossary of Botanical Terms (www.gardenweb.com/glossary). It's updated regularly and currently contains 4,400 entries. What I appreciate is that it spans both the art and science of gardening, defining terms for landscape architectural features as thoroughly as those for the anatomy of flowers.

Being a librarian, I can't help but recommend a print source as well. "Taylor's Dictionary for Gardeners" (edited by Frances Tenenbaum, Houghton Mifflin, 1997, $25) needs updating, but it's still a good source for definitions of all things horticultural, written in plain language. It's as easy to discover what "damping off" means as it is to learn the botanical name for geranium with this handy, one-volume reference.

Q: I've had a houseplant for years that I think is called a prayer plant. It has wide, striped leaves. I'd like to know how to make it bloom, because despite its location near a west window there are never any flowers. How should I take care of this plant?

A: The prayer plant (Ctenanthe oppenheimiana) is a popular houseplant from the tropical rain forests of South America. And don't feel bad about your plant's refusal to flower, because this heat lover rarely blooms outside of its natural environment. It's pretty difficult to simulate a tropical rain forest inside your house. Prayer plants are ideal for a greenhouse, or any warm, humid environment.

To keep the foliage looking its best, mist often, and since the leaves are so broad, they need occasional wiping off with a damp cloth to prevent dust build-up. Prayer plants thrive on frequent watering, but also need good drainage.

Q: I bought a plant this spring that is called the candy store cigar plant, or something like that. I like it because it has cute little red flowers all over, so many you can hardly see the leaves. I have it growing in a pot. Can I plant it in the ground this fall? Or should I keep it in the pot? Will it bloom again next spring?

A: Cuphea ignea has tubular flowers that supposedly look like glowing cigarettes or cigars, hence the common name. It's an annual in our climate, so can be grown outdoors from early May through first frost. So your plant will die this winter whether kept in a pot or planted in the ground. There is a similar-looking houseplant version called Cuphea hyssopifolia you could grow indoors year-round, and you shouldn't have any trouble finding a replacement cigar plant or two in nurseries next April.

Valerie Easton also writes about Plant Life in Sunday's Pacific Northwest Magazine. Write to her at P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111 or e-mail planttalk@seattletimes.com with your questions. Sorry, no personal replies.