L.A. SPEAK

A selection of landscaper lingo and gardener gab:

beast n . a client’s dog. “We’ve got to clean up after the beast before we can mow this lawn.�

cooked n . sunburned.

deadhead v . to snip off the dead and dying flowers in order to foster

new growth. “Deadhead those daisies; they’re looking a little sad.�

horticultural engineer n . a gardener with pretensions.

Martha Stewart n . a fussy client who wants every plant to flower in shades of lavender, pink and white. “She’s a Martha Stewart for sure--she wouldn’t let me put in these red poppies.�

mow, blow and go n . a gardener who does little more than rudimentary clean-up and maintenance. “That crew can’t make anything grow. All they do is mow, blow and go .�

rain forest n . A lush, overgrown tropical area characterized by such plants as swaying palms and giant Australian tree ferns.

rip and tear v . to pull out all plant matter. “ Rip and tear this bed. They want to replace their impatiens with succulents.�