Landscape and Garden Design: Creating a Sustainable Future

Vocabulary flashcards covering the ecological impacts, climate mitigation techniques, and sustainable practices in landscape and garden design.

Urban Heat Island (UHI) Effect

A phenomenon where cities experience higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas because urban surfaces like concrete and asphalt absorb and radiate more heat than natural surfaces, compounded by fewer trees and plants.

Biodiversity

The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat, which strengthens environmental resilience, supports a balanced ecosystem, and naturally manages pests and diseases.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants absorb carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) from the atmosphere and convert it with sunlight into oxygen and glucose, storing carbon in plant tissues.

Transpiration

The release of water vapour by plants that cools the surrounding air, similar to how sweating cools the human body.

Drip Irrigation System

A water-efficient method operating at low pressure that delivers water slowly and directly to a plant’s roots, minimising water loss.

Carbon Dioxide ($CO_2$)

The primary driver of global warming and most significant greenhouse gas contributing to human-induced climate change, which has increased significantly since the Industrial Revolution.

Tree Carbon Sequestration

The long-term storage of carbon in a tree's biomass (trunk, branches, leaves, and roots), totaling anywhere from $200\text{ to }5,000\text{ kg}$ of $CO_2$ over a tree's lifetime.

Temperature Anomaly

How much the global average surface temperature over land and oceans differs from a specified historical baseline (such as the 1861–1890 average), measured in degrees Celsius.

Edible Gardens

Gardens dedicated to growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs that bolster climate resilience by improving access to fresh food and reducing reliance on the global food system.

Soil Preservation

Techniques such as mulching, composting, diverse plant selection, and minimising soil disturbance to protect soil structure, enhance fertility, and store carbon.