Annual Garden Quiz: Test Your Knowledge!

Can you answer these 15 True/False and multiple choice questions?  Many of the answers can be found in earlier Curious Gardener articles. Answers are at the bottom of the page, but try not to peek.

1. Which one of the following is NOT a method of plant propagation? (multiple choice)

a) Plant division

b) Layering

c) Conditioning

d) Seed germination

2. Which of the following perennial plants are drought resistant? (multiple choice)

a) Stokesia cvs (Stokes Aster)

b) Baptisia cvs (False Indigo)

c) Allium spp. (Ornamental onion)

d) All of the above

3. True/False: The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is occasionally revised to reflect changes in climate across the USA

4. Which one of the following propagation methods is considered ‘sexual’? (multiple choice)

a) Taking cuttings from an existing plant

b) Starting plants from seeds

c) Cloning an existing plant

5. True/False: Pruning out dead wood on a shrub can be done any time of year.

6. Which of the following is a good definition of a dahlia tuber? (multiple choice)

a) A tuber is the stem of a dahlia after the flower is cut

b) The tuber is planted just under the soil’s surface and sends out runners to make new plants

c) Like a bulb the tuber is planted underground and stores all the nutrients to grow a plant and will multiply each season

7. True/False: Testing the pH of your soil is a good way of determining whether a plant will thrive in the unamended soil in your garden.

8. Which of the following describes the cotyledon of a plant? (multiple choice)

a) The petals of a flower

b) The cotyledons are the embryonic leaves that appear in a seed bearing plant, helping establish the plant as a photosynthetic organism.

c) The roots of a plant

9. Which of the following is the best time to prune a rose bush? (multiple choice)

a) After a good rainfall 

b) In the middle of winter when it is dormant

c) Late winter or early spring when new growth begins to show

10. True/False: Taking a cutting from a living plant is a good way to propagate many plants. 

11. Which of the following perennials will keep blooming if you deadhead them? (multiple choice; pick two)

a) Nepata (Catmint)

b) Aquilegia Canadensis (Columbine)

c) Coreopsis verticillata (‘Moonbeam’ Tickseed)

12. True/False: A low elevation in a geographic area will likely get frost earlier in the fall and later in the spring than a higher elevation.

13. What are the components of a good compost pile? (multiple choice)

a) Baked goods and dairy products

b) Fresh greens (garden cuttings, grass clippings, vegetable scraps, coffee grinds) and dry, decomposing plant material (autumn leaves, straw, wood chips, paper).

c) Meat and fish scraps

14. Which of the following are pollinators of plants? (choose all that apply)

a) Honey bees

b) Butterflies

c) Bats

d) Birds

15. True/False: The best way to water plants outdoors is with an overhead sprinkler system.

16. Bonus Question: What is the most important tool in the garden?

a) Womanswork gloves to protect your hands

b) Womanswork gloves to protect your hands

c) Womanswork gloves to protect your hands

 

Answers to Quiz:

1. c. 2. d. 3. True 4. b.  5. True 6. c. 7. True 8. b. 9. c. 10. True 11. a, c. 12. True 13. b. 14. a, b, c, d 15. False 16. a, b, c