Susan: Hi. Welcome back to Susan's Gardening Show. I'm Susan, and we're ready to take our next caller. We have Mark from Seattle. Are you still there, Mark?

Mark: Uh. Yeah, but maybe not for long.

 

Susan: So, how can we help you today?

 

Mark: Okay. Uh, my wife is really into gardening, and about five years ago, she received a beautiful climbing rose bush . . . I think an Agatha Christie [That's a nice one.] from her mother who has passed away. Anyway, the rose plant seems to be on its last leg.

 

Susan: Really? Nomally, that rose is really quite hardy [I know.], and it's very disease-resistant, too. [I know.]

 

Mark: Yeah. Well, this situation ISN'T normal. You see about a week ago, I was doing some yard work, and I was using some weed killer [UH-oh.], yeah, to try to get rid of some terrible weeds and . . .

 

Susan: Did you spray the roses?

 

Mark: Uh, well, not exactly. I set the spray container down near the roses while I was trimming a bush, and the container must have gotten knocked over, and the weed killer soaked into the ground near the roses.

 

Susan: How much weed killer are you talking about?

 

Mark: Uh, about six or seven quarts (about six liters or 1.6 gallons), I think. [Oh, that's a lot.] You know, I mean when you put . . .

 

Susan: And the roses? What do they look like now?

 

Mark: Oh, Dead, real dead. Dead as a doornail dead, but my wife hasn't seen them yet.

 

Susan: Really? What have you done? Blindfolded her?

 

Mark: Well, I've kept her away from that side of the house where the roses are, but she is bound to see them at some point.

 

Susan: Yeah, yeah. You've got a problem.

 

Mark: I mean, is there anything I can do to revive them?

 

Susan: Not unless you're a magician.

 

Mark: Well, can you recommend a quick-growing variety that can take its place?

 

Susan: Marc. I'm sorry. You've made a mistake . . . A big mistake.

 

Mark: . . . except that my wife warned me this could happen . . . Oh, man.

 

Susan: Oh, shoot. Listen. You made a blunder. A big mistake. A really big mistake. But unless your wife goes on vacation for a couple of years, you're not going to be able to replace the roses that fast.

 

Mark: So, any recommendation? I mean, what do I do?

 

Susan: You need to talk to her.

 

Mark: Are you kidding? You don't know my wife.

 

Susan: I'm sorry. Look. You've waited long enough. Don't let the grass grow around your feet. Say something, but be sure to hide the garden shears before you do. Kneel down; ask for forgiveness now.

 

Mark: But that's what I did when I killed her prized apple tree last year.

 

Susan: No way. Really?

 

Mark: Oh, man. Oh! She's coming in from outside [Oh, no, oh no.].

 

Susan: One final word: Hide the weed killer. [But . . .] Thanks, Mark. That's all the time we have for now. Let's move on to the next caller.

 

1. some dying flowers

2. mother

3. killed the plant(s) with deadly chemicals

4. his wife goes on vacation

5. Susan recommends that Mark go on vacation.