VOA健康报道2023--How to Plant Flowers in a Container

How to Plant Flowers in a Container

In her latest gardening story, Jessica Damiano tells of going to a gardening store in search of only one plant.

The store did not have the plant that the Associated Press writer wanted. But it had many containers of pretty flowers.

Instead of leaving with nothing, Damiano came home with many flowers.

She called the flowers "eye candy." Damiano also called the purchase "an impulse¹ buy."

Eye candy is something you might see in a store window. It could be a pretty, but costly², piece of clothing that makes you decide to go inside to just look around. The next thing you know, you have tried on the clothing and decided³ to wear it home. That is an example of an impulse buy.

In Damiano's case, she decided to purchase flowers at the garden store and bring them home.

She said she could not resist all the eye candy.

Sometimes when she visits the garden store, she will see a pre-planted container filled with pretty flowers. These can be very costly, but she knows the flowers have been planted by an expert and they should keep growing well when she gets them home.

But this time, Damiano wrote, she decided to take the flowers home in small containers and plant them on her own.

She called the project of buying flowers and planting them in a container, such as a pot, at home, "easy, fun and money-saving." The process can be rewarding and fill you with pride as you look at your work all season.

Damiano said some people think you can buy flowers and plant them any way you want. But she said there are important rules you need to follow to make sure the flowers continue to grow.

First, she said, make sure you know how large the flowers will get when they are fully⁴ grown. That way you can place them in your pot or container correctly.

It is also a good idea to make sure all the flowers in the same container have the same water and sunlight needs.

Once you have a container and your flowers in mind, be sure to make some holes in the container so water can flow out.

Be sure to choose the correct soil for young plants and flowers. It is not a good idea to take soil directly from your garden. That soil is not likely to be good for the roots of the young plants. Softer soil that is sold in bags at garden stores is the right kind of soil to use. The young roots are able to grow and spread more easily.

If you do not have pre-made soil, you can make your own by combining natural materials like peat moss⁵, coconut⁶ fiber⁷ or rice hulls⁸ with compost and a mineral called vermiculite. The vermiculite holds on to water and nutrients⁹. Once you combine all three, you should have healthy soil for young plants.

The next thing you need is some fertilizer¹⁰ that will help the young plants and flowers grow. Fertilizer is a growing aid.

If you know the following English words – thrillers¹¹, fillers, and spillers, Damiano said, you can remember which kinds of flowers to plant.

Thrillers, she explained, are tall plants that catch people's attention. They should be planted first and in the center of the container. Fillers are shorter plants that should go around the taller plant. Spillers are plants similar to vines¹² that will grow out of the container and "spill" over the edges. They should grow just inside the edge of the container.

Be sure to pay a lot of attention to plants that you put in containers. They grow differently from plants in the ground. The roots of garden plants can spread out to reach deep nutrients and water in the soil. Plants in containers cannot do that. Be sure to check them two times a day and water them often, especially when it is hot and dry. Do not forget to add fertilizer, either. Also, plants in containers need nutrients more often.

Words in This Story

impulse – n. a sudden urge to do something

rewarding – adj. giving a good feeling or a feeling of satisfaction

pride – n. feeling very good about something you have done

thrill – n. a feeling of excitement or enjoyment

1 impulse   

n.（一时的）冲动，冲力，脉冲，神经冲动

参考例句：

• She wrote that letter on impulse.她一时冲动写了这封信。
• I don't know how to resist my impulse.我不知道怎样抑制自己的感情冲动。

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

6 coconut   

n.椰子

参考例句：

• The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。
• The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。

7 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

8 hulls   

船体( hull的名词复数 )； 船身； 外壳； 豆荚

参考例句：

• Hulls may be removed by aspiration on screens. 脱下的种皮，可由筛子上的气吸装置吸除。
• When their object is attained they fall off like empty hulls from the kernel. 当他们的目的达到以后，他们便凋谢零落，就象脱却果实的空壳一样。

9 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 fertilizer   

n.肥料，化肥

参考例句：

• Fertilizer enriches the soil.肥料使土壤肥沃。
• Get some more fertilizer for the garden.给花园再多施些肥料。

11 thrillers   

n.紧张刺激的故事( thriller的名词复数 )；戏剧；令人感到兴奋的事；（电影）惊悚片

参考例句：

• He has written seven thrillers, and clearly enjoys intellectual pursuits. 他已经写了7本惊悚小说，显然很喜欢这样的智力活动。 来自辞典例句
• Most Americans prefer to read fast-moving adventure stories that we call "thrillers". 大部分美国人喜欢看我们称之为"惊险小说"的情节多变的冒险故事。 来自辞典例句

12 vines   

n.藤本植物，藤( vine的名词复数 )；葡萄树

参考例句：

• Melons grow on vines. 瓜长在藤上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Grape vines overarched the garden path. 葡萄藤在花园小路上方形成了拱形。 来自《简明英汉词典》