VOA健康报道2024--A Guide to Recovering Overgrown Garden

What is the best way to repair an overgrown garden?

Garden expert for the Associated Press Jessica Damiano believes she knows the answer.

Here are some of her suggestions for making big improvements. Planning in the autumn and winter months can help you see something much more beautiful next winter:

Decide what to clear away

First, take a notebook with you and walk around the garden. Look carefully at each part. Try to decide which plants can be saved, which to throw away, and which ones require attention. Make a list as soon as you can.

Dead plants, weeds and invasive plants should be first to go. If the weather permits, dig them out, removing as much of their root systems as possible. Otherwise, wait until spring to do this before planting.

Next, remove and give away healthy plants that you do not want. Online groups and neighborhood web pages are places to find people to receive the plants. Many people will even be willing to do the digging if it means getting a free plant.

If the garden is full of plants, shrubs², trees and vines that have grown wild, you might need to use a chainsaw or heavy machine.

Define any new beds

If there are a lot of weeds or if you want to create new garden beds, you can cover the existing vegetation rather than dig it up. Decide the size and shape of the area you want to make into a new bed.

Cover that area with cardboard or lots of newspaper. Put about seven centimeters of compost and five centimeters of mulch on top of it. You can start in the autumn and leave it there over the winter until planting time in the spring.

When it is time to plant, cut holes in the cardboard or paper big enough for the roots of your plants. The covering over the ground will keep most weeds from growing. Some weeds may break through and require pulling or more cardboard, Damiano said.

How and when to prune³

Healthy but overgrown or unproductive deciduous⁴ shrubs can be brought back to life by pruning⁵. "Deciduous" means that the plants lose their leaves during the winter season. The best time to prune many plants is when their branches are bare in late winter.

Choosing a pruning method will require weighing appearance against the time it will take to recover. The fastest and most severe method would be to cut the whole plant down just above ground level. Although extreme, many shrubs can deal with this form of pruning and will bounce back stronger.

If keeping the plant looking normal is important, prune each branch or stem individually at uneven⁶ heights. It is also possible to cut back one-third of the plant's branches each year for three years. That method would have the least severe effect but requires the most patience.

Evergreen⁷ trees and shrubs should only undergo light pruning such as the shortening of individual branches. Take care to avoid pruning too much or creating holes in evergreen plants and trees. With the exception of yews⁸, they do not regrow from such damage.

Looking to the dirt

Now that you have taken care of pruning, turn your attention to the soil.

Test the soil's pH, or its acidity⁹ level. Do this to make sure the soil is good for the plants you plan to add. Test kits¹¹ are available at local garden stores and online. In the United States, a cooperative extension service might provide soil testing and soil-amendment advice for a small cost. Cooperative extension services are part of a Department of Agriculture system that includes some universities. It aims to help farmers and people interested in plants.

If the soil is hard, break it up with a machine or hand tools. Finally, spread five to seven centimeters of compost over the area. As it breaks down, nutrients¹² will work their way into the soil.

Planting considerations

After completing these steps, it will be time to plant your new garden. Choose new trees, shrubs or perennials¹⁴, that will not grow wildly. Dig holes as deep as their roots but two times as wide and space them out to their expected full-grown sizes. Native plants are good because they need little added water or special care.

Plant groundcover - short, spreading plants - to cover the ground and keep weeds from growing and the soil from drying out. It might take one or two years, but a step-by-step approach will make gardening a joy again.

And, perhaps best of all, you will see something beautiful when you look outside from your home.

I'm Jill Robbins.

Jessica Damiano reported this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English.

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Words in This Story

garden - n. a plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, or vegetables are grown

weed -n. an undesirable¹⁵ plant that grows grow thickly and crowds out more desirable plants

chain saw - n. a tool with sharp metal teeth that cuts through wood

vegetation -n. plant life or total plant cover (as of an area)

cardboard - n. a material made from cellulose fiber¹⁶ (as wood pulp) like paper but usually thicker

compost - n. a mixture that consists largely of decayed organic matter and is used for fertilizing¹⁷ and conditioning land

mulch - n. a covering (as of straw or sawdust) spread over the ground to protect the roots of plants from heat, cold, or evaporation¹⁸, prevent soil loss, control weeds, enrich the soil, or keep fruit (as strawberries) clean

shrub¹ - n. a woody plant that has several stems and is smaller than most trees

prune - v. to cut off the parts of a woody plant that are dead or not wanted

bounce back -v. (phrasal) to return quickly to a normal condition after a difficult situation or event

kit¹⁰ -n. a set of tools or supplies

perennial¹³ - n. a plant that lives for several years usually with new leafy growth produced from the base each year

1 shrub   

n.灌木，灌木丛

参考例句：

• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。
• Moving a shrub is best done in early spring.移植灌木最好是在初春的时候。

2 shrubs   

灌木( shrub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
• These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。

3 prune   

n.酶干；vt.修剪，砍掉，削减；vi.删除

参考例句：

• Will you prune away the unnecessary adjectives in the passage?把这段文字中不必要的形容词删去好吗？
• It is our job to prune the side branches of these trees.我们的工作就是修剪这些树的侧枝。

4 deciduous   

adj.非永久的；短暂的；脱落的；落叶的

参考例句：

• Overgrown deciduous shrubs can be cut back at this time of year.过于繁茂的落叶灌木可以在每年的这个时候修剪。
• Deciduous trees shed their leaves in autumn.落叶树木在秋天落叶。

5 pruning   

n.修枝，剪枝，修剪v.修剪（树木等）( prune的现在分词 )；精简某事物，除去某事物多余的部分

参考例句：

• In writing an essay one must do a lot of pruning. 写文章要下一番剪裁的工夫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A sapling needs pruning, a child discipline. 小树要砍，小孩要管。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

7 evergreen   

n.常青树；adj.四季常青的

参考例句：

• Some trees are evergreen;they are called evergreen.有的树是常青的，被叫做常青树。
• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。

8 yews   

n.紫杉( yew的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We hedged our yard with yews. 我们用紫杉把院子围起。 来自辞典例句
• The trees grew more and more in groves and dotted with old yews. 那里的树木越来越多地长成了一簇簇的小丛林，还点缀着几棵老紫杉树。 来自辞典例句

9 acidity   

n.酸度，酸性

参考例句：

• This plant prefers alkaline soil,though it will readily tolerate some acidity.这种植物在酸性土壤中也能生存，但硷性土壤更加适宜。
• Gastric acidity would not prevent the organism from passing into the gut.胃的酸度不能防止细菌进入肠道。

10 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

11 kits   

衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件

参考例句：

• Keep your kits closed and locked when not in use. 不用的话把你的装备都锁好放好。
• Gifts Articles, Toy and Games, Wooden Toys, Puzzles, Craft Kits. 采购产品礼品，玩具和游戏，木制的玩具，智力玩具，手艺装备。

12 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》

13 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

14 perennials   

n.多年生植物( perennial的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Name six perennials and six annuals suitable for indoor flower arrangement. 列出多年生及一年生花朵各六种，它们必须是适合插花的。 来自互联网
• Herbage can be divided into three categories: annuals, biennials, and perennials. 草本植物可分成一年生、二年生和多年生。 来自互联网

15 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。

16 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。

17 fertilizing   

v.施肥( fertilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Sometimes the preliminary step must be taken of reducing weed population before fertilizing. 有时候，在施肥之前，必须采取减少杂草密度的预备性步骤。 来自辞典例句
• The self fertilizing garden can also be planted in raised beds. 自我施肥的菜园也可以在苗圃床中种植。 来自互联网

18 evaporation   

n.蒸发，消失

参考例句：

• Be careful not to lose too much liquid by evaporation.小心不要因蒸发失去太多水分。
• Our bodies can sweat,thereby losing heat by evaporation.我们的身体能出汗，由此可以蒸发散热。