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VOA慢速英语:Beauties in the Garden: Growing Ornamental Trees and Bushes
这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。
Trees and plants are called ornamentals if their main job is to add beauty and interest to a garden. Dogwood trees, for example, are a popular ornamental in some areas because of their white or pink blooms in the spring. Cherry and plum trees can also add beauty to landscaping even if they never produce fruit.
主要是用来为花园增添美丽或趣味的树木和植物叫做观赏植物。例如,山茱萸树在一些地方是非常受欢迎的观赏植物,因为它们在春季绽放的白色或粉红色的花。樱桃树和李子树也能为美化环境贡献自己的美,即便它们不结果。
Ornamental trees and bushes or shrubs can serve other useful purposes besides just looking good. Some also smell good and can be used to make scented oils -- for example, lavender and lilac.
观赏性的树木,草丛或灌木除了好看之外还有其他用途。一些味道好的树木可以被用来制作香油——例如薰衣草和紫丁香。
Ornamentals can be used to mark the border of a property or to provide privacy from neighbors. They can be used to hide trash cans and storage sheds.
观赏植物可以用来标记房产的边界,或者用来与邻居隔离以保护隐私,他们还可以用来隐藏垃圾桶和仓库。
Most ornamentals have the same needs as other plants -- water, mulch, pruning for shape and inspection for pests. But master gardener Bob Orazi says, "Most of them take care of themselves after the first six months."
大部分观赏植物的需求与其他植物相同——水,覆盖物,修剪和检查害虫。但是园艺大师Bob Orazi称,“大部分观赏植物在经过最初六个月后都能自己照顾自己。”
Bob Orazi is a horticultural adviser in Howard County, Maryland. Years of experience have shown him that people often decide to plant an ornamental bush when they see one in bloom. They might see the yellow blooms on a forsythia bush -- one of the first signs of spring -- and decide to plant one. But he says most ornamentals are better to plant just before their leaves open.
Bob Orazi是马里兰州霍华德社区的园艺顾问。多年的经验让他明白,人们通常会在看到盛开的观赏植物之后决定自己也种植一株。他们可能看到一株连翘上开出黄色的花朵——这是春天到来的标志之一——然后决定种植连翘。但是他表示,大部分观赏植物在叶子长出之前种植最佳。
Some ornamentals and other plants are sold with their roots in a ball of dirt held together with burlap. But David Robson of the University of Illinois Extension says more and more plants are grown in containers. They are easier to ship that way.
一些观赏植物和其他植物在出售时,根部都埋在麻袋包紧的泥土中。但是伊利诺伊州推广大学的David Robson表示,越来越多的植物种植在容器中,这样他们就更方便运输了。
However, the roots may become encircled by growing around and around in the pot. So his advice is to pull the plant out of the container, then cut the bottom half of the root ball into four parts.
然而,随着不断的生长,植株的根部可能会围着容器不停的缠绕。所以,他的建议是将植物从容器中拔出来,然后将根系的下半部分切成四份。
This process is known as "butterflying." The bottom of the root ball will look something like the spread-open wings of a butterfly. David Robson says planting the root ball this way will improve growth.
这个过程叫做“butterflying”。根系的底端看起来就像展翅欲飞的蝴蝶。David Robson表示,用这样的方法种植观赏植物有利于改善生长条件。
DAVID ROBSON: "It is amazing on a tree or shrub how much faster growth you will get. But you do have to remember by butterflying, you are cutting down the overall height of that root ball. So maybe butterfly it first and then measure how tall your root ball is. Then dig your hole. Make sure you do not dig it too deep so the plant is sitting below the soil line."
DAVID ROBSON:“你会对树木或灌木的生长速度感到惊讶。但是你必须记住,通过上述的”butterflying”,你降低了根系的整体高度。所以,先将根系切瓣,然后测量一下根球的高度,然后就可以挖坑了。注意不要挖得太深,这样植物就可以刚好埋在土壤平面以下。”
He also advises against letting shrubs grow taller than four and a half meters.
他还建议不要让灌木的生长高度超过4.5米。
DAVID ROBSON: "[If] some shrubs get too tall, you start losing their ability to produce good flowers."
DAVID ROBSON:“如果一些灌木长的太高,可能就会逐渐丧失开花的能力。”
In that case, your ornamental plant might not be so ornamental.
那样的话,你的观赏植物可能就不那么具备观赏性了。
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