Autumn Is Not the End of Gardening
2020-10-22
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1As the Northern Hemisphere moves deeper into autumn, the daylight hours get shorter and the weather colder.
2This means the gardening season is ending, right?
3Well, not so fast.
4Lee Reich is a gardener and writes for The Associated Press.
5He shared his thoughts on growing plants in and around the home.
6In mid-October, Reich was cleaning up his garden in northern New York state when he heard a weather report on the radio.
7The announcer warned that freezing temperatures were coming, and this would put an end to the gardening season.
8The weather reporter may know about weather conditions, Reich writes, "but he is no gardener."
9To Reich, colder weather does not mean the end to gardening.
10He admits that his more tender vegetables and flowering plants froze to death when temperatures dropped to 1.6 degrees Celsius.
11The beans, peppers and marigolds did not survive the cold.
12However in his story, Reich writes lovingly about what is still growing in his garden.
13Even with a recent frost, he says, there are still leaves on the trees turning beautiful colors of red, yellow and orange.
14His butterfly bush is still producing flowers.
15Reich says his rhododendrons and heaths, two hardy flowers, "look as healthy the morning after the frost as the warm day before it."
16Hardy is a way to describe plants that can live in harsh conditions or colder weather.
17In my garden, my butterfly bush, rosemary and hardy flowers like chrysanthemums are also doing fine.
18So far, night-time temperatures have dropped as low as 7 to 8 degrees Celsius.
19Reich also suggests looking around your garden or the grounds around it.
20Some areas may not be as cold as others.
21A wall or a tree can prevent temperatures from dropping as low as in more open, exposed areas.
22Reich noted that some flowering plants, growing next to the west side of his house still look healthy and strong.
23It is not just flowers and trees that can do well in colder temperatures.
24Hardy vegetables can still be productive.
25There are plenty of cold-hardy vegetables growing in his garden.
26His kale, spinach, broccoli, lettuce and radishes looked fine, he said, after a night or a few nights of below-freezing temperatures.
27In fact, he adds, such vegetables look and taste better during this kind of weather than they do in summer heat.
28Another writer and gardener, Robin Sweetser, provides advice on gardening for The Old Farmer's Almanac.
29She notes that autumn is a favorite time of year to plant some things.
30On the Almanac.com website, Sweetser says this is the best time to plant trees and small woody plants or shrubs.
31She explains that the combination of warm soil and cool air helps their roots to grow.
32Roots will get established in the ground before the ground freezes.
33The kinds of trees and shrubs to plant and when to plant will depend on the climate where you live.
34Both experts advise gardeners to think about their plants for autumn and winter.
35Before planting, Robin Sweetser suggests asking yourself these three questions:
36Does the plant have colorful berries for winter interest?
37Will it interest birds?
38How will it look in other seasons?
39Lee Reich adds that at his home, there is less sunlight at this time of year.
40And all plants, hardy or tender, make little growth.
41Once the tender flowers are gone, he says, it is time to enjoy the "hardworking shrubs."
42Both gardeners tell us that colder weather does not have to mean your gardening is done.
43Or that the ground should look empty and dead.
44With some planning, you can enjoy something in your garden even during the cold weather.
45I'm Anna Matteo.
1As the Northern Hemisphere moves deeper into autumn, the daylight hours get shorter and the weather colder. This means the gardening season is ending, right? 2Well, not so fast. 3Lee Reich is a gardener and writes for The Associated Press. He shared his thoughts on growing plants in and around the home. 4In mid-October, Reich was cleaning up his garden in northern New York state when he heard a weather report on the radio. The announcer warned that freezing temperatures were coming, and this would put an end to the gardening season. 5The weather reporter may know about weather conditions, Reich writes, "but he is no gardener." 6To Reich, colder weather does not mean the end to gardening. He admits that his more tender vegetables and flowering plants froze to death when temperatures dropped to 1.6 degrees Celsius. The beans, peppers and marigolds did not survive the cold. 7However in his story, Reich writes lovingly about what is still growing in his garden. Even with a recent frost, he says, there are still leaves on the trees turning beautiful colors of red, yellow and orange. His butterfly bush is still producing flowers. 8Reich says his rhododendrons and heaths, two hardy flowers, "look as healthy the morning after the frost as the warm day before it." Hardy is a way to describe plants that can live in harsh conditions or colder weather. 9In my garden, my butterfly bush, rosemary and hardy flowers like chrysanthemums are also doing fine. So far, night-time temperatures have dropped as low as 7 to 8 degrees Celsius. 10Reich also suggests looking around your garden or the grounds around it. Some areas may not be as cold as others. A wall or a tree can prevent temperatures from dropping as low as in more open, exposed areas. Reich noted that some flowering plants, growing next to the west side of his house still look healthy and strong. 11Hardy vegetables 12It is not just flowers and trees that can do well in colder temperatures. Hardy vegetables can still be productive. There are plenty of cold-hardy vegetables growing in his garden. His kale, spinach, broccoli, lettuce and radishes looked fine, he said, after a night or a few nights of below-freezing temperatures. In fact, he adds, such vegetables look and taste better during this kind of weather than they do in summer heat. 13Another writer and gardener, Robin Sweetser, provides advice on gardening for The Old Farmer's Almanac. She notes that autumn is a favorite time of year to plant some things. 14On the Almanac.com website, Sweetser says this is the best time to plant trees and small woody plants or shrubs. She explains that the combination of warm soil and cool air helps their roots to grow. Roots will get established in the ground before the ground freezes. 15The kinds of trees and shrubs to plant and when to plant will depend on the climate where you live. Both experts advise gardeners to think about their plants for autumn and winter. 16Before planting, Robin Sweetser suggests asking yourself these three questions: 17Does the plant have colorful berries for winter interest? 18Will it interest birds? 19How will it look in other seasons? 20Lee Reich adds that at his home, there is less sunlight at this time of year. And all plants, hardy or tender, make little growth. Once the tender flowers are gone, he says, it is time to enjoy the "hardworking shrubs." 21Both gardeners tell us that colder weather does not have to mean your gardening is done. Or that the ground should look empty and dead. With some planning, you can enjoy something in your garden even during the cold weather. 22I'm Anna Matteo. 23Lee Reich writes about gardening for The Associated Press. Robin Sweetser has been a contributor to The Old Farmer's Almanac and the All-Seasons Garden Guide. Anna Matteo adapted this story for VOA Learning English. The editor was George Grow. 24_______________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26garden - v. to work in a garden : to take care of the plants in a garden 27garden - n. an area of ground where plants (such as flowers or vegetables) are grown 28tender - adj. not tough 29frost - n. the occurrence of weather that is cold enough to cause water to freeze and frost to form 30leaf- n. one of the flat and typically green parts of a plant that grow from a stem or twig (plural leaves) 31hardy - adj. able to live through difficult conditions (such as a cold winter or a drought) 32exposed - adj. not shielded or protected 33berry- n. a small fruit (such as a strawberry, blueberry, or raspberry) that has many small seeds (plural berries)