How to Enjoy Gardening in Winter
2021-02-23
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
2Last year, many people across the world looked to their gardens to find enjoyment and peace during the coronavirus pandemic.
3Gardens were established in communities and homes with vegetables, flowers and many other different kinds of plants.
4Stores that sell gardening equipment and supplies experienced shortages.
5Millions of people found happiness, release and a sense of safety outdoors with their hands in the dirt.
6To many, the spring and summer of 2020 might seem like a very long time ago.
7And much of the gardening activity stopped once winter set in.
8But as we look forward to a new spring and the hope that COVID-19 vaccines will bring lasting change, gardening offers another promise of light.
9Katherine S. White, an American writer (and active gardener) once described three kinds of gardens that can fill our time during the winter months.
10White identified the three in a piece for The New Yorker: "the garden outdoors, the garden of pots and bowls in the house, and the garden of the mind's eye."
11Here is a look at some possible ways to enjoy these three kinds of gardening.
12To the eye, there is little in a winter garden that can compare to spring and summer's active life and colorful growth.
13Only the most serious gardeners (or those in warmer climates) can keep the growing going outside.
14This often involves building protective materials around plants to help them survive the cold.
15But there are smaller joys to be had.
16The trees' empty branches can create beautiful silhouettes, and better views of birds and sunsets.
17Landscape photographer Larry Lederman, author of the recent book "Garden Portraits," suggests getting to know your garden better in the winter,
18when "everything is bare and you can see the bones" of the land.
19Gardens can also remind us that winter is just one stop on the path to other seasons.
20Death is everywhere in a garden, all year round, but it makes rebirth possible.
21A lot of plants keep going.
22Winter can also be a good time to reexamine your own personal battles against climate change.
23We can start or continue composting.
24And we can research services, products and methods to help make next year's garden more sustainable.
25Houseplants are hot now and social media is full of plant photos.
26New technologies make it easier to grow plants anywhere indoors, with or without soil.
27The plants offer not only beauty, but the rewards of caring for living things and seeing them grow.
28Indoor vegetable gardening, too, has become especially popular both as a food source and as a family activity.
29For example, small, contained gardens can be bought and placed next to the window.
30Mushrooms can be grown in a cardboard box or tomatoes can easily be grown in a bottle.
31A rise in indoor gardening has driven up sales for greenhouses, growing lights and seeds.
32One seed company in the northeastern state of Maine, Johnny's Selected Seeds, recently suspended orders from home gardeners temporarily.
33It said that because of COVID-19, the large number of orders it was receiving could not be effectively filled.
34The garden of the mind's eye is the one we imagine and plan.
35Author and gardener Jamaica Kincaid once said: "I shall never have the garden I have in my mind, but that for me is the joy of it; certain things can never be realized and so all the more reason to attempt them."
36Gardening companies promise that all of us can create better gardens with some work.
37Maybe that means removing grass and planting more flowers and vegetables.
38It could also mean choosing more native plants, reducing water use and adding paths and new water designs.
39A garden is never finished.
40And the planning process can be creative and hopeful.
41And as our second pandemic spring nears, those hopes are being supported by the release of new vaccines.
42The garden can be a metaphor for peace, safety, success and calm.
43Not a bad place for the mind's eye to rest, especially in this most unsettling of winters.
44And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.
45And I'm Bryan Lynn.
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. 2Last year, many people across the world looked to their gardens to find enjoyment and peace during the coronavirus pandemic. 3Gardens were established in communities and homes with vegetables, flowers and many other different kinds of plants. 4Stores that sell gardening equipment and supplies experienced shortages. Millions of people found happiness, release and a sense of safety outdoors with their hands in the dirt. 5To many, the spring and summer of 2020 might seem like a very long time ago. And much of the gardening activity stopped once winter set in. 6But as we look forward to a new spring and the hope that COVID-19 vaccines will bring lasting change, gardening offers another promise of light. 7Katherine S. White, an American writer (and active gardener) once described three kinds of gardens that can fill our time during the winter months. White identified the three in a piece for The New Yorker: "the garden outdoors, the garden of pots and bowls in the house, and the garden of the mind's eye." 8Here is a look at some possible ways to enjoy these three kinds of gardening. 9The garden outdoors 10To the eye, there is little in a winter garden that can compare to spring and summer's active life and colorful growth. Only the most serious gardeners (or those in warmer climates) can keep the growing going outside. This often involves building protective materials around plants to help them survive the cold. 11But there are smaller joys to be had. The trees' empty branches can create beautiful silhouettes, and better views of birds and sunsets. Landscape photographer Larry Lederman, author of the recent book "Garden Portraits," suggests getting to know your garden better in the winter, when "everything is bare and you can see the bones" of the land. 12Gardens can also remind us that winter is just one stop on the path to other seasons. Death is everywhere in a garden, all year round, but it makes rebirth possible. A lot of plants keep going. 13Winter can also be a good time to reexamine your own personal battles against climate change. We can start or continue composting. And we can research services, products and methods to help make next year's garden more sustainable. 14The garden indoors 15Houseplants are hot now and social media is full of plant photos. 16New technologies make it easier to grow plants anywhere indoors, with or without soil. The plants offer not only beauty, but the rewards of caring for living things and seeing them grow. 17Indoor vegetable gardening, too, has become especially popular both as a food source and as a family activity. For example, small, contained gardens can be bought and placed next to the window. Mushrooms can be grown in a cardboard box or tomatoes can easily be grown in a bottle. 18A rise in indoor gardening has driven up sales for greenhouses, growing lights and seeds. One seed company in the northeastern state of Maine, Johnny's Selected Seeds, recently suspended orders from home gardeners temporarily. It said that because of COVID-19, the large number of orders it was receiving could not be effectively filled. 19The garden of the mind's eye 20The garden of the mind's eye is the one we imagine and plan. 21Author and gardener Jamaica Kincaid once said: "I shall never have the garden I have in my mind, but that for me is the joy of it; certain things can never be realized and so all the more reason to attempt them." 22Gardening companies promise that all of us can create better gardens with some work. Maybe that means removing grass and planting more flowers and vegetables. It could also mean choosing more native plants, reducing water use and adding paths and new water designs. 23A garden is never finished. And the planning process can be creative and hopeful. And as our second pandemic spring nears, those hopes are being supported by the release of new vaccines. 24The garden can be a metaphor for peace, safety, success and calm. Not a bad place for the mind's eye to rest, especially in this most unsettling of winters. 25And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo. 26And I'm Bryan Lynn. 27The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 28We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 29_________________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31garden - n. an area of ground where plants (such as flowers or vegetables) are grown 32silhouette - n. the shape or outline of something 33bare - adj. not covered by leaves, grass, trees, or plants 34composting - n. to change plant materials into decayed organic material (as of leaves and grass) used to improve soil especially for growing crops 35sustainable - adj. involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources 36cardboard - n. a stiff and thick kind of paper that is used especially for making boxes 37metaphor - n. an object, activity, or idea that is used as a symbol of something else