英语播客 A Cup of English Bleeding Hearts.

I have been making excuses recently, to avoid doing some gardening. I have had pots of plants ready to plant for at least a week. I even put them right on the spots where I intended to plant them, but they sat there for a long time. Every time I happened to go outside, for whatever reason, I would catch a glimpse of them and feel guilty. I made sure that I kept them watered, because I would have felt terrible if they had died in their pots, waiting for me to plant them. Anyway, today, Sunday, happened to be a perfect day: sunny, warm, and still. My husband inspired me to go out at first to help with the blackberry bushes. He had built some sturdy poles, and put wire horizontally to create a support for them to grow up. I helped him with that, and then got on with my project. The entryway to our house, as you might remember, had had five huge bushes that my husband had transplanted. There was nothing left in their place. I had put a few bags of manure and peat moss on the area, but had not mixed them or dug them in. So, that was my first job. Now, I don't know why, but I love to dig. I always have done. So this job, though it was hard, suited me. I dug the spade (shovel) deep into the earth, and then lifted and turned it to mix it in well. As I did this, a lot of roots came to the surface that had belonged to the bushes. I had to pick those out before planting the new beauties. Finally, I got to the fun part. I dug holes for each of the potted plants, turned them upside down, popped them out of the plastic pots, and put them in their holes. I filled in the remainder of the holes with soil, and continued until they were all done. My next job was to transplant the Bleeding Hearts, which are stunning this time of year. You have to be careful with them because they are delicate. So, I dug a large root ball for each one. That means the round collection of roots and earth that the plant is using. The bigger the root ball, the more successful the transplant. And yes, they filled in the corner where I put them beautifully. Finally, mission accomplished. I gave them a long water and then stood back and admired my work.

Grammar notes.

Useful verbs and expressions: to intend to, to catch a glimpse, to get on with, to suit.

1. He intends to catch the train early in the morning.

2. I caught a glimpse of the actor as he got out of the car and went into the theater (theatre).

3. We need to hurry up and get on with the project before it starts to rain.

4. That dress really suits you; it goes well with the shoes that you are wearing.